Diving or snorkeling in Stingray City?

[Altitude2010]

Hi,

Better to dive or snorkel in Stingray City in Grand Cayman? Actually, I already asked the question. But Ambassador Divers, Grand Cayman's diving operation, told me:

"As you are interested in getting to dive SRC [Stingray City] we can look to set up a trip on the afternoon of the 2nd. We would suggest that instead of diving we take you out on our SRC/Sand Bar snorkel excursion instead. We think that the shallow water at Sand Bar and the 2 other snorkel stops are a much better experience then the dive at SRC".

Can you confirm whether or not it is better to dive than to snorkel in Stingray City?

Thanks very much!

 

[diversteve]

This is the dive:

This is the part of the Sandbar snorkel:

Which would you prefer?

We chose the dive. It's 45 mins. in 15' of water and as long as the squid lasts you're pretty much going to get mauled by the Stingrays. It used to be that you could feed them, now it's just the DM afaik - post Steve Irwin. Smear some on your arm before you dive and the rays will find you.

And look for Psycho (or his descendents) after the rays move to the next diveboat - just not too close, he's pretty blind:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr_evil_diver/2327603623/in/photostream/

 

[scubacat1]

I agree with DiverSteve. I've only done it twice. Once with my wife, and once with a friend who hadn't done it yet. IMHO, it's like the Blue Hole in Belize. It's the thrill of a lifetime....but once or twice is enough.

Also, do you want to watch people dancing from the balcony...?? or get down on the floor and dance with them?

 

[Alex777]

And look for Psycho (or his descendents) after the rays move to the next diveboat - just not too close, he's pretty blind:

Psycho up close & personal | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Psycho has been deported to some other reef far away after a devastating attack upon a young tourist. (He also administered a 14-stitch bite to my wife's hand when it was her job to feed him and entice him out of his hole.) However, Psycho descendants may very well be lurking about. Exercise caution.

 

[Testudo]

Just to be fair, the Sand Bar site does indeed look like the picture posted above when multiple cruise ship tours are converging on it; but it can also look more like this in the afternoons when the cruisers are returning to their ships or few ships are in port to begin with.

 

[EastEndDiver]

I have done both dive and snorkel several times and for some reason I prefer snorkeling with them.Also I should ad that on all my Stingray City trips it was on surface intervals on NON cruise ship days.

 

[Altitude2010]

Ambassador Divers says: "We have had trouble with the Yellow Tail Snappers on the SRC [Stingray City] dive, they have become very aggressive and have bitten a number of our guests recently".

What do you think about that?

 

[Testudo]

They are snappers, not sharks. Don't hold any bait if you are concerned with being nipped by a fish or ray.

 

[CJ's]

Since the introduction if the new "Wildlife Interaction Zones", which were created to protect the stingrays, it is actually illegal for tourists to feed the stingrays themselves. Only your dive/snorkel crew are supposed to be feeding the rays. If you don't have food in your hands you don't have to worry about yellowtail snappers.

 

[Altitude2010]

Since the introduction if the new "Wildlife Interaction Zones", which were created to protect the stingrays, it is actually illegal for tourists to feed the stingrays themselves. Only your dive/snorkel crew are supposed to be feeding the rays. If you don't have food in your hands you don't have to worry about yellowtail snappers.

Thanks for the information! Then, I shouldn't be stressed out when I dive in Stingray City.