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

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!

SNORKEL GRAND CAYMAN

Okay folks....this is what is so exciting about today......this is an example of the conditions that can be expected today..........snorkelling at Coral Gardens in Grand Cayman! Enough to make the office staff want to put on their snorkel goggles and catch up with "Big John" taking our tour guests there!!!