In the end, we decided to go ashore and attempt to purchase a tour that included Sting Ray City, a separate snorkeling stop, and also some time at Seven Mile Beach. We wanted to do it all. For $35 per person, we were taken to the Yacht Club, where we boarded a boat with 20 or so passengers for the half-hour ride to Sting Ray City. Oh no! There are two "party boats" each with a hundred passengers, but one is about to leave -- thank goodness! We don our snorkeling gear (life jackets are available for those who doubt their swimming skills) and two guides enter the water with us. They have a small igloo filled with squid. They are very helpful in assisting everyone get to the sandbar and making them feel comfortable.

The sandbar is about two to three feet deep and about 50 yards wide and very long. About six boats are anchored in the area. Everyone is spread about and it really doesn't feel especially crowded. The rays look like big rocks, but they are moving about. The guide picks up a ray and lets us pet him (slimy on the bottom and scratchy on top). He shows us his stinger (near his long tail) and his mouth (on the underside). We snorkel and swim for a while with 20 rays of various sizes.

Soon it is feeding time. Oh my! Here they come, 40 to 60 of them -- everywhere you look, there are rays swimming around and bumping into you. I'm laughing, I'm screaming, but not really afraid, just excited and sometimes startled. It was so so exciting. We're given a chance to hand feed them. I drop the first piece of squid and try again. This time I'm braver. He sucks it right out of my palm. I am even able to hold a ray on my outstretched arms for about a minute and we are face to face. He's almost as big as I am and heavy, even with the buoyancy of the water.

I must say that never ever had I anticipated my reaction. It was so much fun. We will do it again and recommend it for all ages.

Imagine standing in chest-deep water, sometimes shallower, with these beautiful creatures dancing in the crystal-blue water all around you. It is like the stingrays are flying through the water, gliding effortlessly. As you reach out to feel them, they brush right up next to you, so you can feel how soft and smooth they really are. Put on a mask and snorkel and get an up-close look at these genteel creatures of the sea. You are even given the chance to hold one of them, with no harm done whatsoever.

On the return trip, your captain will take you to one of three other locations, to some deeper water, to explore other kinds of sea life. One of the more popular spots is called The Aquarium (see photos). It is a reef structure full of Caribbean sea life. You have plenty of opportunities to take some wonderful photos, so don't forget your underwater cameras. As of recently, a professional underwater cameraman accompanies your group to film your reaction to the tow locations, and the videos are then edited and are available for purchase and shipped to your home address. Once all of your snorkeling is complete, the captain pulls the anchor and raises the sails for a wonderful cruise back to land. This is an experience that everyone should have when visiting the Cayman Islands!!!!

When you step off the boat into the water at Stingray City, a sand dune boosts the water level to about 3 feet and you see swarms - literally dozens - of stingrays varying between 2 and 5 feet in length.

Whichever tour you take, you'll be given an educational discussion about the rays: where their "stings" are, how to pet them, and how to feed them. Squid is brought along for the latter opportunity.

While it can be a bit nerve-wracking if you're thinking "What?! Being in the water with dozens of stingrays swimming around me??!" they're quite tame from all the tourist attention they get and beyond friendly (some like to give backrubs!).

All in all, it's a brilliant place to see, and if you're in Cayman, a must. There are only so many places that people get the opportunity to visit animals in their natural habitat, and this is one of the best.

They take you to the famed Stingray City. Those stingrays are very friendly - a little too close for comfort in my opinion! Then you go to a stop to see coral and friendly little fish near a shallow reef and, depending on time and weather permitting, maybe another stop to see a shipwreck. Very cool surprise!

Right after the last stop, they dump a bucket with fish food for the sharks. Yes, that's right sharks. You can swim above them for a bit, but then they get waaay too close for comfort! I jumped out of the water immediately! My husband stayed for a bit - he was one of the last ones in the water. Take a look at our travelogues for lots more pictures.

Now that everyone is all salty and back on the boat, lunch is served! A deli-style lunch with all types of salads, chicken and breads. All types of large cookies for dessert. Lunch is pretty good. They also have a cash bar.

We stayed at the Morritt's Tortuga, so had to drive to ???? Point on the other end of the island, better location for jet skis and free dives from beach as well as taking everyone to the stingray/eel petting zoo.

The stingray's belly feels as soft as butter, the top of them feels coarse like sandpaper.

I've always wanted to snorkel with stingrays and I finally got my chance. You are given all of the needed equipment and directed to a fenced off section of the beach with a deck and staircase leading into the private lagoon. For most of the time, you are snorkeling at your leisure starting in shallow water which drops eventually to approximately 20 feet. While snorkeling you can encounter stingrays of all sizes and mostly all have had their stingers removed. They are not particularly gregarious enough to come up to you, but if you are patient, you can touch one. You can also utilize the rest of the beach facilities during the day.

The real highlight comes at feeding time, which makes all the people who didn't pay for the additional charges jealous as they can't get into the stingray area to feed them! We got to line up in two rows to form a makeshift alley. We were then given fresh squid to hold in our hands, under the water to let the stingrays glide over and literally suck up the food. Knowing that it was feeding time, all of the stingrays paraded throught the formed alley and proceeded to feed. While it was a little scary, it was real fun!