STINGRAY CITY TOURS GRAND CAYMAN - THE BEST ADVICE THAT WE CAN GIVE!

DO NOT BOOK YOUR SEA TOUR ON THE LAST DAY OF YOUR VACATION!

Let us say it one more time - do NOT book your sea tour on the LAST DAY of your vacation!

Tropical storm over the North Sound in Grand Cayman

As tempting as it might seem after your flight to a caribbean island promising you a well earned vacation, dropping the luggage in the room and leaving sea tour bookings till your last day of holiday is very ill-advised.

Caribbean = tropical weather

Tropical weather = teenager

 Teenager = dramatic & instantaneous mood swings

therefore

Caribbean = dramatic & instantaneous weather swings

Having said the above, I don't think even hurricanes keep us Grand Cayman tour operators quite as adrenalin pumped as we become when bad weather strikes - conditions become unsafe and tours have to be cancelled. And the wrath of unhappy, frustrated guests and visitors is unleashed upon us......

Perhaps it comes down to expectations. At this time of the year, most holiday makers visiting caribbean islands are escaping from the grey, freezing conditions of home - conditions that bring incumbent lifestyle discomforts, increased utility bills and for those travelling, delayed flights. On the flip side of the coin (or should I say credit card?), the tropical vacation destination is supposed to be quite the opposite - sunny, balmy days in paradise, a comfortable existence of one layer of clothing and hassle free fun hunting ........ and then the weather happens and the dream is blown to bits by gusting caribbean winds. Not exactly the plan.

Believe us when we say that it breaks our hearts when this happens. We sincerely want nothing but the very best of experiences for our island visitors. We want you to have the sun in the hammock, the golden vacation memories. We want to send you home with glowing tans, sentimental smiles and plans for the next visit already on the boil! And as Stingray City Tour operators, we really, really, REALLY want you to experience feeding and kissing the stingrays in Grand Cayman.

We have awesome sea tour operators here in Grand Cayman. We honestly do. And they will do just about anything to make you enjoy your time with them. But one thing they can NOT do is change the weather, nor can they accommodate guests from three (or more) cancelled tours onto the fourth tour, no matter how much money you offer, no matter how much you raise your voice and no matter how little time you have left on the island. Doing so is not safe, not good for business and simply not right.

So we beg you, please book your tours early on in your vacation. If bad weather happens, you can reschedule. If bad weather happens again, you can reschedule again. If bad weather happens again, that is pretty lousy luck but at least you tried and you can try again on your next visit (because we know that you will love our island and come back). 

Just don't leave the sea tour to the last day ...........

Barbara the stingray during a snorkel stop

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. 

IN A RUSH TO RELAX?????

CAN'T THIS BOAT GO FASTER????

Our crew are faced with many interesting questions which they love to answer, but the above question is without doubt one that causes some serious confusion for them.

It would be safe to say that 100% of our guests are on excursion with us to visit some of nature's most beautiful sites. Even if they are living on island, and are not on Grand Cayman for a vacation, surely it can be safely assumed that they are with us to relax, breathe in the salt air and commune in surroundings which are not man-made nor of concrete structure.

Has life become SO busy that we can no longer slow down? Does nothing count unless it can be done in a New York minute? Do we really want to live our lives in an instant?

So, to answer your question, oh yeah baby, it sure can, but why would we want it to? Why would we want to rush you past all this beauty? And with only a couple of feet of water under our helm, why would we want to leave a path of disturbance behind us?

Nah. Enjoy your time with us. Relax. Breathe. Sigh. But most of all ...... stop and smell the sea air.

DIVE INTO THAT CARIBBEAN VACATION!

Taking a dive into a Grand Cayman vacation

This is one spectacular dive off of Big John - Starfish Point was the site where we were stopped during the tour on January 17. Happy to welcome cruise guests from the Aida Bella, and overnight island visitors from Villas of the Galleon and George Town Villas - the above image provides an idea of the general feeling on the boat for the excursion!

Grand Cayman was putting a great show of beautiful tropical weather, although, as it is "winter" for us, the sun was not "biting" as much as usual, and the tropical breeze was soothing and fresh.

The Aida Bella at Anchor in George Town, Grand Cayman

Captain Mario spotted a small turtle whizzing by under the boat but it happened too fast for him to show the guests. However, while at Starfish Point, we were treated to a rare visit of Brown Pelicans - they were wonderful to watch splashing around and then gracefully taking to the air. Captain Mario was unable to catch pictures of them today, but went back on Sunday and managed some then.

