GC Stingray City (overcrowded?)

[DeepBlueSea45305]

I've read most of the threads i could find on Stingray City and think it would be a fabulous dive however, from most of the pics i have found it looks like it is so overcrowded that you have to wait in line to see the stingrays. Is it as crowded as the pictures make it look and if so would you still "highly" recomend it as a must do item while on the island?

 

[Drew Sailbum]

The Stingray City Sandbar can be extremely busy, particularly on the mornings that there are a lot of cruise ships in port. The Sandbar is shallow enough for most adults to stand up. It allows operators to cater to those with poor swimming skills, including families with small children.

The "old" Original Stingray City is rarely crowded. It is less popular as a snorkel stop and attracts a disproportionate number of the Stingray scuba dives.

The whole Stingray experince is probably the highest on the "must do" list for visitors to Grand Cayman. Ideally, stay-over guests can choose a day with fewer cruise ships in port and/or choose an afternoon trip - most of the cruise passengers will be heading back to their ships by early afternoon. Days without ships can be very limited (or non-existant) during the winter high season.

Not as much that a cruise passenger can do. You can book with the ship's operator or try your luck on your own. There are many good operations and some excellent ones. There are also a few which really pack people onto the tour boat. Buyer beware.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hi DeepBlue...

Find someone with the latest issue of "Undercurrent"--interesting stuff on S.C. and Grand Cayman diving in general. If I rememeber correctly, the article mentions that there are currently 5,000 divers *per day* visiting Stingray City! If you "do the math", that's a lot of bodies in some very shallow water. There's also mention of the fact that the rays are unnaturally "tamed" by all this activity.


Regards,

 

[detroit diver]

As crowded as it was, my kids still talk about it 4 years later. It really was a great experience, "tamed" or not. I'll never forget my daughter (about 8 at the time)-she was just barely standing on the sand with her head above the water. The next thing I knew was that she was on my shoulders with her body wrapped around my head! A stingray brushed up against her and she shot up like a rocket...! Eventually, she got comfortable enought to pet them as they swam by.

I'd take Drew's suggestion and go in the afternoon, if you can.

 

[Doc]

Hi DeepBlue...

Find someone with the latest issue of "Undercurrent"--interesting stuff on S.C. and Grand Cayman diving in general. If I rememeber correctly, the article mentions that there are currently 5,000 divers *per day* visiting Stingray City! If you "do the math", that's a lot of bodies in some very shallow water. There's also mention of the fact that the rays are unnaturally "tamed" by all this activity

If the 'taming' of the Rays was the worst thing to happen to Cayman, it would still be the same unspoiled place as it was 35 years ago. The behavior modification of the already naturaly curious Ray is minor in comparison to what a diver does simply by landing on the island. (Cayman has long been a victim of run-off siltation and drainage issues that have absolutely killed it's best dive sites on the sheltered West end)

No, there is no-one there dispensing numbers to get in line.

Be serious- anybody who is going to Cayman for the first time would be foolish to miss this. There is easy diving in Cayman, and for those who do it, they will not even imagine what they are missing by not doing the much harder, more extreme dives that are available to those ready for the challenge.

Go to Cayman when you're starting out, return when you've logged some dives that familiarizes you with the other elements available there on the East and North sides.

In the mean time, get in line, take a number, and commune with these creatures. Stingray City should not be missed.

 

[CJ's]

As has been mentioned in many threads before now you must differentiate between the extremely crowded "Stingray Sandbar" and the original "Stingray City".

The Sandbar is where the vast majority of snorkelers are taken to see the stingrays. It is shallow enough to stand up (can be less than 3ft deep on a low tide) and yes, on a busy cruise-ship day it could have up to 5,000 people visiting it.

The original Stingray city is where 98% of divers are taken and on the busiest of days I doubt if it sees more than about 200 divers throughout the day. There is absolutely no standing in line here except sometimes to play with the local green morays!

If you are a diver you do not need to worry about congestion at Stingray City!!

CJ.

 

[SubMariner]

Stingray City is a "must do dive".

When we were there in Feb, the six of us were the only ones on our particular boat. Although there were 3 other vessels in the area when we arrived on site, there was more than enough room for everyone.

And the 'rays didn't seem to mind at all. The minute we hit the water we were mobbed.

As Pearce likes to say "it's the best 15' dive in the world".

Go for it!

 

[DeepBlueSea45305]

Thanks for all the good feedback. I saw the pictures and flipped a lid. I was thinking there is no way on god's earth i came to GC to stand in line with 5000 people. After your post i decided that SC will be on my list of things to do. I can handle the 200 a day ratio. 5000?? OMG :11:

 

[Wrangler]

I've read most of the threads i could find on Stingray City and think it would be a fabulous dive however, from most of the pics i have found it looks like it is so overcrowded that you have to wait in line to see the stingrays. Is it as crowded as the pictures make it look and if so would you still "highly" recomend it as a must do item while on the island?

No Its not that crowded the good boat captains time it so your done when the snorkelers come. Ask about doing sandbar on opisite side of bay cool site lots of rays and cool coral heads with golden eels we stayed down for almost two hours just playing with the sea life and buring video

 

[saltywater]

I dove Stingray City a couple of weeks ago but wasn't all that impressed. It was probably my least favorite dive of my week of diving. Perhaps I was there on an off day because we only had about a half dozen semi interested rays visit us. They are beautiful creatures and fun to interact with, but after fifteen minutes or so, I was bored. Other's I talked to that dove SC earlier in the week seemed to have had a more enjoyable experience.