Approximately 25 minutes by boat from Seven Mile Beach is the famous Stingray City (a reef-protected dive site described as the best 12ft dive in the world) and the Sandbar (or Stingray Sandbar), a natural sand-bottomed aquarium with about waist-deep water in the middle of the North Sound. The area is famous for having a large congregation of friendly southern stingrays, where visitors can swim and interact with these magnificent creatures. The rays at Stingray City are remarkably docile and are accustomed to human interaction.
It is recommended that a professional charter company be engaged for the journey and interactive experience, as local guides are most knowledgeable on the approved methods for handling the rays, ensuring the well-being of marine life. Always be gentle, and never lift a stingray out of the water! Feeding or handling stingrays outside Stingray City and the Sandbar is prohibited.
If you engage a tour operator for your trip to Stingray City or the Sandbar, they will usually also include a snorkel stop at either the Coral Gardens or Starfish Point, both of which offer unique opportunities to observe our spectacular marine environment. Check out several Tour Operators to you can book to take you on your next trip to Stingray City here.
Learn more about how to handle our beautiful stingrays and starfish safely at:
