Grand Cayman Things to Do Tips by ScubaCat

Then I have the perfect place for you! Stingray City!!! Mind you there are 2 Stingray Cities. One is a dive in 15 feet of water & the other a sandbar for snorklers. I did the Stingray Dive & WOW had a fantastic time! Upon arrival, our divemaster threw out squid in order to bring these very loveable creatures to us, the dive masters then gave us some general instructions on how to feed them as well as their body structure i.e. makeup of the mouth, how they eat, etc. Then were all set to dive! Giant stride in & we all form a giant circle at the bottom. The 1st lucky person who has the bottle of squid gets bombarded with Stingrays looking for food, but mind you, the stingrays don't just concentrate on that individual, there are literally 50+ stingrays who swim around to each us looking for a handout. We all get a turn feeding these majastice creatures & while they are sliding up & over our bodies we get the opportunity to pet them. Man, are they soft & just loveable as can be! At one point I forgot the divemasters instructions & held my hand out the wrong way & 1 stingray thought my fingers was food & bit me. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to lose my regulator! It didn't hurt, in fact I was thrilled, giggling & having a fantastic time. There was also a green moray eel that lived in the area & came searching for food. Our divemaster warned us of this creature but mentioned that she was very old & had cateracts. We could pet her, but do not feed her. She went from person to person & all of us got a chance to pet her, that is when the stingrays weren't hugging us. We spent 50 minutes with these wonderful stingrays & the eel & I was very sorry to have to go topside. The stingrays are so beautiful & friendly. This was one of the best experiences I had on the island & one I will treasure forever! When we return to Grand Cayman, I plan on doing this again!!!

Leave a Comment

Phone: 1-800-833-4837
Address: North End
Directions: Sting Ray City Dives or Snorkel trips can be done through Don Foster's Dive Shop. Bob Soto's Cruises only do Snorkel trips.
Website: http://www.donfosters.com/
Other Contact: http://sotoscruises.com/

Not only is Cemetary Beach one of the best places on the island to snorkel, it's also very beautiful. What makes this area so interesting is that right in front of the beach there is a cemetary (please do not walk through - take the beach access in order to respect the deceased). I have snorkeled quite a few places in my time, but this area superseded my expectations. I have never seen a sea urchin, but yet in this area I saw 3! Other snorkeling spots on the other islands may have an abudance of fish, but they tend to be on the smaller size. I was amazed at the size of fish I saw just right off the beach. A huge Parrotfish that played around us for quite awhile, masses of purple wrasse and lots of big Blue Tang. I was just amazed! After snorkeling lay on the beautiful beach for sunning. This is a wonderful area to relax, worship the sun and snorkel the afternoon away.

Leave a Comment

Address: West End on West Bay Road
Directions: Drive north on West Bay Road. Cemetary Beach is on your left. You can't miss it.

There's a reason that the Nation's icon is a turtle. There are turtles everywhere! You can find them snorkeling or diving, or better yet just go to the Turtle Farm. The Turtle Farm began mainly for the purpose of raising Turtles to be released back into the cayman waters due to overfishing of these species. Today, for a mere $8.00 you can visit the Turtle Farm to view the Turtles from infancy up to 6 to 10 years old. There is a main pond where the older turtles reside and a beach for them to sun in. The younger turtles are grouped according to age in huge tubs. One of the tubs holds Turtles that are 6 - 9 months old and if your lucky enough to catch one make sure to have your picture taken. The best time to visit the turtle farm is prior to or during feeding time. The Turtles will come right up to you hoping that you have brought food. As of the date that I visited the Turtle Farm the area was mainly a viewing area for the different ages of Turtles or you could wait for the tour guide to give you some history, nuances and character of the turtles. They also had a nifty gift shop and concesion stand. Early in 2006 the Turtle Farm will have completed it's expansion to include areas where you may snorkel with the turtles, have changing/dressing rooms, placards explaing the history and character of the turtle and a variety more resturants. I wished I had visited after the Turtle Farms expansion....snorkeling with these majestic creatures sounds like a blast! If your a diver.....after you visit the Turtle Farm don't forget to do a shore dive at Turtle Reef.

Leave a Comment

Address: West End at Boatswain Beach
Directions: Take West Bay Road and Turn Left onto North Shore Road
Website: http://www.boatswainsbeach.ky