Stingray City sandbar trip

You step off the boat into water about waist-deep on a sandbar in the North Sound, and southern stingrays come to you, used to boats meaning food. They have gathered here for decades, since fishermen sheltering inside the reef cleaned their catch on this spot, and now the crew hand out chunks of squid and show you how to feed and handle the rays. The Sandbar is the shallow stop most people mean; Stingray City proper is a deeper patch nearby, where divers and snorkellers meet the rays at the bottom.

Both sites are Wildlife Interaction Zones, the only places in the Cayman Islands where touching the rays is allowed, and every tour boat needs a yearly permit and has to follow the government's handling rules. Do not lift rays out of the water for photos, however obliging they seem. Boats from many companies gather at once, so it is rarely quiet. Many trips leave from the west side of the North Sound, and from the East End or North Side that can mean a long drive in morning traffic, so check where your boat leaves from before booking.