Senior Moderator
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 3828
Location: Minnesota
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 Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:09 am Post subject: |
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Welcome to the forum 2bluewater  ,
First of all, I'm so glad to hear that you and your group have a trip to Stingray City as a high priority. It would really be a shame not to experience it, since you can't do that anywhere else in the world.
However.......unfortunately, your ship departs pretty early, and that's going to put a crimp in the time you have to play in the water. There is no dock in Grand Cayman, so your ship will be anchored and you will have to board tenders to get off and back on the ship. Some ships give priority to passengers who have ship sponsored excursions, but I think most will help you get off in a timely fashion, even if you are meeting someone else. I think your ship will want you back on board no later than 30 minutes before it leaves, so I think you'll be standing in line to get on a tender no later than 2:00 p.m.
There are actually two different Stingray City's, although everyone calls each one Stingray City. All the snorkeling trips go to the shallow Stingray Sandbar to enjoy the rays up close and personal in waist to chest deep water. If you want to enjoy the stingrays on a dive, you'd be going on a trip to the deeper (and original) Stingray City, which is a little ways away and is in 12 to 14 ft of water. I think those boats will also take snorkelers, but for them, it's a whole different experience, since they're looking down at them from above, instead of playing with them up close and personal at the sandbar. I have done both the snorkeling trip at the Sandbar and the dive at the deeper site. The dive is kind of fun, but certainly not your typical dive, since it's so shallow. You'll be given extra weights and asked to just kneel quietly on the sandy bottom and let the rays basically come to you. That keeps the sand from getting all stirred up by your fins and spoiling the visibility for you and everyone else. It's really fun to have the rays swim right up and over your head.....but, to tell the truth, I actually prefer the snorkeling experience at the sandbar.
Now, on to your choices.......since you can't do Stingray City on your own, you are pretty much at the mercy of the preset times that the operators have their trips scheduled. We highly recommend Soto's Cruises for the snorkeling trip and they go at 9:30 in the morning (picking you up in the harbor at around 8:30). I think their trip will be done at 11:30, which gives you plenty of time to shop or even do some more snorkeling or even a shore dive, if you're lucky. Eden Rock is located right at the harbor, so it would be an easy thing to get to after Soto's brings you back. The problem is......you are alone and you'll need a buddy. By the way, Eden Rock is also a great snorkeling site, if you and your group decide to do that.
Back to the choices.......I have been on a dive boat a couple of times where the first deep dive was somewhere on the north wall and then the second shallow dive was Stingray City. (your choice #3). The trouble is.....not everyone else on the boat is going to want to do that, especially if they've done it before. When I did it, it was a prearranged thing....you wouldn't be able to leave it up to chance.
If you decide to skip Stingray City (and I hope you don't), and do a two tank boat dive instead, the dive operators begin their morning boat dives at either 8:00 or 9:00. That means they'd be done around 11:30 or noonish, depending on where they go.........that wouldn't give you enough time to do any other type of excursion, I'm afraid. I think Soto's afternoon trip is at 1:30, which won't work for you.
If you do end up doing a shore dive at either "turtle reef or Eden Rock", be sure you go to either Eden Rock or The Turtle Reef at the Cracked Conch (not another dive operator who uses "turtle reef" in their name, as well). The Turtle Reef at the Cracked Conch houses a dive operation called Sun Divers. That shore dive is absolutely incredible, and if you made arrangements ahead of time, you could hire one of their divemasters to go with you on a guided dive (they are great at finding all sorts of interesting stuff). It's such an easy shore dive, if the currents up there aren't too bad......has a state of the art ladder to get you down into the cove......it's more of a ramp than a ladder. Then, you could relax at the Macabuca Bar and Grill after your dive, which is right there. It's also a good snorkeling spot. You would have to take a taxi from the ship to get there, or from Soto's, if you decide to go to Stingray City in the morning (they won't drop you off there, I don't think).
So....I hope I didn't ramble too much......I guess I would suggest the snorkel trip to the sandbar with Soto's and then either snorkel or dive (with a buddy) at Eden Rock. That would probably be the easiest agenda to fit into your schedule. You MIGHT have enough time to do Soto's and then run up to the Turtle Reef at the Cracked Conch.....it would be a bit rushed, though. Or....you could get lucky and arrange for a two tank boat dive with Stingray City as your second dive (maybe).
Good luck and have fun!!
Char |
Next Vacation : 17 Days ( Plantation Village ) Start : Feb/25/2012 End : Mar/10/2012
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