Lovely conditions, and the stingrays were enjoyed by all - especially one exceptional little adventurer who was thrilled to touching them at the sandbar - the stingray handing out kisses today was Frosty.

If you would like to read more news on Grand Cayman and our tours, check out the Captain's Log - we hope you enjoy!

Last touch before we leave!

GRAND CAYMAN SEES THE LIGHT!

Grey. Fifty shades of it or otherwise ...... just not a Caribbean island colour. We have had WAY too much of it lately. Spoilt much? Yes. Absolutely.

But we think it has gone now ..... let's hope ........ some photos from yesterday ....... Grand Cayman showing her tropical colours again ....... oh yeah ....... we'll let the pictures do the talking!

Enjoying the sun and sea stars at Starfish Point

Stingray City Sandbar

 

Grand Cayman sunset

Snorkelling at Coral Gardens

A Grand Cayman stingray at the Sandbar

SNORKELLING & STINGRAY CITY IN GRAND CAYMAN - BARBARA ENTERTAINS

Stingray kiss fail - Grand Cayman Sandbar

Local operators and visitors to Grand Cayman alike have been getting a thorough blasting from the winds since the end of the hurricane season .... that's somewhat ironic, isn't it? Whilst it is normal in December for us to experience climatic mood swings that can rival the most hormonal teenager, we have had to keep a low profile for longer than is accustomed. 

The water at the sandbar where our excursions take island visitors to meet, feed & kiss the stingrays is usually around 3-5 feet deep, depending on the tide. As smooth as a good rum in calm weather, certain winds stir up big swells and respectable waves in the North Sound ...... proof perfect above.

But while the surface may not be all we wish for vacationers to our Caribbean paradise, you can still count on snorkelling your way to a bit of fun. 

There are a number of sociable Southern Stingrays who cavort with our guests at the various snorkel sites which we frequent - and if you keep up with our Captain's Log, you will be very familiar with Barbara. She's the one without the tail. She is also the Captain's favourite.....

The pictures below show just how friendly this lovely lady is, playing tag and chase with our tour guests at Coral Garden yesterday. She is an absolute delight and definitely not camera shy. We are certain that people who have experienced playing with her will never forget the moment, and hope that the photos that we managed to capture (and provide for free) will keep this very special holiday memory alive for a long time to come!

AT WHAT PRICE INTEGRITY?

We do hope that everyone has had a wonderful christmas and New Year and we wish all peace, health and safety for 2015! We wish the same for our very precious stingrays at the Sandbar in Grand Cayman and will make sure we get to kiss as many of them as possible!

We are now entering into the busiest period on the island - end December through to March is usually high season for guests out to enjoy a caribbean vacation away from the cold. It is now considered "winter" here - if you have experienced our summers you will understand why we cover up with sweaters in temperatures of 22 celsius! We look forward to meeting guests from far and wide, whether they arrive by cruise ship or by plane.

Unpleasantly, we have noticed a trend towards "bullying" operators. Over the last 6 months, there has been an increasing number of incidents of guests booking standard tours and then upon arrival loudly arguing that they had booked a private tour and then (a) expect to pay the standard tour fee for a private tour and (b) demand that other clients be abandoned. This has even extended to online queries offering promises of money to "get rid" of already booked guests so they can enjoy a boat to themselves.

Anyone can make a mistake, and we are sure that somewhere in our future there might well be an instance where an error has occurred - should this happen, we would take whatever steps we could to rectify the situation and ensure a great outcome for the guest. But it is horribly unpleasant to have to defend one's integrity when (a) no error has been made and (b) everything about a company and its services are advertised online. 

One wonders if said guests would use the same tactic with an airline or hotel? After booking an economy ticket, would they yell at their pilot that they had booked first class tickets and had not counted on sharing the plane with quite so many people? After booking a standard room in a hotel, would they then confront the manager and demand they had requested the best suite and were unhappy about sharing the hotel pool with so many guests?

Well, perhaps they would. But we can assure the guests who book with us that we value their loyalty and our integrity, and vow that their bookings will never be cancelled because of "better offers". You have shown trust in us by choosing our company's services and boy are we gonna make sure we are worth it!

