Original Stingray City vs. The Sandbar

[nrh322]

I haven't been to Cayman in quite some time. The whole Stingray Sandbar thing is news to me. When I was taking dive trips to Cayman, we went to the original Stingray City. The water was about 12 - 15 feet deep. We used dive gear, sat on the bottom in the sand, and played with the rays until our air ran low. I would have never considered snorkeling there because it was too much fun to be able to camp out on the bottom.

 

Now, I'm taking my family on their first trip ever. DH is a diver, but the kids aren't. I want them to see the rays. I've heard that the Sandbar is in super shallow water, but somehow that doesn't sound as appealing to me as the original site.

 

Has anyone been to both? Have you ever dove at the original site? How does snorkeling there compare to diving? I was thinking maybe SNUBA because we could all do that. Any other opinions/ideas would be greatly welcomed. Thanks...NRH