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Capt Marvins


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We used Capt Marvins for the Stingray city and snorkle tour. We did the half day and snorkled 2 reefs and visited Stingray city. It was our second trip to GC and this was the best by far. Our boat capt for the day was non other than Capt Marvin himself. It was neat to talk to the man that started it all. I would reccomend them to anyone going to GC to see the stringrays.

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Does Capt. Marvin's go to the stingray sand bar when all the other tours do? I'm trying to book independently with a company that will go out to see the stingrays at a different time than the cruiseship excursions.

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Since all the ships arrive at different times, it is difficult to come up with a time where it would not be very crowded at Stingray City. The first time we went, there were only two or three boats out there---the last time it was packed--wall to wall boats. There are a lot of factors here that affect how many people are out there at any one given time---number of ships, arrival and departure time of ships, etc.

 

I would absolutely recommend using a private tour operator--the ship's excursions consist of herds of people crammed on a big boat---by the time everyone gets off, it's time to get back on.

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I agree with FANTASEA, a private tour is a better way to go that with the ship. Capt. Marvin's will take you out to the stingray bar according to when the captain feels there will be less boats there. For ex., before we left the dock, the plan was to go to stingray city first, then two snorkeling spots. When we were in the vicinity, the plan was modified to two snorkeling spots, then stingray city.

 

I think rather than worrying about how many boats are out there (there will be alot unless you are on the first run of the day) the key to having a good time is to go on a boat with a smaller amount of people. That is becasue, lets say you have X amount of time there. There are plenty enough stingrays to go around, but if you have a crew of 2 helping hold the stingrays, and X amount of time, and say 30 pax's, each crew member will hold the stingray and help you hold them giving each person a resonable amount of time. Now, divide that same amount of crew and time, but 100 pax's. It amounts to less time each person interacts with the stingrays.

 

I hope the way I explained this makes sense; I went once with Nativeway, and once with Capt. Marvin. Both times I was extremely glad I I wasn't on a ship tour. I equally liked both companies. The first time was more special though, because we were on a completly private tour with a total of seventeen people, and, it was the first time out there. The second time, we were 40 people, some we knew and some we didn't know, but I knew waht to expect...beautiful snorkeling and interesting stingrays!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the tips. We are considering both Captain Marvin and Native Way Sports. However, Native Way's trip to the sting rays starts at 9am, and we are scheduled to arrive in Grand Cayman at 9am, so we're thinking about renting a private boat through Native Way to take us to the sting rays.

 

The sting ray trip I took in 2000 was through Kelly Tours, and it was wonderful. We just got off the ship and he was holding a sign that said "Sting Ray City $25", so we went and there were about 10 people total. They gave us sodas and also went to a snorkeling spot where he teased a Moray Eel into coming out of the rock for us to see (not sure I want to see that again). Has anyone recently seen Kelly Tours at the dock in Grand Cayman?

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  • 5 weeks later...
The price includes mask, snorkel, vest and fins, right?

 

Does anyone know if they have masks with prescription lenses in them?

 

Yes the price includes mask, snorkel, and fins. They even had fins to fit my sons size 14 feet. I dont think they have any prescription lenses. Never seen one of those. I just wore my contacts and it was fine.

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I remember Kelly's. I did that too. They real really great. On the way back on their boat one of the guides was fishing off the back of the boat and let me reel in a large barricuda (he hepled).It was alot of fun. Haven'st seen anything posted about them recently. I only remember the name because my DD's name is Kelly

 

Laura

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Captain Marvin's has two locations in Georgetown. The one closest to you is in the Waterfront Centre, two blocks left of where you will arrive in Georgetown. I went to Stingray City last December and was even fortunate to have Captain Marvin himself (I think he is 87 or 88) pilot the boat! Here is a map to their location:

 

 

http://www.captainmarvins.com/map1.htm

 

David Jacobson

Baton Rouge

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