End of october, Cayman east vs west?

[tealpascal]

I've heard mixed things about 1. visibility and conditions in October given the potential for rain and 2. east versus north west diving in October. My friend and I are both advanced certified divers (100+ dives). In a perfect world, we would be able to afford a live-aboard and do nothing but dive all day. Sadly, the prices are out of our reach and we struggle to maintain our "habit".

We have no interest in beaches, bars, restaurants - just diving - and are looking for the most diving for the buck From what I hear, the east end is in better shape, less traveled and potentially our best bet (a couple of good dive packages available) but we'd have to pass up opportunities for shore diving. Are there any other consideration we should take into account - say about conditions, time of year, underwater life or topography unique to one side of the island versus the other. Would appreciate any info.

Thanks

 

[sixgears]

My wife and I literally just came back from GC and diving the East End. No other ops except for Ocean Frontiers with a multitude of dive sites to choose from. It was very warm this past week which probably accounted for the less than stellar visibility (50' to 70') not to mention Tropical Storm Fay which slightly brushed the islands. Water temp was averaging around 85F. October should cool it down a little bit but it should still be fairly warm (it's still hurricane season). As far as topography goes many people swear by the East End due to the many swim-thrus and the maze-like structures. The walls are also not to be missed. Go and enjoy! The tarpons and the barracudas will be waiting!

 

[sladerer]

My wife and I are headed to GC mid October - diving with OF and staying at Morritt's Tortuga. It will be my first GC trip but everything I hear/read indicates the EE is the more "diver centric" side with fewer boats/divers to compete with on the sites (too far away for the cruise crowd), though I'm sure you'll enjoy it no matter where you stay/dive.

 

[billinwilliamston]

It's all good.

If you're on the East End, a car is all but a necessity. If you have a car, being on the East End does not eliminate shore diving from your agenda. We'll be at Morritt's Sep. 6 - 13 and will do, maybe, 1 boat dive. The rest of our dives will be shore dives. Last I knew, a 2 tank boat dive was about 10x the cost of a tank of air for a shore dive. There will be 2 or 3 of us diving, so the around $100 per person difference makes it worth the hassle of driving.

Two pieces of advice. One, do your shore dives first. Once you've been pampered by one of the E.E. operators on the boat, a shore dive will seem much more like work. Two, avoid town when the cruise ships are in port (links to the Port Authority's website are several places in this forum).

Have FUN!!!!!

 

[Alex777]

We'll be at Morritt's Sep. 6 - 13 and will do, maybe, 1 boat dive. The rest of our dives will be shore dives.

That's quite a bit of shore diving. What sites are you planning to dive?

 

[sixgears]

Also, don't forget to bring supplies with you. Food and such are very expensive on the island. There's a new small Foster's grocery store in front of The Reef resort and they do carry all the essentials. My wife and I bought stuff with us from the U.S. such as meats, a bag of coffee, snacks and a few kitchen items like foil and plastic wraps, condiments, etc. Doing this saves us quite a bit and allows us to spend that money on diving. Eating out a few times won't hurt but we didn't make a habit of it.

And yes, Bill is right. Being pampered on boat dives is very very addicting to say the least!

 

[marshallkarp]

Here is my GC East End HD Dive Report

Grand Cayman East End Dive Report on Vimeo

and here is the East End HD Vacation Video

Grand Cayman Island Vacation 2008 on Vimeo

 

[billinwilliamston]

That's quite a bit of shore diving. What sites are you planning to dive?

Not sure at this point. Unless conditions prevent it, we'll do Turtle Reef (maybe two days there, one to the mini-wall and one out to the main wall). Other than that, Sunset House and Devil's Grotto are possibilities, as much because of MyBar and Paradise B&G as the reefs themselves. We haven't been to Smith's cove since before Ivan, would like to do that too. I read somewhere there's a new(ish) spot called Lighthouse Point. Always in the mood for something new. We may even make it all the way out to Cobalt Coast, but would definitely call first since conditions over there can be dicey and it's a long way to drive for nothing (did that once, learned my lesson).

My wife and I did some great East End shore dives in the past, but I always felt like we were trespassing. Most of the entry points we used are now either fenced in or have houses on them, so I guess we might have been.

For the most part, we'll play it by ear. I'm not an all diving all the time type, so if I end up napping in a hammock or sitting at a pool bar all afternoon for a couple of days, that wouldn't break my heart either.

 

[-hh]

My wife and I are headed to GC mid October - diving with OF and staying at Morritt's Tortuga. It will be my first GC trip but everything I hear/read indicates the EE is the more "diver centric" side with fewer boats/divers to compete with on the sites (too far away for the cruise crowd), though I'm sure you'll enjoy it no matter where you stay/dive.

The East End will be more diver-centric, although one can also say the same thing about either of the Sister islands (Cayman Brac; Little Cayman). For a 10 day trip, the ~$150/pp-RT cost of the airfare is amortized down and can be cost-competitive (particularly since you can generally skip a rental car).

East End is to the island's windward, so there can be some rough days depending on weather. Mid October is a time of year that the weather can blow pretty well at times, but because it is during the transition from summer to winter, one can also hit days where the weather ... 'doesn't know what it wants to do' ... and can end up with glass conditions without the brutal high summer heat.

Water temp is currently 84F; in the next six weeks it will plummet to a brisk 81F, and the thermocline between the hot summer layer (hurricane food) and the cooler deepwater will probably sneak up to around 110fsw.


-hh

 

[Alex777]

My wife and I did some great East End shore dives in the past, but I always felt like we were trespassing. Most of the entry points we used are now either fenced in or have houses on them, so I guess we might have been.

That's really why I asked. Shore diving possibilities in East End seem to me to be declining, which is very sad. I wish the Govnt. would set aside rights of way for shore divers.