To truly experience this ancient creature almost untouched by time, the best site worth mentioning and the most popular is…Stingray City in North Sound of the Grand Cayman Islands.

A natural channel passes through the barrier reef here in the shallow waters in the corner of North Sound of the Grand Cayman Islands. Filled with a string of sandbars the stingrays were drawn here over the years as they became accustomed to feeding off of unwanted fish parts thrown overboard by the local fisherman cleaning their daily catch. Soon they became a permanent fixture and got used to humans feeding them and climbing into the water with them.

Today, thousand of tourists particularly as part of a cruise ship attraction visit Stingray city to swim, feed and interact with the Southern stingrays. Rated one of the “best snorkeling experiences in the world”, snorkeling is one way of rubbing elbows with one of the potentially dangerous animal. However, these stingrays are a friendly bunch gathered for an easy meal and aren’t dangerous if not threatened. The snorkeling here takes place in the heart of the sandbar where the water is only 3 to 5 feet deep. The crystal clarity of the waters and numerous stingrays on the sandy bottom is just a treat not to mention when they rub up against you or even wrap their wings around you.

For the ultimate stingray experience however, the best trip to stingray city has to include diving with them. The scuba diving at stingray city is on the deeper part of the sandbar where the water is 12 to 20 feet deep and is sans fins. Groups of ten to twenty divers gear up with no fins (to avoid hurting the rays by accident) and extra weights to stay down on the sandy bottom. Instructed to form a circle, the divemaster hands out pieces of fish and squid to feed the rays. In no time the intelligent creatures have sensed their meal and swarm around the divers caressing them with their bodies and wings, urging you to give them the grub. They’re not aggressive so as to say and the chances of being stung are very slim as it’s mostly a defense mechanism and they don’t have teeth to bite, so it’s relatively safe. They suck up the food through their mouth, located on its underside and if you happen so see one from its underside you can actually see right through them.

Taking a glass bottom boat ride is also an option at Stingray city but if you’re game for it the up close and personal experience of snorkeling or better still scuba diving with the ray we feel is the thing unforgettable memories are made of!

* Photo credits; photos by petersbar, vixendoll13, Paul-W, ebatty on flickr

Diving With The Rays at Stingray City, Grand Caymans was written by Noreen for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World