Stingray City

Stingray City

Your guide to exploring the world famous Stingray City attraction in Grand Cayman: learn about the stingrays, find tours to book, and get insider tips.

Jessica Wright image
By
Last updated 11 December, 2024
Photo by Rebecca Davidson

One of the most famous attractions in Grand Cayman, Stingray City is an absolute “must-do” for any visitor to Cayman and is often described as the experience of a lifetime. Stingray City is home to approximately 90 Southern Stingrays. These wild, gentle and graceful creatures roam free in the North Sound, a 35 square mile area of ocean protected by the reef. Even the most seasoned traveller will be enchanted by these beautiful animals.

Stingray City & The Sandbar

There are in fact two separate sites: Stingray City lies in 12 feet of water, so is ideal for snorkellers and divers; indeed, it is often billed as the best 12 foot dive in the world. Stingray City Sandbar is where the majority of visitors are taken. Here the water is just 2-4 feet deep, so even non-swimmers can safely stand in the shallow water, surrounded by stingrays. The sandbar is suitable for all ages and offers the best photo opportunities.

History

In the past, local fishermen would anchor their boats in the calm shallow water inside the reef while they gutted their catch and threw scraps overboard. Over time, Southern Stingrays came to realise there were free daily meals in certain spots of the North Sound and so they returned day after day. Today, dozens of rays continue to visit the two sites, although nowadays it is mostly divemasters and boat captains who feed them squid.

Stingrays

Southern Stingrays are large creatures, their wingspans can reach two metres across, however, males are noticeably smaller than females. Their wings are soft and silky and feel like velvet as they brush past you. Stingrays are incredibly gentle animals and their instinct is to flee from danger. Their poisonous sting in their tail is only used for defensive purposes, mainly against sharks, which are their only predators in the open water outside the reef.

What to Expect

When you reach Stingray City your crew will explain how to interact with the rays and put you at ease. The rays love to be petted and you will even get the chance to feed them their favourite dish: squid. After the rays get a whiff of the squid and swim towards you, it can feel intimidating, but as they vacuum it off your hand (remember to keep your thumbs tucked in) you’ll fall in love with this amazing experience and will not want to leave the water! You may even be tempted to give your favourite stingray a kiss – if you do, you will be rewarded with seven years of good luck!

Safety note: Please respect the animals and note that lifting the stingrays out of the water is seriously discouraged. Wearing fins is prohibited and when in the water you should practice the “Stingray Shuffle”, to avoid stepping on any sleeping rays.

Plan Your Trip

Stingray City tours are usually around three hours. You can choose from group charters, which are a cost effective option, or a private charter which is a great way to spend the day with family and friends.

Insider Tip

Stingray City Sandbar can get quite busy especially when there are a lot of cruise ships in port. If you are planning to visit during the week we recommend going after 3pm in order to miss the crowds, as passengers head back to their ships around 2pm. As cruise ships rarely come to Cayman on the weekends it is less busy.

Trips are often combined with a snorkelling stop at Coral Gardens, Starfish Point and lunch at either Kaibo or Rum Point. Some operators offer lunch on-board, and during Conch season (November to April), the crew will dive for conch and serve this Cayman delicacy on-board.

Group Tours

5% off
White sand watersports boat
White Sand Water Sports
5.0
220 Google reviews

Stingray City Snorkel Tours

Recommended for all ages

2.5 -3 hours
From US$71.25 $75 5% off
Free
Stingray City Ocean Frontiers CAY am 12933
Ocean Frontiers
4.9
246 Google reviews

Snorkelling Adventures

Recommended for all ages

From $55

Private Charters

5% off
New boat Lightened
White Sand Water Sports
5.0
220 Google reviews

Private Charters with White Sand Water Sports

Recommended for all ages

3 hours
From US$664.05 $699 5% off
10% Off
IMG 3554 Copy
Blue Haven Charters

Private Stingray, Snorkelling & Sunset Tours

Recommended for all ages

From US$630 $700 10% Off
Free Video
Dji fly 20230422 164050 385 1682199773905 photo
Cayman Islands Sailing Charters

Half Day Sailing Charter

Recommended for all ages

Up to 4 hours
From US$750
10% off
334061605 498228685645472 3942694870831388788 n
Blue Sky Sailing
5.0
21 Google reviews

Private Sailing Charter with Blue Sky Sailing

Recommended for all ages

2, 3 or 7 hours
Free beers
Ray Dayz Charters photo 2
Ray Dayz Charters

Daily Private Boat Charters with Ray Dayz

Recommended for all ages

2 hours, 4 hours or 7 hours
From US$450

Helicopter Tour

$10 off
Sandbar aerial helicopters
Cayman Islands Helicopters
4.9
41 Google reviews

Stingray City Helicopter Tour

Recommended for all ages

Approximately 15 mins
From US$195 $205 $10 off

Stingray City Operators

Feedback

Please let us know if you have any comments, corrections or ideas to improve!

Explore Cayman Magazine

The 2024 edition of the Explore Cayman magazine is a 160 page full colour magazine and is available on Island for free!

View Now

Explore Cayman App

The Explore Cayman app is the #1 app for the Cayman Islands and can be downloaded for free from the Apple app store.

Learn More