Stingrays, turtles and dolphins
The best places for stingrays, turtles and dolphins are Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Key West, Nassau, St Thomas and Roatan. Grand Cayman has the Stingray City sandbar, where southern stingrays gather in waist-deep water, and the Cayman Turtle Centre at Boatswain's Beach. Cozumel has dolphin, manatee and sea lion swims at Chankanaab, with turtles and rays seen by snorkelers along the reef.
Where it's best
Stingray City sandbar is the island's most famous outing: southern stingrays gather around boats and you can feed and touch them in waist-deep water. The Cayman Turtle Centre at Boatswain's Beach shows turtles at various life stages, and a dolphin park sits across from it.
Chankanaab park keeps dolphins, manatees and sea lions in beach pens, and visitors can swim with them for a fee. Snorkelers along the reef also see turtles and rays.
Bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, rays and goliath grouper may be seen from a catamaran crossing the backcountry. Key West Aquarium has stingrays and sharks in tanks plus a touch tank with sea anemones.
Blue Lagoon Island offers dolphin swims, sea lion encounters and a stingray encounter with snorkeling. At Atlantis on Paradise Island, the Stingray Experience is a hands-on encounter with hundreds of Cownose stingrays, and Dolphin Cay is a 14-acre environment showcasing marine animals.
Coral World Ocean Park combines a short dolphin meet-and-greet, sea lion encounters, sharks and an Undersea Observatory reef view. At Turtle Cove, on Little Buck Island, you can swim alongside green sea turtles.
Boat tours stop at Pigeon Cay for a nurse shark encounter, with optional snorkeling stops. Dolphins may be seen from the catamaran, and Anthony's Key Resort has a dolphin show.
Klein Bonaire is a marine preserve where green and hawksbill sea turtles live all year. Beaches in Washington Slagbaai National Park are nesting grounds for all four Caribbean sea turtle species.
Shark Ray Alley is known for stingrays and nurse sharks, usually seen in shallow water from the boat's stop.
Sea turtles nest along the Dos Playa and Daimari stretch from roughly March to November, and nests are roped off. Leatherback turtles also nest on Eagle Beach, where nests are often fenced off, and the Baby Beach lagoon holds small reef fish and eels.
Humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, seals and Dall's porpoises are the draw on the waters off Juneau. Sea lions and humpbacks can also be spotted from the small beach at the end of Rainforest Trail.
Small-group Zodiac tours go to see Dall's porpoises and whales in the distance, and a charter boat cruises the Tongass coastline where harbor seals, sea lions, orcas and porpoises may be seen. Harbor seals also cruise the mouth of Ketchikan Creek, and Rotary Beach has tide pools.
Wildlife cruises on Upper Lynn Canal show seals, sea lions and otters alongside bald eagles, mountain goats and many birds.
Dive sites around Kusadasi hold groupers, moray eels and octopus, with a mix of Aegean and Mediterranean marine life.
The coral basin at the east end of the island is known for manatees and rays as well as numerous fish. Watch quietly from the surface and keep a respectful distance.
Tours to book
Prices are per person, booked with our partner, Shore Excursions Group.
Dolphin Swim Adventure at Chankanaab National Marine Park
Dolphin Encounter and Chankanaab National Marine Park
Dolphin Swim Adventure and Turtle Farm
Stingray City, Barrier Reef and Starfish Beach
Shark Ray Alley and Caye Caulker Beach Break by Boat
