Nerve Endings Firing Away

Previously when I wrote about the offshore excursions we went on during our honeymoon cruise, I mentioned about some things you ought to keep in mind when you choose a tour and disembark [also check out dining options on the cruise and entertainment & activities onboard] . The Cayman Islands were one port that we hadn’t received any solid confirmation regarding visas but in the end, it turned out to be much easier than in Jamaica. Cayman Islands are still part of the British empire and actually proud to be in it. There is no talk of independence and people seem quite content. You must have heard about this tiny island nation in regards to offshore bank accounts that the ultra-rich use to save on their taxes.

We arrived at the Grand Cayman island early in the morning but unlike other ports, our ship had to halt at a distance from the island since it doesn’t have a disembarking pier big enough for a cruise ship due to corals that surround almost the entire island. Being ecologically sensitive and all that, cruise ships hire small ferries, also called tenders, to help passengers disembark and head to the island. We had chosen the Stingray City and Rum Point Beach tour for this excursion. When we reached Cayman Islands, we saw at least three other cruise ships anchored in the bay giving you and idea of how much this island’s economy depends on tourism. We were immediately escorted to a bus that would take us to the other side of this tiny island where we would board a small boat to take us to our first destination.

Cruise Ships anchored at Cayman Islands

Stingray City is an unique destination and almost everyone who visits Cayman Islands, on a cruise or otherwise comes down here. It is a small spot in the sea, a few miles off the coast where stingrays come to feed. Around 50 years back, fisherman used to dump their unrequired catch like squid, tiny fish, etc. at this point and the stingrays used to gather to feed. Eventually they grew accustomed to human presence and were extremely tame. Mind you, they are still wild and quite different from their aquarium counterparts. Their infamous sting barbs aren’t trimmed. The Stingray City point is also unique in another aspect – water depth. Although located few miles off the coast, the water is only waist deep here due to nature and direction of the currents that has brought sand to this spot. We had a mixed group on our boat consisting of couples, families, and college students and everyone was enjoying the windy ride over the crystal clear blue sea. We were told that we would be one of the first boats at Stingray City and thus would be spared the crowds that would come later in the day. We received a crash course in stingrays and were told what to expect and were repeatedly assured that they are harmless but just like any pet, they would strike if you stepped on their tail. We had seen photos and videos of families with kids petting and holding stingrays so we thought it wouldn’t be so bad.

Stingray City

We knew we had arrived at our destination when we saw the water get shallower and spotted dark objects floating around in the water. We thought we were prepared but nothing had prepared us to see HUGE stingrays. The ones we had seen in aquariums in Corpus Christi were about a foot across at the most while some of these ones were more than six feet across and looked eerie as they swam around our boat in a group. Many people including Ash suddenly had second thoughts about going into the water. Armed with a snorkel and water googles we entered the water and swam waded toward the group. Expecting food, the stingrays immediately gathered around and were swimming between our feet making the girl shriek out. But eventually everyone settled down and got used to the idea of these big creatures swimming around them. Thanks to our snorkels and water googles, we managed to get a closer look at these magnificent creatures.

Crowds at Stingray City off Cayman Islands

Check out the size of that stingray!

Yup! The water is only that deep

The captain and his crew caught one of the stingrays and showed us how to hold them correctly although no one dared to do it on their own. He let us hold them and take pictures. Extremely streamlined, these creatures definitely are one of the most elegant things I have seen in water. The contrast of their skin texture – rough, coarse, and grainy on the top and slimy smooth on the bottom – probably gives biomimicry scientists plenty of ideas. In contrast to men, female stingrays are larger than male ones although male ones have err…two. We couldn’t bring our cameras in the water and although we had a disposable waterproof camera, the pictures don’t do justice (I could take pictures only when I was back in the boat). Ash was still wary of the creatures though and would clutch my arm tightly and shriek each time a stingray came within a foot of us which plenty of them did. We were glad that we were one of the first few boats there because after a while, other boats began arriving and it became real crowded scattering the stingrays. After around half an hour of swimming around and ‘playing’ with the stingrays, we headed back to our boat.

Rum Point Beach

Our next destination was Rum Point Beach. I’m not sure about its name but I bet it has some pirate history associated with it. Rum Point Beach is your typical idyllic location that you see in beach magazines, travel shows, and Corona Beer ads. It juts out slightly into the sea and has clear blue waters with pure white sand beaches. There is a pier for small boats where we stopped and walked toward the beach. This beach provides you with excellent photo opportunities and expectedly I went crazy. The boats in the distance, snorklers in the water, hammocks on the beach, driftwood, beach vegetation, etc literally begged to be captured for memories. Unfortunately, a one-hour halt at a beach location gives you little time to lounge around and relax in the sun and sands. The shady trees, picnic tables, beach restaurant shacks, and the wreck bar featuring mudslides would have been idyllic only if we had more time. We barely managed to get some conch fritters before rushing back to our boat. Only promises of a rum punch once aboard the boat could get us away from that beach. I’ll let the pictures do the talking for me:

Clear blue waters at Rum Point Beach

Our boat, Sundancer. Don’t you love the yellow?

Colorful Umbrellas at the beach

Picnic Tables at Rum Point Beach

Island paradise – beach vegetation, a rocky shore, and a boat on the blue water

One of our fellow cruisers tired after a long day out in the sea