It’s tails up in Grand Cayman when you experience Stingray City! Magical Stingray City is a series of shallow sandbars floating in the sun in the beautiful waters off of Grand Cayman in the North Sound. In many ways, Stingray City is like Mother Nature’s tropical petting zoo. There’s simply no place on the planet where visitors can interact with wildlife in such a gentle, carefree way.
In fact, the stingrays here are lovingly known as the “puppies of the ocean” due to their playful nature. Don’t be surprised if you see people around you petting, hugging, or kissing the stingrays that swarm you while visiting Grand Cayman.
A tour we think you'll love
While stingrays are notoriously docile around humans in general, years of interactions with gentle humans have made the stingrays of Stingray City especially docile. At widths of up to five feet, these diamond-shaped beauties inspire awe as they swim around cruise ship passengers stopping by Stingray City sandbar.
Are you ready to wade in warm tides with wild stingrays at one of the most famous destinations in the Cayman Islands? Here’s everything you need to know about hopping on the best Stingray City tour.
Book The Best Stingray City Tour Grand Cayman Visitors Can Experience
Before getting into some fun tidbits and tips for experiencing Stingray City after docking in the Cayman Islands on your cruise ship, let’s cut to the chase on the absolute best way to see Grand Cayman’s Stingray City. Captain Marvin’s Watersports lets you experience swimming with stingrays with the founders of the stingray experience in the Cayman Islands. Yes, we are the oldest water sports company in the Cayman Islands!
Our extremely knowled geable staff offers the best excursions for interacting with stingrays, snorkeling the barrier reef and coral gardens, and filling up on local island cuisine. Private charters from our local tour company offer a wide range of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that include:
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Adventures with stingrays, starfish, and caves
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Tours of Starfish Point
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Three-stop excursion at Stingray City Sandbar, Coral Garden, and the Barrier Reef
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Snorkeling at the Coral Garden or the barrier reef on a motorized catamaran
At Captain Marvin’s Watersports, we know that you’ll be eager to wade among the friendly stingrays at Stingray City as soon as you get off your cruise ship. Our carefully selected snorkel stops provide glimpses of exotic fish species to ensure a great trip for every guest. What’s more, we take pride in being one of the only companies to offer kid-friendly experiences that provide the prestige of a private charter! Book the best Stingray City tour today!
Interacting With Stingrays During Stingray City Tours
If this is your first time interacting with southern stingrays, there are a few things to know to make your boat tour or snorkel tour in Grand Cayman as safe and magical as possible!
Our guests come from all over the world to experience the rare and surreal experience of actually swimming with wild stingrays. This can be a perfect experience for a honeymoon, anniversary trip, family vacation, or a friend getaway. Of course, you don’t need to come with a crowd to enjoy this adventure. Many people choose this sanctuary-like setting to enjoy a private retreat while on vacation.
It’s important to remember that the docile stingrays at Stingray City are still 100% capable of stinging humans. The good thing to know is that the barb that you’ll see at the end of every stingray’s tail is not poisonous. However, it can still wound you! Here’s how to prevent that from happening:
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Never harass, splash, or chase after stingrays
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Avoid any fast movements that could startle stingrays
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Always approach stingrays from the front to avoid being vulnerable to their barbs
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Never touch a stingray’s eyes, gills, or tail
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Avoid removing a stingray’s gills from the water
If you prefer to take a more passive approach to your Stingray City experience, you can simply stand back in the water to admire these beauties! Photographs to help you remember this incredible experience in Grand Cayman are also permitted.
Pro Tip: We recommend purchasing a waterproof pouch ahead of time that you can use to secure your phone if you plan to bring it in the water with you!
Snorkeling Near Stingray City
For some people, a tour of Stingray City in Grand Cayman isn’t enough to scratch their itch for adventure. That’s why booking a snorkeling excursion near Stingray City is also recommended. Coral Gardens is a popular snorkeling located roughly half a mile from where Stingray City tours are conducted in the North Sound. This gorgeous coral reef is famed for its warm water and robust fish populations.
While Coral Gardens is known for being shallow, it’s important to know that the water’s depth is around 15 feet. That means that standing isn’t possible. Be sure to wear a life jacket for a safe experience.
Visiting Starfish Point
Situated near Stingray City and Rum Point, Starfish Point more than lives up to its name!
When coming to this magnificent spot, you’ll want to look for a sandy portion of the beach that is famed for being the spot where large starfish populations congregate. The starfish can be seen at the point where the tide reaches knee-depth level. Be sure to look closely in the water to ensure that you don’t miss starfish that vary in color from pale yellow to fiery red.
Like the stingrays of Stingray City, the starfish of Starfish Point must be treated with care and dignity. While the starfish can be admired and photographed, visitors should avoid disturbing these stunning creatures in any way.
Scuba Diving Near Stingray City
Seven Mile Beach is considered the best spot for scuba diving in Grand Cayman! In fact, people from all over the world come to Seven Mile Beach and its surrounding waters to marvel at blue tides, colorful coral reefs, and formidable walls.
Seven Mile Beach has a crescent shape that is notably covered in coral sand. It has been named the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean by more than one publication over the years. While this is a snorkeling tour capital of Grand Cayman, Seven Mile also offers great opportunities for:
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Swimming
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Sunbathing
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Hiking
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Biking
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Picnicking
There’s no need to stick to one attraction when your goal is to savor paradise! Many people who book Stingray City tours also find their way to Seven Mile Beach. In fact, this beach is easily accessible by public transportation. Visitors also have a wide range of shops and restaurants to choose from near the beach.
Book The Best Stingray City Tours From The Original Grand Cayman Tour Company
Our tour company was the first to offer charters to Stingray City for visitors to Grand Cayman. We’re known today for providing the best Stingray City tours for visitors of all ages. We know that planning a visit to Stingray City can be intimidating if this is your first visit to Grand Cayman. That’s why our friendly team will take time to help you find the right itinerary for your needs.
As you browse our tour offerings, you’ll notice that we provide a variety of rotating options that vary based on the season or daily weather conditions. That’s because we are committed to offering the safest tour experience for all of our guests. What’s more, we tailor our options based on what will make you more likely to have the best experience with the best sightings!
While our Stingray City charters feel elite, we promise that we offer the most reasonable pricing around. We also have a top-notch fleet consisting of new, well-maintained vessels that enable our guests to glide over the blue Caribbean in style and comfort.
We offer the best Stingray City sandbar tour! Experience one of the best tours for interacting with southern stingrays in their natural habitat when you book a private charter with Captain Marvin’s today!