You should also understand that sometimes the rays are rambunctious and can actually bump into snorkelers in attempting to get fed. The Cayman Islands are with no doubt the best place in the world to snorkel with these magnificent creatures, peaceful and serene in this aquatic paradise. The water is warm, turquoise, and clear, the stingrays are friendly, playful, and eager to interact with humans. With a gentle attitude, strong legs, and a good pair of fins, you will be allowed to approach and even accompany them in their patrols. In Grand Cayman, although there are also many eagle rays and an occasional manta ray, generally the most commonly found is the southern ray.
Stingrays take their name from the barbed spines at the base of their long, whiplike tail.
Rays have broad, flat, almost disk-shape bodies with no distinct head. They have eyes on top, a blunt but slightly pointed snout, and large pectoral fins on the side with which they gracefully swim. Stingrays have strong, heavy cartilage dental plates with which they crush their food. Southern stingrays have white underbellies and slate gray, brown, or black upper surfaces. Stingrays bear live young.