Swimming with Stingrays

[newdinndo]

We are cruising the Celebrity Solstice in March 2012 and my husband wants to do a Stingray excursion in the Cayman Islands - I am scared to death of sealife. We snorkeled last year in St Thomas and I was basically in his shorts the whole time freaked out that a fish or stingray was going to come up and kill me.

Can anyone who's swam with stingrays before give me a little insight into what to expect? Do I have to feed them, or can I just meander around.

We are looking at Stingraysailing.com for our excursion.

Any help and advice on how to calm down would be greatly appreciated. :)

[rockbock]

Regardless of which company you book with, the experience will be very similar (the differences between companies will be how many other people are in your group, whether food/drink is included, etc.).

 

What you can expect is to interact with many stingrays which are best classified as "tame." They are as gentle as a household pet, even though they live in the wild. You can hold them by their tails and they still won't sting you. You will not be forced to feed them, but you will be allowed to do so if you want to. You won't even be forced to hold or touch them unless you want to. You can get into the water, watch everybody else, and decide whether or not you want to touch them. I'm not going to lie...at times they will swim near you and possibly touch your legs as they swim past, but you don't have to have any other contact with them unless you want to.

 

Here's a review of my recent experience:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1499068

[newdinndo]

Thank you very much. It's interesting to hear other people's take on their excursions. Your pictures are beautiful and it looks like your family had a great time. Not going to lie, the pictures of the sting rays creep me out a bit. That's my own problem though.

 

Thank you again!

[bookbabe]

If you're nervous about the stingrays, try to stay away from the guide with the bucket of squid snacks, and away from the clumps of other visitors, especially if they have the squid snacks.

 

The stingrays at Stingray City are a lot like cats. They're mainly interested in the treats, so if you don't have treats you won't get much attention. They'll check people out to see if there's snacks, and if not then they'll usually just swim away again.

 

The sandbar they take you to is a huge open area out in the ocean, so you're not "trapped" with them like you would be in an aquarium or marine park, and there's the ability to get back on the boat to watch from there if you're really nervous. Even if you're not in the water, it's still an awesome sight to see... :)

[cruisehoppers]

We did stingray city and a lot of people are nervous when the stingrays first come around. The others are right-- as long as you stay away from the squid buckets you can kind of hang out and watch them come and go. They are so, so docile and will swim right over your feet and even if you move away they'll pay you very little attention!

 

Stingray city is a huge sandbar and the water isn't very deep so you'll feel "in control" the whole time. Like the others said, you can also just hang out on the boat if you want.

 

The stingraya feel like giant mushrooms in the water. That's what it feels like if one passes you or goes over your feet. They're so soft and smooth and so calm! If you're not handing out food they'll check you out and then swim away so you'll be able to adjust.

 

It's an amazing experience; you'll love it!!!

[Keith1010]

Another option is for you to say on the stingray boat while your husband goes in.

 

Keith

[Grandpaul]

We took my wife's AUnt WInnie with us a few years ago to Stingray City and she wanted to stay on the boat. SHe did for about 20 minutes and couldn't resist anymore. SHe got in the water and had a fabulous time. She was the last one back on the boat. I've done this tour a half dozen times and I'm doing it again in less than 3 weeks. It's one of my favorite things to do. One important thing you want to remember is when you walk thru the water drag your feet on the bottom. Don't pick them up. That way you won't step on one. Bring some goggles too even though the boat will have some and look at them underwater with the goggles. What a magnificent swimming machine. As mentione they are like house pets. They will sometimes bump up against your back to nudge you a little into feeding them. Also, get your picture taken holding one. You will have a blast.

[blue_water]

First of all you don't have to get off the boat, asome folks don't. But it is a very peaceful experience, the rays simply swim around you and they are very gentle. Their "skin" is very soft and you can actually hurt them if not careful with jewelry, etc. Feeding them is optional but I would recommend it - no other experience quite like it!