Swimming with Stingrays in Grand Cayman

Bucketlist item: swimming with Stingrays in Grand Cayman.

Swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman is one of the most popular things to do when visiting the island. It’s a unique experience that many look forward to, us included.

We were excited that Grand Cayman Cruise Port was part of our Western Caribbean itinerary with Norwegian Pearl. We were finally going to visit this Caribbean Island that we’d heard so much about.

So if Grand Cayman cruise port is on your cruise itinerary, you may want to consider swimming with stingrays as an activity for the day. And if you’re planning a vacation to the island, you will want to experience this amazing experience.

Grand Cayman is home to Stingray City, a popular spot for swimmers and snorkelers. Here, you’ll be able to observe various types of stingrays as they swim around you, interact with them through petting and feeding, or even dive into their natural habitat!

It’s a wonderful way to get up close and personal with these majestic creatures while learning about them in a safe and fun environment.

When planning our time in Grand Cayman, we were torn between spending it at a seven-mile beach or swimming with stingrays. We decided to go for the latter, and it was an amazing bucket list experience that we thought we’d never have.

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Read on as we share our swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman experience and provide tips on where to find tour operators offering this activity and what else to do while visiting Grand Cayman.

We also share tips for cruisers visiting the Grand Cayman Cruise Port.

Swimming with Stingrays in Grand Cayman

Stingray City, Grand Cayman

Stingray City in Grand Cayman is a shallow sandbar in the North Sound. The only way to get there is by boat. No matter what, you must book a shore excursion or hire a private boat to take you there.

How long is the boat ride to Stingray City?

Depending on what tour operator you hire and the marina you leave from, the ride to Stingray City can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.

It was gloomy on the day we were there, and it looked like it would pour. So during the entire journey to Stingray City, we all wondered when it would start raining. The clouds were getting darker, and we expected showers at any moment.

Boat over water in Stingray City, Grand CaymanPin
See the clouds forming over the sandbar of Stingray City? Rain was coming, but it held off long enough for us to enjoy our time with the stingrays.

So we missed seeing the blue turquoise waters the Cayman Islands are known for. 

But it was still a nice leisurely boat ride there. Once we arrived at the sandbar, it was crowded with several other boats and groups of other people there to see the stingrays. We knew it was a popular excursion and expected this, especially on a day when cruise ships were in town.

grand cayman stingray city on a beautiful day | drone view
This is what it’s supposed to look like in Stingray City on a beautiful clear day.

Fortunately, no rain fell during our visit with the stingrays. We could enjoy these moments of joy we were about to experience.

After some guidelines, we were one of the first to jump in. The water reached our waist and was wonderfully warm, a great start to an amazing experience.

Kathy holding a string ray in the ocean waters of Grand Cayman

With the promise of squid, the guide caught the attention of several stingrays. The stingrays were docile and friendly. As they swam around you, they grazed your legs like cats do when they demand attention.

Everyone got a chance to pet them, feed them, kiss them for good luck, and take pictures with them.

It was a fun adventure. One that the stingrays didn’t mind partaking in. They are well-fed with a ton of treats. From what we witnessed, the guides are protective of their well-being.

We also appreciated that the excursion is in the middle of open water in the Caribbean, not in a tank.

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Is it safe to swim with stingrays in Grand cayman?

Swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman is safe. So long as you follow the safety guidelines offered on your tour, like no swimming over them, stepping on them, or provoking them.

Tips for Swimming with Stingrays in Grand Cayman

  • Wear water shoes or sandals.
  • Bring sun protection because you’ll spend some time in the water.
  • Bring an underwater camera to get better shots.
  • Swim with a guide who is experienced in Stingray City and knows about stingrays.
  • Listen carefully to the guide’s instructions and respect the stingrays in their habitat.
  • Feed them squid for an even more interactive experience; the tour guide should provide this.

Snorkeling at Coral Garden

Part of our tour was snorkeling at Coral Garden.

On the one hand, snorkeling is a peaceful activity to do on your own while exploring under the sea. On the other hand, snorkeling is an exciting activity because you never know what will come to greet you… literally.

Of course, some spots are better than others, depending on where you are. While this isn’t the best snorkeling we’ve done, we left there with some great memories. We will always be able to say, remember when the eel attacked the GoPro?

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Funny story…

A moment before this eel attack happens, hubby calls me over and tells me to swim to where he is and that there is an eel. I swim over, and as I put my head underwater, the eel pops out of its hole and shows off its teeth.

At the moment, I swear it looked like a monster coming at me. I freaked out and screamed.

Minutes later, we had a good laugh.

Just be careful, though. Eels aren’t dangerous unless provoked, but they can be intimidating when you see one.

Starfish Point

star fish point beach in grand cayman
Starfish Point Beach on a beautiful day.

Supposedly, on a beautiful day, the water is so clear you can see the starfish hanging out underwater in the sand below. But guess what? It started to rain.

