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Scuba Diving in Grand Cayman, Caribbean
Reader Reviews:
Dive Site: Stingray City / Sandbar
Location: 19°23.08N; 81°20.59W (Northern Grand Cayman)
Description: Reef
Depth: 1.5 metres (5 feet)
Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)
Rating: *****
Of all the dive sites in the Grand Cayman Islands, this is an absolute must. Originally attracted to the site by fisherman chucking bits of fish overboard, this site is teeming with stingrays, which are now happily fed by divers. Diving from a hard boat and armed with pieces of eel you can descend to the sandy bottom and sit and wait for the rays to come to you. They will, in droves and will take the food from your hands whilst you can (carefully!) give them a bit of a cuddle! So tame, that they will curl their tails back to ensure their stings stay well away from you! The yellow snappers are not so courteous so watch out, they have sharp teeth!
The idea of this dive may put you off, but I cannot recommend this enough as a fantastic experience. You don't have to feed the rays, but they will get closer to you if you do at least have some bits of fish in your stab jacket!
Jenny Pickles, BSAC Dive Leader
This is it! This is the big kahuna for all levels of diving. Stand in one metre of water and watch the show as if you were seeing 'The Wizard of Oz' for the first time. This place made me say to myself "I will not return to the Caribbean without a scuba certification", and at 52 I started scuba diving! The stingrays pass by you as if knights guarding their palace. They move with very little effort and glide away just as easily as they approached you. All one needs for this visual movie & show is a mask and snorkel. The dive boats or passenger boats all hand out food for the rays, but if you try to fake it (pretending that you have bait in your hands) the rays know and search for their next provider. If you are going to Grand Cayman for the first time, do not miss the chance to go to Stingray City. Look in any dive magazine and you will see this dive / snorkel site listed on the top shelf.
Patrick O'Neill, before training as a diver
Fantastic experience! Interacting with the stingrays was really amazing. The snappers didn't bother me, and the three moray eels that swam about were really interesting, if a little scary. We had been briefed well and knew what to do, so I was not really afraid. This was my third dive after Open Water Certification and I would recommend it to anyone.
Stuart Davis
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