Interacting with the Sting Rays
A Female Sting Ray at Sting Ray City Sand Bar.
A Conch that Reggie showed us.
Sting Ray City Sand Bar is one of those not to be missed adventures that will leave you in awe of the beauty of the ocean and of Sting Rays. With Red Sail Sports tours your journey will begin with a 45 minute sail to Sting Ray City Sand Bar. I highly recommend Red Sail Sports as they have many options in tours, an excellent crew and tours on several islands in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Mondays I’m told are the best days to visit Sting Ray City and Sting Ray City Sand Bar On Mondays there are no cruise ships and there are fewer tourists visiting Sting Ray City. On a cruise ship day visitors to the area can number between two and four thousand. When our tour visited there were just three boats at the sand bar and possibly forty people in all. After a short time it was just our boat of five visitors and a crew of three, Dan, Reggie and JB. We were fortunate to have so few people on our tour; it made the Sting Ray interaction all the more memorable. We’d been educated about the proper way to touch and interact with the Sting Rays before we disembarked the boat. We were told they constantly touch and bump you in their desire to be fed. Dan demonstrated the proper procedures on a small plastic Sting Ray.
Cayman regulations have changed regarding feeding the Sting Rays. Boats are now allowed only one pound of squid per trip and one feeder. Our captain said this actually makes feeding the Sting Rays a better experience. Prior to the change boats would overfeed the Sting Rays and they could be lethargic and less interested in interacting. Dan shared his knowledge of the Sting Rays and told us there are about eighty Sting Rays that come to the sand bar, generally twenty on any given day. The boat crew has named the Sting Rays and can identify many of them as regular every day visitors. One example is Frisbee a large female Sting Ray that has no tail. They see her on every tour. she is particularly gentle and enjoys interacting with visitors and crew alike.
Reggie explaining the Conch Shell
To start with I hung back; actually I could barely get off the boat knowing the Sting Rays were so big, some as large as three feet around. I was leery of getting too close to the feeding area. I was very nervous about having the Sting Rays touch me and bump me. I feared being stung. Dan explained that Sting Rays only sting when they are threatened and that they have been interacting with visitors for twenty-three years. Still as they swam around me, bumping and touching I was truly afraid. I stood frozen in fear, thankful for JB, one of the crew who was kind enough to help me by holding my hand as I got used to the Sting Rays touching me. I gasped as they touched my legs, arms, stomach and back, each time I grasped JB’s hand more tightly.
Eventually I relaxed and was able to let go of JB and enjoy the experience. I touched the Sting Rays and marveled at their beauty. On top they are slightly rough and on the bottom they feel super soft. Dan described them feeling like a portabella mushroom. By the end JB had coaxed me into holding a large female Sting Ray in the water. It was amazing to feel such a large creature. As I relaxed I became aware of how fortunate we were seven people alone surrounded by crystal clear water on a shallow sand bar. I t was an unforgettable experience to interact with the Sting Rays.
JB helping me overcome my fears of the Sting Rays touching me.
The stunning 360 degree view of crystal clear turquoise water and the silence was spectacular and unforgettable. Eventually I snorkeled around the boat with the others, enthralled by the majestic beauty of the Sting Rays as they gently glided and twirled in the clear water. Red Sail Sports Tours made my trip to Grand Cayman’s Sting Ray City Sand Bar unforgettable. Dan, Reggie and JB were warm, engaging and professional. In particular I was highly appreciative of their patience with my fears and their kind encouragement to snorkel and interact with the majestic Sting Rays.
*This Red Sail Sports tour was provided by Marriott Resorts. As part of Marriott Resorts Press trip.