IS STINGRAY CITY GRAND CAYMAN SAFE FOR CHILDREN?

I doubt that there are any visitors to Grand Cayman in the Caribbean who are not aware of the world famous Stingray City Sandbar. Excursions take guests to interact with, feed and even kiss the Southern Stingrays here, and many of these visitors are families on vacation.

This begs the questions "is the sandbar safe for children"? 

We would be foolish to take this concern lightly - these stingrays are after all armed with their barbs so that they can defend themselves against predators. They are not "trained", and interact with visitors  of their own free will. Some may disappear for months and then suddenly (and to our great delight) make a reappearance for daily kisses. Some never return (and we have our suspicions about them), but that is another story entirely.

Read up on the history of Stingray City, and you will learn that our stingrays have had over 30 years of interaction with human beings and do not automatically see us as either predator or prey. A reputable tour operator will know how to treat the stingrays, and should be in the water with you to show you how to do the same. Respect is key - no "cowboy" antics should be tolerated, from anyone, ever. That is asking for trouble.

So, we would advise that this attraction is no more dangerous for children than it is for adults, and we have hosted countless children from 3 months of age and up. In fact, our experience is that the kids have an enormous natural respect and awe for these beautiful sea creatures and become mesmerised when holding the stingrays. Of course, every child is different and each one has a different taste for adventure, so while we encourage all of them to partake in this experience, we never force it upon anyone, no matter the age.    

A child holds a stingray at Stingray City in Grand Cayman

Ultimately, it is the decision of the parents whether to take their children or not. Us? We love sharing it and feel it can only be a good experience and can't wait to do it again with the next young adventurer!

This youngster snorkels with Barbara

STINGRAY CITY TOURS (AND FREE PEDICURES!)

INTRODUCING "DARK VADER"

One of the biggest surprises for most visitors to the Stingray Sandbar in Grand Cayman, is how the stingrays display personalities and character traits much like we do.

"Barbara" is without doubt Captain Mario's favourite, while "Snowflake" has captured Duayne's heart for good. But over the last 2 or 3 months of excursions, we have started noticing a gorgeous looking lady who is fast making her way into the "Acquarius group".

"Dark Vader" settles in for a while

And what a beauty she is ....... forget shades of grey and bring black back! This girl is one slinky, sexy stingray caped in black velvet, bearing a mesmerising aura that weaves a spell on many a guest cradling her.

After playing just enough hard to get, she is oh so content to settle in for cuddles and kisses, and yesterday had her heart quite set on kissing a young male who refused to take his snorkel mask off ....... a disappointment she no doubt seldom suffers. Not sure if he was more afraid of the kiss or the stingray???

We love growing relationships with these awesome creatures and watching them come out of their "shells" and to the fore - it is an absolute honour and privilege.

So next time you are on vacation in Grand Cayman, come join us on a tour to meet the "ladies" - it's a memory you will never forget!

FROZEN IN CAYMAN

It would have to be a really bad voice that would motivate Catholic Christian Brothers to ask a child to do anything, anything,  ANYTHING, except SING, during mass.

I would be hard pressed to believe that any adult would be so hurtful towards a child, let alone believe that a group of religious teachers preaching generosity of spirit to others would be behind this.

BUT. We are talking about Captain Mario here, and around him, nothing is impossible. "Sticks and stones may break his bones" but those words have never hurt his indomitable spirit, and he has carried on singing to his heart's content whenever he has felt like doing so. Loudly. Vigorously. And with all his heart.

Suffice to say love is blind, but possibly also deaf, as two people in this world adore listening to his singing, one being his wife and the other being his daughter.

You may ask - why write about this on a blog about Stingray City Sandbar in Grand Cayman, where kissing stingrays and tours that take you there are the prime subject....................???

Because Captain Mario loves sharing the experience of cradling and feeding the stingrays at the sandbar, and he will do just about anything to encourage intrepid excursion guests. Even sing......

And so it was on an absolutely gorgeous Caribbean day, that he found one of his guests frozen to the boat platform ladder, half way up and half way down, really wanting to meet the stingrays but feeling simultaneously terrified at the prospect. Forcing a guest into the water is not an option, and her vice grip on the ladder was not going to be easily loosened.......

So, what's a guy to do? Well, summing up the situation and falling back on his hours of watching a certain movie enforced by his 4 year old daughter, he sucked in an enormous lung-full of air and burst forth with his rendition of "Let it go". Loudly. Vigorously. And with all his heart.

