If you told me I’d one day pucker up to a stingray at Stingray City I would have laughed in your face.
Not because I’m afraid of stingrays. I’ve fed wild stingrays with my toes in the Bahamas.
Kissing a stingray just seemed a bit much. Why would anyone want to do that? It’s not a puppy!
But while in Grand Cayman, I headed out to their #1 tourist attraction – Stingray City – a pristine sandbar only accessible by boat.
While large southern stingrays swam along with snorkelers and divers some of us got a chance to feed them squid by hand.
Shuffling around the shallow sandbar — only three feet of water — allowed you to watch the couple dozen stingrays swim around. I loved being so close to them and tried to take in the experience as much as I could.
Our guides then explained kissing a stingray was “seven years of good luck.” So I went for it.
And just for fun, allowing the stingray to go on your back is “good luck for a lifetime.” I figured why not.
Because the other sandbar visitors were nervous to try this, I became the guinea pig. They were definitely happy about this.
Not to worry, the barb is on top of the stingray, not the tail. I was fine.
So if you ever find yourself in Grand Cayman looking for a fun excursion, book a trip to Stingray City! The Cayman Islands were recently voted the “Friendliest” and the stingrays at this Cayman Island attraction are no different.