Ever had a Stingray Hicky ?
Written: May 19 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Up Close and Personal Encounters with Wild Stingrays and Diving for Conch
Cons: Guaranteed sunburn if you forget your sunscreen.
The Bottom Line: Stingray City of Grand Cayman is a must see spectacle that shouldn't be missed by young and old alike.
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| larry3's Full Review: Stingray City |
I've been to Grand Cayman dozens of times, but no trip is ever complete without a visit to Stingray City.
Stingray City is a small area of shallow sandbars just inside the barrier reef on the northern side the crescent made by the island of Grand Cayman.
Depending on which captain you talk to, some will say that the Stingrays were attracted by fisherman that congregated in that spot to clean their days catch. Others claim that the locals used to take their boats and families out there for picnics and began feeding some of the stingrays the same way people feed pigeons in a park. In either case, the original few stingrays must have told all their ocean going friends about the bounty, because now it's not unusual to find dozens of them on any given day patiently waiting for you to arrive with tasty treats.
TIP #1:
Lot's of tour operators will take you to Stingray City, but choose one that has a small boat (carrying 8 or less passengers). The calm waters on your way there are within the protected reef so it doesn't require a larger boat. And the less people you have in the water with you, the more Stingrays you'll get to see up close.
TIP #2:
Look for a tour that includes "Conch Diving" as a part of their package. This can be a very memorable element of your visit and it breaks up the hour or so boat ride that you'll have to make to get to Stingray City. It's also a great opportunity to each Conch Salad fresh from the ocean.
If you take the advice above, about thirty minutes into your boat ride, your captain will come to a stop in what looks like a moderately shallow (8-10' deep) area with a very grassy bottom (actually kelp). You'll then be given the opportunity to go Conch Diving. It's as easy as paddling along the surface with your snorkel until you spy one on the bottom and then just diving a short way down to pick it up. Most captains will ask that you limit your catch to one per person.
Once back on board and on your way again to Stingray City, you'll see the 1st mate tap a small hole in each shell with a butter knife or similar device. Then with a quick push through that hole, the conch will pop out of its shell. Some tours will make conch fritters for those that don't like fresh seafood. But the best way to enjoy conch is in the form of fresh Cayman conch salad. The mixture includes freshly diced conch, lime juice, onions, spices, and tastes similar to a mild barbecue sauce. A little conch salad on a Saltine cracker is the equivalent of Cayman Caviar.
Shortly after your Conch diving expedition, you'll be arriving at Stingray City. As your boat slows you'll often see a dozen or more large dark spots through the crystal clear waters on the white sand bottom. But even if you only see a few, don't dispair, more will show up as soon as they hear your group getting into the water.
Typically the captain will stop in water that's shallow enough to stand on the bottom and still easily keep your head above water as long as you're at least 5' tall. So snorkels are primarily used to get a face to face look at your new Stingray friends. But since you'll be walking on the bottom fins are sometimes more of a bother than a help. So you may find that leaving them on the boat makes you more mobile.
TIP #3:
Watch where you jump in and where you're walking so that you don't land or step on a stingray. They're very gentle and they're there to be fed not to hurt you. But you have to remember that they do have barbs on their tails that can inflict a nasty wound if you put them in a defensive situation by hurting them or trying to get too rough.
TIP #4:
Bring at least 1 disposable underwater camera for each person in your party. The water is crystal clear and as long as the sun is out, even the most photographically challenged will end up with at least a few spectacular photos of the Stingrays.
If you took the Conch diving tip, your captain and first mate will hand out the bits of conch that were too tough to use for conch salad. If you take a trip without the conch dive, you'll probably get cut squid to feed the Stingrays.
TIP #5:
"Cayman locals have a good sense of humor..." If the stingrays don't come up to you immediately and your first mate notices you looking frustrated, don't take his or her smiling advice to rub some of the bait on your body to attract them to you. This will result in one of the afore mentioned "Stingray Hickies". Although Stingrays don't have any teeth (just upper and lower boney plates in their mouths), they do have a great deal of suction power. So if they mistakenly think your bait coated belly (from rubbing bait on your body) is food, they might accidentally give you a little taste before they figure it out.
Stingrays eyes are on top of their bodies and their mouths are on the bottom, so they can't see what they're eating while they eat it. So they typically will swim up to you and then tilt themselves upward to eat by quickly sucking the bait into their mouths. Which leads me to...
TIP #6:
Don't try to hold on to the bait when the stingray attempts to eat from your hand (envisioning that you'll tussle with him like you would a dog with a dish towel). The end result will probably be getting your fingers sucked into his mouth and getting them clamped between those bony plates. It won't cut you, but you'll definitely get a good pinch. Just wait until they come up to you and when you feel them going for the bait, let go.
Follow those simple rules and your trip to Stingray city will be a blast watching these gentle giants glide effortlessly through the waters around you. They're a little like sandpaper on their darker topside if you rub them from back to front. But they feel soft and smooth if you rub them from their eyes to their tails or on their white bellies. If you look closely, you'll also notice that their mouths are shaped like they're smiling, which is just what you'll be doing after just a few minutes in the water with them.
Enjoy !
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
larry3
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Member: Larry
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 9 members
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