Starfish Point, Stingray City & Coral Gardens snorkel tour

You feed the stingrays by hand and they come straight toward you.

A 3.5-hour snorkel tour visiting Stingray City Sandbar, Coral Gardens reef and Starfish Point, with round-trip bus transport from the cruise pier, guide, snorkeling gear and life vests included. The boat ride to the sites takes 35 minutes; you spend time at each stop interacting with marine life before a 40-minute return journey. Cruise ship guests must provide ship name, docking and re-boarding times at booking.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Stingray City and Starfish Beach

• Visit Stingray City sandbar
• Snorkel at Coral Gardens
• Take pictures at Starfish Beach
• Return to dock and bus to pier

The Experience

You board an air-conditioned bus at the cruise pier for a 20-minute ride to the dock, then a 35-minute boat trip takes you to Stingray City Sandbar. Here the water is shallow enough to stand, and you wade in with squid to feed the Southern stingrays—they glide toward you in the open water, close enough to touch. The guide stays with the group and handles the setup; you just hold the squid and watch them eat from your hand.

Next stop is Coral Gardens at the Barrier Reef, where you snorkel in deeper water over tropical fish and living coral. The snorkeling equipment is provided, and life vests keep you afloat if you need them. A 40-minute boat ride brings you back to Starfish Point, a shallow beach where you can wade and photograph starfish in their natural environment, along with shells and other marine life visible in the water.

The whole sequence—three sites, boat transport between them, guide narration—takes about 3.5 hours from start to finish. You'll want to bring towels, sunscreen and sunglasses; the tour provides water and snorkeling gear but not meals. The bus ride back to the cruise pier is another 20 minutes, timed so you make your re-boarding window. Infants can ride in a stroller or sit on an adult's lap; children must stay with an adult throughout.

What’s included

• Round-trip air-conditioned bus transport from the cruise pier.
• snorkeling equipment and life vests.
• squid to feed the stingrays.
• water.
• a live English-speaking guide.
• and all boat transport between the three sites.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Captain Bryan's Sail & Snorkel Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a few hours between disembarkation and re-boarding—the fixed schedule and included transport mean you don't coordinate pickups or worry about missing your ship, and the three stops pack snorkeling, wildlife interaction and beach time into one morning.

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Top questions

What exactly happens at Stingray City Sandbar?

Stingray City Sandbar is a shallow-water site where you wade in and feed Southern stingrays by hand using squid. The water is calm and shallow enough to stand in, and the stingrays come right to you to eat.

Do I need snorkeling experience to do this tour?

No. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and snorkeling equipment is provided along with life vests. The guide is with the group at each stop, and Coral Gardens is designed as a snorkel site for all abilities.

How long is the boat ride to the snorkel sites?

The boat ride from the dock to Stingray City, Coral Gardens and Starfish Point takes 35 minutes. The return ride from Starfish Point back to the dock is 40 minutes.

What's included and what do I need to bring myself?

The tour includes snorkeling equipment, life vests, round-trip bus transport from the cruise pier, water and a guide. Bring your own towels, sunscreen, sunglasses and any snacks you want; meals are not provided.

How do I book this if I'm arriving on a cruise ship?

At booking, provide your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time. The bus picks you up at the cruise pier 20 minutes before the boat departs and returns you with time to spare before your ship leaves.