Ray
Southern stingray
Hypanus americanus
IUCN status: Near threatened
A bottom-feeding western Atlantic ray commonly resting or foraging over sand. At Grand Cayman’s designated interaction zones, repeated provisioning produces unusually close and predictable encounters.
- Max size
- Up to ~2m disc width
- Habitat
- Sand flats, seagrass beds and shallow coastal reefs
Best places to dive with Southern stingray
rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak season
Grand Cayman
Scuba and snorkelling
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident and reliable specifically at the provisioned Stingray City interaction site; this likelihood does not describe natural reef encounters island-wide.
Nassau & New Providence
Scuba diving
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Southern stingrays occur over sand and seagrass without a defensible month peak.
Sources & last checked
Checked September 2026
Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.
View 2 sources and checking notes
- Hypanus americanus summary, FishBase
- Stingrays, Cayman Islands Department of Environment
Note on the data: FishBase reports the 2019 IUCN assessment as Near Threatened.