Concern over Stingray Sandbar crowding

Concerns have been raised over crowded conditions at Stingray City Sandbar, including dangerously overloaded boats, and reckless behavior from some tour guides. 

A stingray was killed by a boat propeller earlier this month, while several tour operators have complained their boats have been bumped or damaged by careless boat captains. 

Other tour leaders are accused of lifting stingrays out of the water and rubbing them on people’s backs in the jostle for tourist dollars at the busy attraction.  

Photographs supplied to the Caymanian Compass show boats crammed from bow to stern, with dozens of tourists huddled on deck. 

The Department of Environment used to station an officer at the site but he has not been seen for the past four months, according to operators. They say standards have worsened considerably in his absence. 

Guy Harvey, who has been at the sandbar this month collecting data, said he was concerned about the impact on the animals, as well as the tourist experience at one of the world’s most famous wildlife interaction zones.  

He was present when a stingray, mortally injured with more than a dozen propeller slashes, was discovered at the sandbar and his research team conducted an autopsy before disposing of the body. 

He said, “Even before this incident happened, several different tour operators told me that it is now a “free for all” at the sandbar without the enforcement officer there.  

“Bad boat handling, large numbers of people crowded into a small space, tour operators reviving the old tricks of rubbing rays on swimmers’ backs covered in sunblock and lifting them out of the water.  

“All of this indicates a need for a revision in how we manage the interaction at the sandbar. After all, each stingray generates half a million dollars per year in revenue.” 

He raised the possibility of collecting a 50 cent fee from all visitors to the sandbar to ensure enforcement officers could be stationed there and to help fund research efforts. 

With plans for a new dock expected to herald ever growing numbers of cruise visitors, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell acknowledged that something may need to be done to manage traffic and behavior at the site. 

He said both he and Environment Minister Wayne Panton had met with operators and were working on a solution. 

“Stingray City is one of our most important tourist attractions and we have to manage it to ensure it remains a world-class experience for visitors,” he said. 

Mr. Harvey said his chief concern as a researcher was the welfare of the animals. But he warned that the abundance of boats – sometimes as many as 25 at one time – risked “diluting the experience” for tourists if they were not properly managed.  

“They need someone out there with a big stick who knows about these animals, who is well known in the community, and won’t stand for any nonsense,” he added. 

No one from the Department of Environment was available last week to comment on why an officer was no longer stationed at the site or the environmental concerns raised. 

Cayman’s stingrays have been legally protected since May last year when amendments to the Marine Conservation Law came into effect. 

Issues around boat safety, including the overloading of vessels, would fall under the remit of the marine police. No one from the police department was available for comment on Friday.  

One tour operator, who asked not to be named, said the overloading of boats was the biggest safety issue at the sandbar. He said he had seen boats almost sinking under the weight of too many tourists.  

He added that some operators were careless in how they handled their boats and minor crashes between vessels were increasingly frequent. 

Mr. Harvey’s latest census at the Stingray Sandbar, conducted between Jan. 5 and 8, identified 88 separate stingrays at the site. He estimates each one is worth as much as $5 million to the Cayman economy and maintaining the numbers is crucial to the viability of the interaction zone.  

“We continue to take the sandbar and its friendly inhabitants for granted. We just show up every day and assume the rays will be there. What would happen if this resource ceased to exist because of our negligence?” 

He said collecting a small charge from visitors, as happens at the USS Kittiwake dive site off Seven Mile Beach, could be one solution. 

“These funds would pay for two enforcement officers working shifts, for boats, fuel and for all the research projects ever needed for many years. Tourists would be glad to know that part of the price goes to research and conservation of stingrays. In addition, the attendance data would also be collected.”