Rum Point tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 18:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are America/Cayman local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Rum Point sits on the north side of Grand Cayman at the eastern edge of the North Sound, the large shallow lagoon that occupies the island's centre-north. Access requires a 35-minute drive from George Town via the North Side road, or a 15-minute water taxi from Camana Bay marina on the west side of the North Sound. That distance is the primary filter: Rum Point sees far fewer visitors than Seven Mile Beach, and the beach character reflects it. The tidal regime at Rum Point has the same island-wide mixed semidiurnal microtidal character as the west coast: spring range 0.3–0.4 m. However, the North Sound's geometry adds a layer. The Sound is a broad, shallow lagoon — mostly 1–3 m deep — with mangrove-fringed shorelines on its eastern and western margins and a reef barrier to the north that separates it from the open Caribbean. Tidal water exchanges in and out through several reef passes in the northern barrier. On spring tides, the exchange is visible as a 0.5–1.0 knot current running through the main North Sound channel passes; inside the lagoon, the tidal movement is distributed and the current is negligible except at the passes themselves. Rum Point beach faces northeast over the North Sound rather than the open sea, and the combination of the mangrove coastline surrounding it, the barrier reef to the north, and the shallow lagoon creates water conditions unlike the island's west coast. The water over the North Sound is warm (often 30–31°C in summer, warmer than the west coast by 2°C), shallow, and calm — the reef suppresses swell and the lagoon geometry absorbs any wind chop generated inside. This warm, flat water is the defining feature for beach families, particularly those with young children. At low tide, the North Sound shallows are at their shallowest — large sections of the lagoon drop to 0.5–0.8 m, and sandflats on the north and eastern margins of the Sound become very shallow or partially exposed. The tidal flat exposure at the sandbanks north of Rum Point creates standing-water zones similar to Caribbean natural pools. The sand here is white calcium carbonate; the water over it is the vivid turquoise that defines the Cayman aesthetic in photographs. Wading the shallows at low tide to the sandbanks — roughly 400 m north of the beach — is the signature Rum Point activity in calm conditions. For kayakers and paddleboarders, North Sound is one of the best flatwater environments in the Cayman Islands. The lagoon's sheltered geometry means the surface is calm except in sustained 20-plus knot winds. Rum Point serves as the eastern base for North Sound paddle exploration; Stingray City sandbar (4 km west across the Sound) is reached by paddleboard in a 45-minute crossing. The journey passes over seagrass beds in 1–2 m, with occasional spotted eagle ray and sea turtle encounters en route. The crossing is tide-independent for paddlers — the water is deep enough in the main Sound channel at all tide stages. Stingray City, 4 km west of Rum Point in the North Sound, is the Cayman Islands' most recognised attraction. Atlantic southern stingrays (Hypanus americanus) aggregate at the sandbar in 1–1.5 m of water where the local fishing fleet historically cleaned catch. The animals are habituated and approachable; visitors wade on the sand as the rays circle, feeding on squid provided by operators. The site is busiest at 10:00–13:00 when charter tour boats from George Town arrive simultaneously. Paddleboarding from Rum Point and arriving at 09:00 or 14:00 avoids the crowd peak. Sandbar depth changes with tide: 1.0–1.3 m at low, 1.3–1.7 m at high — both wading depth, but lower tide puts the rays closer to the surface. Anglers fishing North Sound from Rum Point work the mangrove edges at the Sound's eastern margin for tarpon, snook, and bonefish. Bonefish move onto the shallow white sand flats north of the beach on the early morning flood, feeding in 20–40 cm of water. The productive window is the first 90 minutes of the flood before depth increases and fish scatter. The Rum Point Club beach bar and restaurant operates daily, known for its frozen mudslide cocktail and its relaxed pace relative to the west coast resort strip. The outdoor seating under the sea grape trees is the social centre of this end of the island. All tide predictions for Rum Point come from the Open-Meteo Marine gridded model. Timing accuracy is ±45 minutes; height accuracy is ±0.3 m above Chart Datum.