cherylm57

Okay, this may sound like an odd question but my new hubby and I have just booked a trip to Grand Cayman. I've heard that the Stingray Reef tour is a must on any vacation to Grand Cayman. I'm not a great swimmer and not comfortable in deep water. Could I still go on this day trip or is the water too deep? I'm not a scuba diver at all. Almost drowned as a kid in the deep end of a pool, so I've never been overly comfortable in deep water and can't tread water. Has anyone done this trip and can give me advise? Thanks!

virginia

cheryl, i haven't had the chance to do this yet but all the pictures show people standing in waist high water. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonandk...unt/271806589/

also i just read a trip report - the wife stayed on the tour boat with a nervous child and they brought rays over to the boat for her to look at and pet.

and you should get one of these vests. it's for snorkelers. has a small tube - if you blow one breath into it, it inflates the vest enough so you float. i almost always use one when i snorkel. it will definitely allow you to tread water. it helps me in deep water when i want to adjust snorkel gear or just plain rest: http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AKNSV...3don%26Hit%3d1

you know a lot of snorkeling can be done in very shallow water. the gorgeous fish might help you want to try this in some places. think nemo.

mymoosie

Everything I've read about Stingray City is that it's on a shallow sandbar, and like virginia said, everyone's standing in waist deep water.

I agree with virginia that you should get a snorkeler's vest. It makes a big difference in boosting your confidence. I also am not comfortable with deep water, but I have not let it stop me from snorkeling. Salt water allows you to float without any effort. Enjoy your trip!

cherylm57

Thanks for that advice. You are right, the water looks pretty shallow and it looks like everyone in the pictures are wearing one of those vests so maybe they supply them with the trip to the reef. But I might invest in one anyway so we can snorkel other places around the island. I've heard there is some good snorkeling there even in shallow water. We aren't going for quite a while but I'm looking forward to it!

Barbara1

I've been there and done it. It is a sand bar. the water is no higher than your waist.
It was quite an exhilarating experience.
Unfortunately, I learned later that environmentalists feel this activity is almost as bad as swimming with captive dolphins.
The boats go out and they have squid which you can feed the rays.
Unfortunately the heavy diet of squid apparently is not good for them. Squid is Ok for them but they are now consuming too much of it and their diet is unbalanced.
Also, because the rays are now trained to come when the boats come, they are relying too much on being fed and are forgetting how to fish for themselves.
All things considered, it seems we humans are upsetting the balance of nature, which concerns me.
So , sadly, I would never go again.

travelerfromtx

We went with Captain Marvin's and they do supply snorkeling gear and vests. There are now regulations on the feeding of squid, I don't know the particulars but I can say that our boat had only a small amount to feed. It was not enough for everyone to get to feed the rays by any means, and no one in our family actually got to feed them. But the experience of being there and seeing the stingrays swim all around was still wonderful.

Using a snorkel vest is great advice. You can invest in one if you want but if you stay at one of the larger resorts you can rent one at your resort. We stayed at the Marriott and rented one for our daughter for a small fee. Just a thought since packing space is valuable!

Asiachick

We went with Capt. Dexter couple yrs ago and he took our small grp to other special spots on the way over to stingray reef, which was special. You get vests to wear if you wanna go in the water. The other boats were too packed with people and way too loud, you might wanna check how many are in your grp before you sign up.

caribtraveler

You'll be fine. Photo from our excursion there:
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...r/26ce4a65.jpg

To make the experience more enjoyable, go on a day when there are no or not too many cruise ships in town. Check the schedule here:
http://www.caymanport.com/schedule.htm

greenie

The water is not deep. As others have stated, it's waist to chest high.

I was a chicken and got freaked out when those things started rubbing against me...eeeeekkk....I had to get back in the boat. Too creepy. They actually swim around and between you.

They did bring some close to me to touch, but that was enough for me. eeek!!!

Peace, Greenie