Swimming with sting rays? opinions....

[soccercruiser87]

hey, im going on the 7 day western magic cruise and i was just wondering if swimming with sting rays is fun or exciting or if anyone had past experiences and what port of call you can do it at. any info please reply!

 

[CoryB1291]

Hi...

I was on the Western last year and I think the only port of call you can do it at is Grand Cayman. The only thing that you have to watch out for is the stingers...

If you go they'll get into more detail, but overall it's really fun.

Cory

 

[hopelea]

We went 10/10/03.........in GC.....it was wonderful. The ocean was really calm and we had a great time.

It is a really weird feeling to have them swim by you and touch you. I am really glad that I had the experience and would recommend it to everyone! We booked through DCL, we had friends that booked through Captain Marvins and had a great time too.

 

[inkkognito]

We did this in Grand Cayman and loved it!
It is highly unlikely that you will get stung. Even though they are wild stingrays, they are so used to handling that you can pick them up and even put them on your head. Our guide did that with us so we could take photos. You could get stung if you accientally step on one, but they are swarming around for food rather than hiding in the sand so I doubt that happens much.
They will all bump you for food, which can be intimidating at first, but it's only because they cannot see the food that you hand them. They locate it by smell and suck it off your hand.
Overall, this was a real highlight for us. We combined it with the Island Tour on the DCL excurson. It was much longer than the stated time, and we were on a small boat with a small group of people (the same people in our van...the tour group is all split down into multiple vans, and each gets its own boat and guides).
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[wenabre]

We did it last year and loved it so much we are doing it again on our next cruise. Don't for get to bring along a disposable waterproof camera. I got some great shots!! For info check out the Disney Cruise Line site.
Wenabre

 

[Princess49]

I know nothing about sting rays , but I was in St. Pete's beach a few years ago & there was a sign saying there were sting rays in the gulf & my boyfriend wouldn't even go in be cause a stingray bit Brooke Burke on the show "Wild On" on the E! channel!! She was swimming around & they were under & it bit her on her arm or something!!! So I am JUST giving the info, I don't know how likely it is but I know it happened because they showed it in the episode!! OK, I'm sure it's fine, for goodness sakes people swim with sharks! We are not the scuba diving/snorkeling type-- perfect example...when we did the shark reef in Typhoon Lagoon(you're not allowed to kick while swimming) a teeny tiny, probably a goldfish, just skimmed the surface of my foot & you NEVER saw anyone move their arms si fast as I dragged the rest of my motionless body behind me!!!! My bf is the same, we were though the water in 2 minutes flat.. I snapped pictures without even looking as I swam for my life!!! They actually came out really good! Haha, oh boy I guess I'll never have the courage to swim with the stingrays!! But I really do with you the best of luck & I hope you have a great time!!!!

 

[inkkognito]

I swam with a shark at Castaway Cay! It was ou Feb. cruise, and it was just a little nurse shark that swam harmlessly by. There were actually two in the vicinity, but I only saw one. This was at the adult beach, where I've also seen stingrays (they swim by but won't come too near you) and an ink-squirting squid.
If you use a disposable camera and don't take all the photos, beware of the airport x-ray. The security guy swore up and down to hubby that it wouldn't hurt the film, but when he used the rest of the pics up at home, they were totally grainy and the color was awful. Thank goodness the ones he took on the CC jet ski tour were okay.
Barb
Visit the Platnum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[nativefl]

We visited Stingray City last year w/Captain Marvin & I thought it was fantastic.

My 9 year old son was a little overwhelmed when they all started swarming when we feed them, plus the water was rough, but him, several other kids & a few adults got back on/or stayed on the bought & our guide held one up by the boat so they all could pet one.

They also had a diver that videoed our trip & we bought the DVD, which they shipped to us after the cruise. The dvd turned out great & is a wonderful souviner.

Leslie

 

[WDWLVR]

We did the snorkeling with stingrays last year in Grand Cayman and it is by far my all time favorite excursion! I loved it and would do it again in a heart beat!

 

[hannahandkatesmommy]

My husband and I swam with the stingrays in Grand Cayman in 1998(I know, a long time ago..) I consider myself someone who loves an adventure. I was paralyzed with fear!!! I don't know what caused it but I think it was a woman on our excursion who kept SCREAMING at the top of her lungs. I kept wondering why, turns out(after seeing the bathing suit she selected to wear on this excursion) she was just looking for attention! Anyway, I think it was an experience not to be missed, however I don't think I will do it again any time soon..... I don't mean to be negative in any way, but I was not prepared for the feeling I had once I was in the water with these things and if you have any fear of under water creatures as I apparently do, you might feel a bit uncomfortable in the water.

 

[ruvidu]

We did this on our Western cruise and it was geat. We used Capt. Marvin and they did a wonderful job. We had less than 20 people on our boat and made 3 stops including the Stingray Sandbar. BTW we are a mid 50s couple and this was our first snorkleing adventure. It won't be the last.

Princess 49 says

a stingray bit Brooke Burke on the show "Wild On" on the E! channel!! She was swimming around & they were under & it bit her on her arm or something!!!

E! is not exactly the Animal Planet so I would not believe anything I saw on there about anything much less Stingrays.
#1 They are bottom feeders. They suck up food off the bottom as they swim along.
#2 I am a surf fisherman and have caught hundreds of these things off the SC coast. I always remove the hook and send them on the way. I really don't remember ever seeing a tooth. Their main defense in the stinger or barb which they use as a self defense mechanism.

Go and enjoy this wonderful adventure with nature. It is somthing you can't do at home. If you buy the video you will even have a retreat during those cold winter days back at home.

