Safety at Stingray City
Safety & Guide: Your Protection and Safety
The sharp, coated barbs on the tails of southern stingrays should be avoided during handling and feeding.
Visitors should never handle a stingray without the supervision of a qualified tour guide.
Accidental contact with a stingray’s tail barb can result in lacerations or punctures.
Never handle stingrays without a guide’s instructions.
Avoid placing fingers in a stingray’s mouth.
Always maintain your attentions forward or in the direction you are walking.
Remember that small stingrays typically rest on the floor.
Always be mindful of your steps and never walk in reverse.
Protecting the park
The Cayman Islands has strict regulations protecting sea life throughout all three islands. Stingray City is located within a Wildlife Interaction Zone, allowing visitors to dive and interact with stingrays without interruption of fishing lines or removal of sea life dead or alive. Visitors should never attempt fishing within this zone or remove sea life from the area to avoid prosecution under laws governing the Cayman Islands.
Fitting up with life vest
All vessels are equipped with life vests ranging in sizes small to extra large. Tour operators will inform guests on proper use of vest and location of various sizes prior to tour. Feel free to ask questions if you are not certain or comfortable in proper use.
Step 1
Check the placard inside the life vest to make sure that it’s rated to float as much or more than you weigh.
Step 2
Open the front of the life vest and put your arms through it, just as you would a normal vest. If there is a collar to help keep your head afloat, this should hang down the back of the vest.
Step 3
Zip the front of the life vest. On some vests—especially the inflatable sort—you may have to fasten a plastic buckle in addition to or instead of the zipper. Some vests may also have hook-and-loop closures that close over the zipper to protect it, but you won’t find life vests held together by only hook-and-loop closures.
Step 4
Make sure that the life vest fits properly: It should be snug but not so tight that it’s uncomfortable. Have someone place their hands underneath the shoulders of the vest and tug straight up while you stand with your arms out to the side. If the vest lifts up so high that your chin or ears slip through, it is too loose.
Step 5
Tighten the vest if necessary. A life vest will usually adjust in one of two ways: Either there will be laces or buckles at each side that can be loosened or tightened and then tied to keep them from slipping, not unlike a corset, or if your life vest closes with a plastic buckle you may be able to tighten it by pulling on the webbing strap that comes out of the buckle or lifting the buckle and letting the webbing slide through to loosen it.
Step 6
Check again to make sure the life vest fits properly. If you can’t adjust it sufficiently for a proper fit—or if the life vest doesn’t adjust at all—you will need to replace it with a vest of the proper size.