Did it work? You betcha! She was in the water before you could say "Olaf". Was it because of Captain Mario's encouragement or to get away from his singing? We shall never know........ but we do know she got her stingray kiss and Captain Mario steered back to dock a happy man. Who will NOT stop singing.

Kiss accomplished! Stingray City in Grand Cayman

SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS.......

Sigh. Just plain stupidly, daftly and ridiculously lucky.

First of all, we live on Grand Cayman - naturally, we think this is the best Caribbean island you can visit. 

Yes, we do have traffic jams. But while we wait 15 minutes to get through these, we can smell the ocean, look up at open azure skies and enjoy either a view of the Caribbean blues or at the very least, the natural vegetation and palm trees that surround us.

Yes, it gets hot and humid. REALLY hot and humid. But that's when we jump into awesomely beautiful caribbean water which is no further than a 10 minute drive from any point on the island.

Yes, we have a hurricane season. But we are very lucky and usually only suffer tropical storms, which actually just wash off dusty plants and make every thing shine even more (never mind that glorious post-storm fragrance which is so head-swirlingly refreshing).

So all of the above (and so much more) is pretty awesome. But then, we also get blessed with days like these, when we seriously need to pinch ourselves to make sure it's real:

Looking at the barrier reef in Grand Cayman

Yesterday was one of THOSE days. When, even as blessed as we are, we get treated with something even more special. Our boat trip to the Barrier Reef in Grand Cayman for snorkelling left us mesmerised - skimming over the waters you could actually spot the Starfish in the sea grass!!

And what is the first treat we get at the snorkel site?

Not one - but TWO - Eagle Rays playing at the Barrier Reef in Cayman

By this point, the feeling of being Alice in Wonderland has got about as unbelievable as it seems it could get, but no. The snorkelling carried on to include a school of about 500 Blue Tangs, Trumpet Fish, each variety of Parrot Fish, Trunk Fish and an array of coral formations which left everyone breathless.

Our guests were pretty quiet with awe while moving onto the next stop - the world famous Stingray City Sandbar. After the snorkelling adventure just experienced, everyone seemed anxious that even this much anticipated attraction might be a bit of an anti-climax. How wrong we were......

Stingray City Grand Cayman

We could not have been prepared for the beauty waiting there for us - the sun was glancing off the waters, giving it an "ombre" effect. With only two other boats there, the stingrays were only too happy to dance around us, eagerly looking for their squid treat, supplying cuddles and kisses. Nearly all of our favourites were there - Barbara, Snowflake, Frosty, Kim and Kisses ..... one young female stingray even swam straight into the arms of a guest and stayed there for an awesome  2 minute snuggle.....something that even Captain Mario has never experienced.

All good things come to an end, and hard as it was, the time to go on home came too quickly. However, the sunset that was the golden topping to an emerald day soothed the sadness and just warmed the memories even more. 

Grand Cayman sunset - afternoon tour

Like we said.....some days are diamonds.....but some are just pure Caribbean Emeralds!

ROUGH WEATHER - BUT TOUGH GUESTS!

It is that time of the year when Grand Cayman experiences some its most turbulent tropical weather, with high winds, choppy seas and weather conditions that can change in the flick of an eye.

Safety for our guests is #1 priority. Captain Mario will NOT take chances - he and his crew are often teased about having the best jobs in the world (which seriously, cannot be far from the truth), but with their jobs comes the awesome responsibility of looking after the lives & well being of each guest onboard.

Rain is never an issue for us - you are getting wet by entering the water at three beautiful sea sites anyway! Plus, we have a large interior cabin which can provide shelter during squalls. But wind is a different story, and high winds can change the North Sound (where Stingray City Sandbar is found) from one enormous and stunningly beautiful pond into a cauldron of currents and waves.

Smooth sailing (left) versus Rough days (right) at Stingray City Sandbar

For Captain Mario, it is hard to face guests with disappointing news that a trip will be cancelled due to unsafe conditions, especially when he sees all the kids' faces drop. Some guests have been saving up for this visit for over a year, some are celebrating a special occasion and some are ticking off bucket list items.....the disappointment is never easy.

But sometimes, it is just safe enough for the trips to go ahead and we are always proud of our brave and valiant guests who go ahead despite difficult weather - kudos to you all!