Not just Shark
Pictures: Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and
chimaera's from around the world. It began as a simple web based
field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter
different species of sharks and rays but it has slowly evolved into
a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark
diving and photography. There are now more than a thousand shark
pictures and sections on shark evolution, biology, and
conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a
constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark
links, and deeper in the site there are numerous articles and
stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so difficult to
check for updates, that new information and pictures are listed on
an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:
If you're looking for a
broader range of marine life pictures the following links represent
a new area that contains pictures on other marine organisms and on
marine habitats. This expansion of Elasmodiver is in its first
stages but will eventually include pages on everything from sea
stars to nudibranchs. Creating this portal will take time and for
now it consists of a token offering of fish pictures. Please return
regularly to enjoy the progress.
SHARK DIVING HOTSPOTS -
STINGRAY CITY, GRAND CAYMAN
Encounter: Southern
stingrays. There are actually two feeding spots in the North Sound on Grand
Cayman. One is Stingray City which is about 15 feet deep and attracts dive
boats. The other is Stingray Sandbar which is only a few feet deep and on a busy
day attracts hundreds of cruise ship tourists. Although the Stingray City feed
has fewer people, the shallow water at the sandbar is better for photographers.
Divers enter the water with squid wrapped in plastic bags. The rays come in
instantly and push divers around aggressively searching for the food. Although
they do not have cutting teeth, their insistent sucking and mouthing can leave
nasty "hickies" on a diver's skin. Once they have consumed the fish or squid
they soon lose interest and swim away to rest in the sand at a safe distance.
I'm not aware of anyone ever getting stung during these feeds.
Operators: There are a
number of operators around the island that run trips to the sandbar. On any day
that cruise ships come in there will be trips to the sandbar and on most days
one or another of the dive shops will be heading to stingray city. If you rent a
boat it is also possible to go to these sites unguided. The advantage of this is
that you may have the entire site to yourself. If you try this its worth
stopping for a snorkel in the mangroves along the way.
Accommodation: Most
people will dive Cayman on a package tour. If arriving independently there are
hundreds of hotels to choose from.
Directions:
To get to Stingray City and the Sandbar independently, it is best to launch from
the Yacht Club which can be reached from Seven Mile Beach. Once out in the north
sound you can usually see a cluster of boats to the north just inside the reef
break. These boats will be at Stingray Sandbar. The North Sound is usually calm
and easy to motor across. If you would rather dive Stingray city you need to
find the correct market buoy for the site. This is located towards the other end
of the mouth of the sound (further west). It is fairly close to a set of channel
markers so if you moor to any of the buoys in the area and go for a quick
snorkel, the stingrays will let you know if you're in the right place. You can
buy frozen squid at the gas station shop in the Yacht Club Marina.
