THE SUN DOESN'T ALWAYS SHINE IN THE CARIBBEAN .....

However, we still feel that a bad day in Grand Cayman is better than a freezing, snow-covered day that many countries are currently going through....I honestly don't think we'd last a day in temperatures under 0C!

Skirting a squall during tour in Grand Cayman

We had initially scheduled standard maintenance for "Big John" yesterday, but then we looked at the weather forecast for the weekend and changed minds rather quickly. A decision was made to try and move all our Saturday clients to yesterday - high winds predicted for the 7th - and that means quite tough, choppy conditions in the North Sound.

I would venture to say that many excursion guests might view a re-scheduled tour with some suspicion, but we honestly try to arrange our tours with the best possible experience in mind. The photo above shows a squall during yesterday's tour, but at least the waters were quite calm and the visibility pretty good - that would not be true of conditions today, even if the sun is shining!

Beautifully clear and calm waters

The above photo show how beautiful the waters were at the snorkelling site - the visibility really nice. We got the opportunity to introduce them to Phsycho the moray eel as well - we have not seen him for a while. Captain Mario reported that he was really quite sociable and welcoming, swimming around and giving our guests a really good eyeful of his beauty. We were once again joined by the Stingray Barbara while snorkelling - she is such a delight - no wonder she is Captain Mario's favourite!

Some may see this as double trouble, but we call it a double delight!

Because our guests were all overnight visitors on island, Captain Mario took the opportunity to extend the tour a little so that he could skirt and out-thwart a squall. This way, our guests missed being rained on, and had a little more time to enjoy themselves - so everyone was happy.

Stingray City Sandbar was a happy time with Snowflake doing the kissing and handing out 7 years of good luck - Dwayne the 1st mate has a very big soft spot for her.

So, although there was a little inconvenience to begin with, the tour turned out a success and we hope that our guests are left with magical vacation memories and photos, and we hope that we can welcome them back on Big John again one day soon!

One of the ladies at Stingray City in Grand Cayman

STINGRAY CITY GRAND CAYMAN - STUNNING CONDITIONS

PARADISE FOUND ......

The island of Grand Cayman has a lot of bragging rights when it comes to her natural beauty, and then you get days when she simply out-does herself and your breath gets stuck in your throat at the beauty of it all.

North Sound Grand Cayman

Yesterday was just such a day. And what a luxury it was for us - a standard excursion in the morning, and a private chartered tour in the afternoon .... twice the pleasure in one day!

Sometimes words can get in the way of something gorgeous, so without further ado, FOLLOW THIS LINK to enjoy a snippet of paradise at the Stingray City Sandbar.

Have a blessed day!

LEAVING THE BEST TILL LAST- EXCURSION TO STINGRAY CITY

They say revenge is best served cold. However, there is no best way to serve disappointment. Trust us - we know.

Taking island visitors to meet, feed and kiss the stingrays at the sandbar in Grand Cayman is not only a privilege, but a genuine delight for our crew. First time visitors arrive with a range of emotions - fear, trepidation, curiosity, bravado or simply daring - and all with the under current of excitement. For some, this visit is a bucket item list, for some it is a dream come true for which they have saved a long time, for some, just an attraction which they have "heard" about.

Enjoying Stingray City Sandbar in Grand Cayman

Whatever your motivation for visiting this world famous attraction, our ONE piece of advice would  be :

"DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SEA TOUR TO THE LAST DAY OF YOUR VACATION"

This is the Caribbean, we live in the tropics. Living in the tropics means weather conditions can do a complete u-turn in just a few hours. Annoying? Yes. Predictable? Nope. Controllable? Well, if we could control the weather we would no doubt be far more financially secure.

It sounds rather noble for us to say that we put safety before financial consideration, but we honestly don't want take you on an excursion where you are in the water and have a 40 foot boat being tossed around you by 6 foot swells and matching waves. We also don't think it's too much fun for guests to enter and exit the water in these conditions. Are there tour operators who will take you out despite all of this? Yes. But we will not.

So, given all the above information, it can be plainly seen that it is not wise to book your sea tour for the last available day of your vacation. If weather prevents this from happening, you do not have a (safe) alternative option. Rather book your excursion during the earlier part of your holiday - that way, you have the flexibility to arrange for another day and won't miss what could have been the highlight of your visit.