Day trip to Little Cayman?

[steinbruegge]

Hello, all ..

Going to GC in March; staying at Rum Point ..

Would like to go diving in Little Cayman, but would like to make it just a day trip over and back.

So far as I can tell, from the 2002 Flying After Diving Workshop recommendations, , for flights under 2000 feet, conventional 12 hour minimum wait after no-deco dives not necessary.

Would be grateful for any suggestions as to how to organize such a trip to LC.

The citation follows:

General Comments:

Recent experimental trials indicate the risk of decompression sickness (DCS) decreases as the preflight surface interval increases. Based on these studies, the Workshop reached the following consensus recommendations. These recommendations apply to flights at cabin altitudes between 600 metres/2000 feet and 2400 metres/8000 feet and to divers who are without DCS symptoms. Work by Buehlmann, which was used by the US Navy Diving manual, suggests that immediate ascent to 600 metres/2000 feet altitude is possible with low DCS risk. In 1999, the US Navy adopted more flexible procedures based, in part on Buehlmann and Vann et al. Following these recommendations reduces DCS risk but does not guarantee that a diver will avoid DCS.


Thanks ..

Chuck S.

 

[Alex777]

Well, clear off your credit card. You will need to charter an aircraft. Try Island Air.

 

[Damselfish]

or in other words - scheduled air to Little Cayman flies too high.

 

[Testudo]

or in other words - scheduled air to Little Cayman flies too high.

Yes, well over 4K and up to 8k. Snorkeling Bloody Bay on a day-trip is still an incredible experience.

 

[caymaniac]

A day trip to Little Cayman is in efficient. The schedule applied to the flights are not conducive to flying in and out. Like stated previous you would have to rent your own flight, the Cayman gov't has a tight handle on who can fly what when and where.

 

[keyshunter]

Yes, well over 4K and up to 8k. Snorkeling Bloody Bay on a day-trip is still an incredible experience.

Perhaps at some other time of year, or in a weather window. In March, Northers can make the waters on the North side of the Island (Bloody Bay Marine Park side) pretty nasty.

 

[Damselfish]

Good point on the timing, didn't pay attention to that but yeah there's a possibility of getting there and finding things are too kicked up and the boats aren't even going to Bloody Bay. Not that diving the other side of the island is a bad thing, actually folks who have had lots of opportunities to dive BB might consider it a good thing - it's just not usually what people who read about Little Cayman and are on their first visit are going for.

But my take on day trips like this anyplace is, sometimes it makes sense if the logistics work AND it's really worth giving up whatever you would have been doing otherwise. But going to lots of expense, to jump through serious logistical hoops (when it's even possible), while giving up the possibility of doing more pretty good dives from where you're based, rarely makes sense. Bloody Bay is some very nice diving for the Caribbean, but there is plenty of good diving on Grand too as long as you pick the right areas.

 

[tkaelin]

I can see why the thought would occur but it just is not feasible. Spend your time enjoying the diving in GC or plan the trip so you can spend at least 3 nights on LC for 2 days diving. I one day trip over to dive just doesn't work.

 

[billinwilliamston]

Seems to me that there was a time when Island Air offered a scheduled, diver-centric day trip to Little Cayman. I don't remember all the details, but they would leave GCM in the morning, fly low, hand you off to the dive op (don't remember which dive op they were working with), then fly low back to GCM that evening. Obviously it didn't pay for itself since they aren't still doing it. Too bad, because I know my wife and I would be in for a day trip like that (weather permitting).

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

My dive opp when I was there was strict about an 18-hour window before flying, so that wouldn't work. If you want a nice wall, get a GC dive opp to take you to the north side of GC (Babylon, etc.). While the wall there starts deeper than LC, it is still spectacular.