Swimming with stingrays in Cayman

I’ve packed in quite a few adrenaline rushes during my travels – but all pre-pregnancy. Post-bump, even the mildest of adventures seem to be forbidden, restricted or very much not recommended. Until I found one thing to get my heart racing a little, without stepping into too much danger… swimming with stingrays in Cayman, just off the main island of Grand Cayman.

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The rays, which lurk undisturbed in the sand near the Cayman Trench, wait for the rumble of boat engines to signal company and squid.

Originally drawn to the spot by fishermen who’d clean their nets and catch at the shallow sandbar decades ago, it’s one of Cayman’s biggest tourist draws, with over 100 rays congregating at Stingray City at busy times.

Free to come and go as they please, the fish are as friendly as cats expecting to be fed, winding around your ankles as if you were being mobbed by inquisitive supersize Portobello mushrooms. 

And being stung is very rare as the velvety rays happily float in your arms, hoovering up bits of conch before optimistically moving on to the next person.

To be on the safe side, the sandbar is closed during high winds to reduce the chance of accidents in choppy water – if you can’t see the rays, there’s more chance you’ll step on one accidentally, which understandably they’re not so keen on.

The biggest danger for me was uncontrollable laughter and being mobbed by a flotilla of squid-happy fish.

To make sure you don’t have to share the experience with boatloads of cruise ship passengers, aim to get there at weekends or before 10am or after around 2.30pm when the tenders depart.

The Port Authority’s website lists cruise arrivals to help check when you’re likely to get the rays all to yourself.

And if that’s still a bit too exciting, there are reefs nearby where you can spot everything from angel and parrot fish to neons and barracuda exploring the branch and brain coral in the sheltered channels.

Or snorkel the fascinating USS Kittiwake, sunk deliberately in 2011 to create an artificial reef and now home to silvery jacks and zebra fish, swimming in such clear water that you get an incredible view even if you can’t dive.

Best of all, the calm waters (and friendly fish) are great for kids as well – which gives me the perfect excuse to go back again before too long.

Pregnancy and prehistoric lizards – Cayman Islands while pregnant

As I looked over at the blue iguanas, gazing back unblinkingly with their red eyes, I felt a slight sinking feeling. Nothing to do with the endangered reptiles themselves but the fact I was definitely starting to feel slightly dizzy and light-headed.

Just over three months pregnant, my dating scan all done, morning sickness over and energy levels back to something approaching normal, I’d jumped at the chance to head to the Caribbean on a trip to the Cayman Islands. After all, it’s a British overseas territory, best known for its tax haven status, rather than an off-the-beaten track isolated wilderness.

And up until this point, everything had been going swimmingly. The 10-hour direct BA flight (with a touch-down in the Bahamas) had given me the chance to catch up on a few movies, I’d ended up with the master bedroom in the huge apartment I was sharing at the Caribbean Club on Seven Mile Beach, and I was looking forward to some sunshine.

But after several hours walking around the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, which is home to nearly two thirds of Cayman’s native plants and a special breeding programme which has saved the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana from functional extinction, I was feeling distinctly wobbly and worrying that I’d been too optimistic, visiting the Cayman Islands while pregnant.

Thankfully, a short rest in the shade, plenty of very cold water and the excitement of seeing a fully-grown blue iguana wandering across my path, and I was back to normal – because the three islands, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, have far too much to discover for me to miss out.

Click here to read more about my trip to the Cayman Islands including the incredible story of those blue iguanas

While the waterfront capital George Town is home to one building acting as the registered offshore address for nearly 19,000 businesses, the islands themselves are a natural paradise, with more species of flora and fauna than the Galapagos Islands, including two of the world’s rarest orchids and the earth’s smallest butterfly, the Pygmy Blue. Plus those eye-catching iguanas.

I did skip the three-hour hike along the mastic trail, which winds through a two million-year-old forest in Grand Cayman’s interior, and took a less strenuous nature tour with expat naturalist Ann Stafford to small nature reserves, down backstreets and even to a tennis court to spot some of the local plants, with their fantastic names like Bloody Head Rawbones.

Towards the east of Grand Cayman, beyond the botanic gardens, the coast is littered with wrecks, just one remnant of their history, which saw everyone from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake turn up, note the island’s wildlife, and sail right off again.

At the 18th century Pedro Castle, the oldest structure on the island, there’s a great introduction to everything from the early settlers, including former members of Oliver Cromwell’s army, to the abolition of slavery and the start of democracy.

Or the Mission House, in the former capital of Bodden Town, tells the story of everyday life with artefacts left behind by the missionaries who endured years of mosquitoes, hurricanes and isolation to build their community.

All just reinforcing for me that I don’t want to miss out, just because I’m having a baby.

Disclosure: My trip was courtesy of the Cayman Islands Tourist Board and Responsible Travel. All opinions and decision to visit the Cayman Islands while pregnant are my own.

Image courtesy Depositphotos

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