Russ

 

[herrbeeb]

dear soccergirl, i swam with the sting rays at grand cayman last year. i went alone as the rest of the family wimped out. it was an interesting experience but i probably would not do it again. it took over an hour to get to sting ray city, which is the sand bar where the sting rays congregate. the trip includes a walk from the ship to a bus, bus to a boat and then a boat ride to the sand bar. it is not a reef so except for the sting rays and the water there is not much to see. in addtion, you are with over 100 other passengers some of whom scream every time a sting ray brushes by.

the sting rays are wonderful. they are graceful yet powerful swimmers and very beautuful. the sting rays are tame enough to pet, if you catch one, and feed. the guide will hold one for you and the staff takes pictures which of course cost money.

unfortunately, the experience was marred, at least for me, by the crowding and the lengthy trip out and back.

i hope this helps.

have a great time,

herrbeeb

 

[emsamom]

My family and I went swimming w/ stingrays last July in GC. A huge stingray "sucked" on my 65 yo mom's elbow and wouldn't let go!! It didn't break the skin-no teeth marks. It looked like a big hickie. It left a bruise on her arm. It was more like a suction. Our boat captains said that she probably was touched by shrimp and the stingray was attracted to that. Very funny now to look at pictures and video. But she was not very happy then!! I don't think she will swim w/ the stingrays again.
Having said that, I would definitely do it again. It was awesome. My kids-8 and 10 yo-were a little scared at first but relaxed and we all really enjoyed it-except mom!!

 

[mcnuss]

dear soccergirl, i swam with the sting rays at grand cayman last year. i went alone as the rest of the family wimped out. it was an interesting experience but i probably would not do it again. it took over an hour to get to sting ray city, which is the sand bar where the sting rays congregate. the trip includes a walk from the ship to a bus, bus to a boat and then a boat ride to the sand bar. it is not a reef so except for the sting rays and the water there is not much to see. in addtion, you are with over 100 other passengers some of whom scream every time a sting ray brushes by.

We did this trip but I would not recommend DCL's excursion for the very reason posted above. We used Red Sail Sports and did a catamaran sail out to the reef, so the trip out there was glorious. The Cat only takes about 25-30 people and they served a lovely lunch on board. It was a nice day. We took a cab to the Hyatt hotel (about 10 mins and not very much $$) to get to the boat. The cost was less than DCL's and it was a much nicer experience.

When we cruise again next year, however, we won't do it again. Once was enough.

 

[herrbeeb]

mcnuss, how did you find out about other, ie, non-disney shore excursions. we are going to the eastern caribbean 6/26 and the disney offerings do not look tempting. i am considering touring st. martin/thomas/john on our own.

as you can tell from from my previous post i am not a fan of crowds. in fact it is remarkable how uncrowded the ship feels considering the # of passengers. i do avoid the family pool.

thanx,

herrbeeb

 

[momofofo22]

We did it las February and loved it.

You must do it. We reserve by internet with Capt. Marvin. They are wonderful. They are a short walk from the port. They bring us early in Stingray city to avoid the crowd. It was the highlight of our cruise.

Don't forget your rum cake at the office when you come back. Yum....

 

[denise5374]

I also went swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman and it was a neat experience. It is a littl intimidating at first because as soon as the boat pulss up and people get into the water, the stingrays come from every direction(think pigeons in the park) . I guess they are so "trained" for the food...anyway when I first got into the water one brushed up againmst my leg and I FREAKED, I jumped on the back of the guy who was standing next to me, fortunately it was my brother-in-law or I would have been real embarassed! After that I settled down, never really got brave enough to feed them but I would definitely do this again!

I can't remember who the tour was through but we did 2 stops, Stingray City and the Coral Gardens, which was a beautiful reef.
We were staying for a week on Grand Cayman, so it wasn't a cruise excursion.

Go and enjoy!!! It really is a one of a kind experience.

 

[S.S.WILSON]

How many people are on an excursion thru Dis vs. someone else like capt marvins or something. We were just gonna book thru Disney , will I be sorry??? Do they overload their boats? Also does the Stingray city /snorkel tour have good snorkeling? Also was told Cozumel had good snorkeling, anyone know?

 

[ruvidu]

I can't speak for the DCL excursion but I can tell you that we saw some beautiful sights on the Capt. Marvin tour. At the second stop the Mate went down and pulled an eel out of a rock and brought it up for all to see.
You don't have to get on a bus to go to the office either. You walk down about 3 blocks and they have a real nice store front next to a store that sells Rum Cakes.
After everyone get there they load you in a van and take you to the boat. We did stop at two hotels and picked up a couple of people on the way. Not a bad experience.
I have not snorkled in Cozumel but I understand it's reef is second only the Great Barrier Reef of Austrailia.
Just a note: We have got so we never book DCL excursion any more. Just too much sitting and waiting.

Russ

 

[BoardwalkBabe]

We did the stingray snorkel through DCL last month and while it was fun, I was disappointed. Too many boats crammed into a small space and way too many people on the sandbar. The volume level was quite high with people screaming and boat captains shouting, so it wasn't exactly a relaxing experience.

The stingrays are beautiful and I was happy to swim around with them. Didn't bother me at all when they zipped by and brushed up against me and I didn't worry about being stung at any point in time. Got to hold one that a crew member caught for me and that was just terrific.

Took photos with our underwater cameras and only a few good pictures came out; the churn in the water is unbelievable because of all the people there.

I would like to do it again, but will go with Captain Marvin's or someone else who will take you away from the crowds and the noise.

As for snorkeling in Cozumel, the reef Fury brought us to had more trash than fish and having scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, I can tell you that Cozumel was a major disappointment. Now, there may be other spots which are better than where we were, but until I see them...