Stingray City Snorkeling Tour: Swim and Feed Stingrays

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/6

Duration3h 30m

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three stops, three animals: stingrays at the sandbar, coral and fish at the reef, starfish in the shallows

This snorkeling tour departs from Royal Watler Cruise Ship Terminal and visits Stingray City, Coral Gardens and Starfish Point, with a live English-speaking guide leading the way. You'll feed and swim alongside southern stingrays in 3-foot-deep water at the sandbar, snorkel a coral reef thick with tropical fish and the occasional sea turtle, then wade into shallow water to hold starfish by hand. The tour runs 3.5 hours total, including 30 minutes by boat to the first stop, 45 minutes returning to the dock, and shuttle service from local resorts if you need it. Snorkeling gear, life vests, bottled water and squid for the stingrays are all included.

3h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Stingray City and Coral Gardens Tour

Depart from Royal Watler Cruise Terminal
Boat ride to Coral Gardens
Snorkel among coral and fish
Short boat ride to Stingray City Sandbar
Swim and feed southern stingrays
Boat ride to Starfish Point
Handle starfish with guide instructions
Return to shore

The Experience

Stingray City sits 4 to 5 miles offshore on a sandbar where southern stingrays gather in water so shallow you can stand and touch bottom. The boat ride out takes 30 minutes from the cruise terminal. Once you arrive, the guide hands you squid and shows you how to hold it so the stingrays glide up and feed from your hand — they're curious and gentle, and the water is clear enough to watch them move. You'll spend time swimming alongside them, getting close enough to see their patterns and the way they move through the water.

Before heading to the stingrays, the tour stops at Coral Gardens, a barrier reef in the north sound with coral heads so dense you see fish constantly — parrotfish, snappers, groupers, and sometimes sea turtles, eagle rays, eels or lobsters. The snorkeling gear and life vests are provided, and the crew will fit you with both. The water here runs 8 to 10 feet deep, so you're floating over the reef rather than standing.

The final stop is Starfish Point, a shallow protected beach 15 minutes by boat from Stingray City. The water is so clear and so shallow you can walk and hold starfish in your hands — the guide teaches you how to handle them without harm, and it's the kind of moment families photograph. The whole day, including the bus rides to and from the terminal, takes 3.5 hours. Bottled water and juice are complimentary throughout, and if you're staying at a local resort instead of on the ship, pickup and return are included.

What’s included

Snorkeling gear and life vests.
bottled water and juice.
squid to feed the stingrays.
a live English-speaking guide.
pickup and return shuttle service from local resorts.
air-conditioned transport to and from the boat.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Cayman Stingray City Safari

Is this one for you?Most stingray tours here run the same two stops — the sandbar and the reef. This one adds Starfish Point, so you get the animals you came for plus a third moment with a different kind of interaction, all inside the same afternoon without building the day yourself.