EVERYBODY LOVES RAYS!

Your experience begins at Stingray Beach, a 5-minute taxi ride from the cruise pier. Stingray handlers provide a full briefing on how to safely interact with these gentle critters; afterwards, it’s time to don snorkel equipment and head out to the protected 1-acre stingray preserve for your Everybody Loves Rays! Cozumel stingray tour.

As you wade into the shallow waters, you will spot dozens of dark shapes gliding along the sea floor, as if powered by some unseen engine. It’s a group of Southern Stingrays, who know its feeding time! The stingrays gather around you and the handlers, gently rubbing up against your legs like hungry kittens.

You’re now surrounded by hungry rays eager for their daily meal of herring and other fish. The stingray handlers show you how to safely hold the food as the toothless rays suck down the herrings, mashing the fish in their mouths with two cartilage plates.
You’ll see how the barbs of the stingrays have been trimmed for safety, so that when it comes time to touch and hold these astounding creatures, you’ll be eager for your turn. Feel their incredible smooth and silky skin as you rub the underside of the stingray’s wings—the stingray version of a good back scratch!

Ready to play underwater with the stingrays? Strap on your snorkel, dive underwater, and watch just how effortlessly the rays move through the clear blue seas of Cozumel. As you snorkel alongside the rays, reach out and hold on to them as you marvel at their friendly and gracious nature. Glide with the rays along the sea floor or watch from above as the rays continually spread apart and regroup beneath the waves.

After your 30-minute encounter with the rays in their special one-acre pen, more snorkeling awaits in a larger protected section of Stingray Beach, the snorkeling area. Here you’ll swim with parrot fish, starfish, crabs, and needlefish—not to mention the occasional octopus. Or check out the floating water trampoline, a favorite of kids and adults alike. Jump to your heart’s delight as Cozumel’s shore birds watch from the water’s surface.

If you’re part of a large group on this Everybody Loves Rays! Cozumel stingray excursion, the handlers may divide your group in two, with one group starting in the snorkeling area and the other group heading for the Stingray Pen. This lets each group enjoy a more intimate encounter with the stingrays.

Want to take a break from the water? Dry yourself off and head for Stingray Beach’s Seaside Club, where you can relax over a complimentary cool drink. You can even order Mexican specialties or a hamburger from the local hotel restaurant next door for an extra charge.  Feel free to hang out as long as you like at the Seaside Club. Snap a picture with the resident green iguanas or shop for souvenirs.

A free taxi will be waiting to take you back to the cruise pier or to downtown Cozumel for some shopping.

Note:
• Minimum age to participate in the Everybody Loves Rays! Cozumel stingray tour is 4; children age 0-5 are free.
• Pregnant women and guests with back/neck injuries or respiratory conditions are not permitted on this Carnival excursion.
• Snorkel equipment, storage, and a soda/water are included.
• Beach towel, biodegradable sunscreen, and sun hat are recommended.
• Water Trampoline usage rules must be followed.
• Photo CDs of your Everybody Loves Rays! Cozumel shore tours are available for purchase.
• A portion of the proceeds goes toward increasing the scientific knowledge base of stingrays.