En route there, a downpour greeted us, and when we finally stopped, the water was stirred, and we couldn’t see anything. The captain graciously offered to safely bring a few on the boat (they had buckets they could fill with water and sand) for us to see, but we declined.

starfish underwater at starpoint beach in grand caymanPin

Everyone figured, oh, we’re already wet from snorkeling. It’s just rain. It’ll be fine. Let’s be brave and get in there. You only live once! I was one of them.

We jumped in!

The rain was coming down so hard and cold that it felt like icicles bouncing off our skin. Submerged in the water, we were safe. It was lovely, kind of like a warm bath. But once we got on our feet, out of the water, we were attacked again by these pelts of rain.

We were back on the boat minutes later. Most followed suit, but the kids stayed for a while. The kids were adventurous and didn’t allow a little rain to dictate their vacation. 

To be a kid again. We guess we could have followed their example, but we were shivering and, thus far, more than satisfied with our experience.

It was a great day in Grand Cayman, and we made it back to the ship just in time. 

We would love to visit again and vacation for a week to explore the island properly. One of the many reasons we love cruising is that we discover new destinations and have a small taste of what the place offers.

It can also be negative because there needs to be more time to get a true feel of the place but enough to add the destination to a list of places to visit again for longer.

Booking a Stingray City Tour in Grand Cayman

The first thing to do is to find a tour operator for swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman. Several operators offer tours to Stingray City, so ensure you research and find the one that best meets your needs.

We learn from our experiences with every trip, and since this trip, we have become much better at researching and booking our activities.

We recommend ensuring that the operator is licensed and follows all safety protocols. And make sure they are reputable, with plenty of positive reviews to go with that reputation.

You can read more tips on booking independent shore excursions to help you plan the perfect day at any cruise port.

You have a couple of options:

  1. Book the tour via the cruise line shore or hotel if staying on the island.
  2. Or book a shore excursion independently.

After experiencing this tender port, booking through the cruise line may be a good idea to ensure you have a stress-free experience…i.e., not missing your tour because you couldn’t get an early tender of the ship.

However, we did book independently with Native Way.

Stingray City & Snorkeling Tour with Native Way

At the time of this trip, Native Way Watersports came highly recommended by cruise veterans on a cruise forum. It was one of the top vendors for shore excursions to Stingray City. We emailed them, and they booked us on the “Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens, and Starfish Point” tour.

Their “Rays, Reef, and Rum Point” tour piqued our interest, but we would have been cutting it close to call-time back on the ship. If we had booked it, we would have missed our return tender and ended up stranded in Grand Cayman. So it is important to be aware of those times.

We played it safe and decided to stick with the original tour we booked after learning that this was a tender port.

We tendered and found the Native Way meet-up point. Finding it was a little tricky because we docked outside the terminal, and the directions given were for inside the terminal. We don’t think that is the norm.

Grand Cayman Cruise Port Native Way Meet Point

Thankfully Native Way had provided us with a cell phone number, and she answered promptly and was able to guide us over the phone. Once we met with her, she took our payment, and we waited with the rest of the group going on this tour.

The meeting point for Native Way at the time was in front of The Shops at Royal Watler cruise terminal.

We were lucky. We had read the groups are usually between 12 and 18 people. On this excursion, we were only 9 – two couples and a family of five. Not bad.

We prefer small groups. If you find a small group shore excursion, you may want to book that instead. It may be more expensive, but probably worth it.

We do private tours when we can, but it is nice to meet new people. It turned out that the other couple lives near us – a small world!

While we will preface this by saying that we had a great time on tour, we have two small complaints regarding Native Way to be aware of. Transparency is key.

  1. Communication via email WAS ROUGH. Native Way quickly confirmed the booking but email replies after that needed to be faster.

    They do have a US Phone number you can call  (203-681-8665), but with the time difference, all we ever reached was voicemail. They leave me a voice message once. Since the company came highly recommended, we trusted our excursion would turn out great, and it did.
  2. The driver driving our group to the marina was a bit questionable. His driving was a bit scary. At one point, he stopped at a gas station, left the van parked, and without a word, left us there for a solid 5 mins to do who knows what. No explanation. Nothing when he returned.

    We guess we should be happy he eventually got us to the marina in one piece.

On a better note:

  • Our captain and his partner for the day were friendly, personable, and excellent throughout the excursion.
  • On many occasions, they went out of their way to ensure we were experiencing what was promised because it was gloomy and started to rain, which is why some pictures look so dark.
  • They looked out for our safety.
  • Juice and water were provided.
  • Snorkeling equipment was included (we had our own gear and only used their life vests).
  • They drove us back to the cruise terminal safely and on time.

We tipped well at the end of the day.

That was our experience with Native Way.

Stingray City Tours

There are plenty of tour options that you can book if you decide to book independently. Please keep the timing in mind and be aware of the meeting point when researching.

