Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands · Lagoon
Stingray City
Wild southern stingrays in waist-deep water, fed here for decades
Photo: Kfulgham84 · CC BY-SA 3.0
A series of shallow sandbars in the North Sound where wild southern stingrays gather in numbers and let divers and snorkellers get within touching distance. The dive site sits in about 3.7 m of water and the neighbouring sandbar is waist-deep, so this is less a dive than a controlled animal encounter run under strict handling rules.
Also known as Stingray City Sandbar, Stingray Sandbar.
Where it is and how deep
19.3757° N, 81.3048° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits in the North Sound, just inside a natural channel that cuts through the barrier reef, which is why the water here stays calm. Boats run out from Seven Mile Beach in about 25 minutes. The dive itself is shallow enough that the tourism board describes it as the best 4 m (12 ft) dive in the world: you settle onto a sand bottom in around 3.7 m and the rays come to you.
Southern stingrays are here in abundance and are long habituated to people, so the encounter is close and unhurried rather than a fly-past. Photographers can work at eye level with the rays from the sand. Handling is regulated: guides use the approved methods, you stay gentle, and a ray is never lifted out of the water. Feeding or handling stingrays anywhere other than Stingray City and the Sandbar is prohibited.
Background
Stingray City's rays were most likely drawn in by fishermen: boats returning from an excursion navigated behind the reef into the sound and cleaned their catch in the calm shallows, throwing fish guts and squid overboard, and the rays congregated to feed there decades ago. Supplemental feeding has continued ever since, and there are now concerns about alterations in behaviour, feeding patterns and general ecology in these rays compared with rays that receive no supplemental nutrition.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Grand Cayman: December to April is drier and calm enough for the exposed south side; August to October is hurricane season, and the rain peaks in October.
Know before you go
- The rays are wild animals habituated to being fed. Handle them only by the methods your guide demonstrates, stay gentle, and never lift a ray out of the water.
Photos from Stingray City
c&rdunn · CC BY-SA 2.0
Michael A. Orlando · CC BY-SA 3.0
Barry Peters` from Doylestown · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Grand Cayman - Stingray City Sandbar. GoPro HD · RomanAYZ on YouTube
Stingray City with Guy Harvey | JONATHAN BIRD'S BLUE WORLD · BlueWorldTV on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Stingray City?+
Shallow. The dive site is in about 3.7 m of water and the adjoining sandbar is waist-deep, around 1 m (3 ft), so visitors can stand on it. It is often described as the best 4 m (12 ft) dive in the world.
Can you touch the stingrays at Stingray City?+
Yes, within limits. The rays are wild but long habituated, and visitors do pet and interact with them. Guides know the approved handling methods: be gentle, and never lift a stingray out of the water. Feeding or handling rays outside Stingray City and the Sandbar is prohibited.
How do you get to Stingray City?+
By boat, roughly 25 minutes from Seven Mile Beach, into the North Sound just inside a natural channel through the barrier reef. Going with a professional charter is recommended, since local guides know the approved methods for handling the rays.
Sources
- Stingray City, Grand Cayman — Wikipedia
- Stingray City — Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
Photo credits
- Diver kneeling on the sandbar hand-feeding a southern stingray amid a school of yellow fish by Kfulgham84, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver kneeling on white sand as two stingrays glide past in shallow, clear water by c&rdunn, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
- Southern stingray gliding low over the sandy bottom in shallow sunlit water by Michael A. Orlando, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Several southern stingrays swimming together over the sandbar by Barry Peters` from Doylestown, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive in DecemberTrip planning · 10 min read
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