Here are some Stingray City Tour Options:

  • Stingray City Experience from Grand Cayman (2-Stops) [book here]
  • Starfish and Stingray City Snorkeling Adventure [book here]
  • Private Half-Day Stingray City, Snorkeling & Starfish Beach Tour [book here]
  • Grand Cayman: 3-Stop Stingray City Tour with Snorkeling [book here]

122 Quick and Helpful Cruise Tips

Are you in the process of planning your cruise vacation? From cruise packing tips and hacks to what to do on the cruise ship and at the cruise ports, we have everything you need to know to ensure your cruise is unforgettable.

GRAND CAYMAN CRUISE PORT

cruise ships docked in grand cayman
Cruise ships docked offshore in Grand Cayman.

What You Need to Know: Grand Cayman is a Tender Port

On the cruise ship, specifically on the Norwegian Pearl, they handed out tickets for tendering when we cruise (I wonder if they’ve updated this system to reservations via their app or not). We did not have any priority status on this cruise. So we had to wake up early to ensure we picked up one of the first group tender tickets.

At 9 AM sharp, we lined up on the pool deck and promptly received group ticket #4. We didn’t know how long it would take them to call group 4 once we docked, but we wanted to be prepared.

What does it mean to tender on a cruise ship?
The cruise ship will dock and anchor offshore. This means smaller boats will transfer cruise passengers ashore.
Cruise Tip: If the port-of-call is a tender port, and you do not have priority status on the ship, give yourself enough time in the morning. Especially if you want to be one of the first off the cruise ship, you can make the most of your day at the port.

The best part is that Georgetown’s Grand Cayman cruise port has double-decker vessels for tendering. They can accommodate more passengers to transfer to and from the ship.

It made for a speedy time off the ship and ashore. We were called shortly after we docked offshore at 10 AM.

Once your group is called, you can head down to tender any time after.

Important! if your cruise itinerary indicates the cruise ship is departing Georgetown, Grand Cayman, at 4:00 PM, the last tender will be at 3:00 PM. They will announce over the PA system and post signs before you’re escorted onto the tender boat. Triple-check, ask a crew member on your way off the cruise ship and take down the time.

Play it safe when booking your independent excursions. Give yourself enough time to be back on time to tender. You do not want to miss your ship.

Cruise Packing List

Add these items to your cruise packing list. Don’t forget to pack these cruise items that will help enhance your cruise vacation. Printable included!

Other Activities in Grand Cayman

seven mile beach in grand cayman

Unsure what else to do from Georgetown, Grand Cayman? Here are some activity and tour options unrelated to swimming with stingrays. That kind of activity isn’t for everyone, but there are more things to do in Grand Cayman.

1. Go on a Food Tour

If you’re looking for a tasty itinerary, Grand Cayman is a great place to go on a food tour. Did you know that Grand Cayman is the culinary capital of the Caribbean?

You’ll meet your guide in Georgetown and take a walking tour that includes 10 local tastings and local knowledge of the history of this capital city.

Sign me up!

[book here]

2. Seven Mile Beach

Have a taxi drop you off at Seven Mile Beach. You are free to explore the entire length of this shoreline as it is public access. Just bring some beach towels, and you’re good to go.

3. Cayman Crystal Caves Tours

These beautiful Crystal Caves in Grand Cayman only opened some years ago. You can take a guided tour that includes transportation to and from these caves on the island’s north side. Learn about the history of the caves and their interesting rock formations.

[book here]

4. Spend the Day at Rum Point Beach

Rum Point Beach is a popular route if you want to head to the north of the island to spend the day at the beach and snorkel. You’ll need to either take a cab, book an excursion, or rent a car to get there.

It is away from a seven-mile beach and Georgetown on the island’s north side. A great option if you want to get away from the touristy area of Georgetown. There is bar service, food, and water activities. Not as sandy as some wished it was.

This is another perfect opportunity to rent a car, drive to Starfish Point, and then head over to Rum Point for lunch and some snorkeling.

What are you looking forward to the most in Grand Cayman cruise port? What do you love to do in Grand Cayman?

Other Related Western Caribbean Itinerary Articles:

Costa Maya Cruise Port: Be Your Own Tour Guide

Spend a Fun Day at Paradise Beach in Cozumel, Mexico

Harvest Caye, Belize: Don’t Stay on the Ship

Explore and Tour the Beautiful Rio Dulce Guatemala

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Kathy Ava

Meet Kathy Ava, a food, travel, and cruise writer based in Los Angeles/Pasadena, and the owner and main writer of Tasty Itinerary. With over 20 years of experience planning trips and logistics at her full-time job and for herself, she's become a pro at crafting unforgettable tasty itineraries. She's always on the hunt for delicious, fun travel destinations and cruise itineraries. She firmly believes that life is short and we must make the most of it, so always say yes to dessert.

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