Little Cayman/Cayman Brac dilemma

[jd950]

I have begun working on a one-week dive trip for the family to Little Cayman for next year. We have never been there and I thought we would stay at LCBR. Unfortunately, LCBR has no rooms available during the times my family can go, so I am trying to sort out other options.

In particular I need to decide if it is worth staying at some condo and eating, I guess, at the Hungry Iguana and maybe Pirate’s Point, and arrange diving with either Reef Divers or Conch Club, or if I should instead go to Cayman Brac and stay at the BRR. We have never been there, either, but can see it is far less popular than LCBR. We are pretty much looking at doing three dives a day and not that interested in other activities.

This would be the lazy, "no-cooking" trip for next year, except maybe a couple lunches if necessary. Any suggestions?

 

[diver 85]

Just got back from CBBR week before last(we had previously been to CBBR in Oct 2011---& LCBR July of 2007).....Keep one thing in mind, they are only 5 miles apart---& one day we did dive travel to LC & made a 2 tank Bloody Bay Wall dive...Personally, I'd stay with one of the Beach Resorts, but that's just me(they use the same dive boats--46' Newton's, the meals are basically the same, owned by the same family etc etc).....Also, LCBR travels over to CB to dive The Tibbetts(in '11 while we were diving it, divers from LCBR 'joined us' about 30 minutes behind us)..........Good luck in your decisions, IMO either one's a winner.......

BTW, starting to upload some of my 1200+ UW pics from this last trip-----lol, will take a while to complete........You can see the ones already uploaded here.......Click below, all 2014 Brac pics will have 'Cayman Brac 2014' in their album names, 5 so far but only 40% thru day 2 of 6 diving days.......
https://www.flickr.com/photos/80825593@N08/sets


EDIT:-here's a pic I took from '11 of LCBR's DM leading & filming their dive on the Tibbetts...

[/URL]39c73110-a594-4657-9efb-1f866edf6a95_zps31c301d0[1] by GEAUXtiger, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[caymaniac]

I have begun working on a one-week dive trip for the family to Little Cayman for next year. We have never been there and I thought we would stay at LCBR. Unfortunately, LCBR has no rooms available during the times my family can go, so I am trying to sort out other options.

In particular I need to decide if it is worth staying at some condo and eating, I guess, at the Hungry Iguana and maybe Pirate’s Point, and arrange diving with either Reef Divers or Conch Club, or if I should instead go to Cayman Brac and stay at the BRR. We have never been there, either, but can see it is far less popular than LCBR. We are pretty much looking at doing three dives a day and not that interested in other activities.

This would be the lazy, "no-cooking" trip for next year, except maybe a couple lunches if necessary. Any suggestions?

The Brac would be a good place if you are not planning any other activities other than diving. There is a little to see, not a lot. Diving is very good, it is very quiet and if you stay at the BRBR Brac reef beach resort they will do all your meals. You would still be able to dive off Little Cayman at least one day and three dives a day are easy on the Brac.
I've stayed at a number of places on the Brac, The Brac Reef Beach Resort, the Carib Sands and the Alexander. The Brac Reef would be your choice if you want an all inclusive place.


It's not a five star, but it is lovingly quiet. The stars are really viewable, plenty of sea birds to see, as well as flying fish on the way to your boat dives which is what the thing to do is on the Brac. There is shore diving but it's not like Bonaire. The food is good. You are sure to see throughout a week of diving, turtles, eagle-rays, stingrays, eels, shrimp, lobster, crab and plenty of tropicals as well as a shark or two. Unusual things I've seen at Little Cayman and the Brac would be Manta, dolphin, Hammer head shark, Bull shark, Lemon shark, flat worms, connected sea salps:

and other small sea creatures

 

[drrich2]

There is shore diving but it's not like Bonaire.

I've been to Bonaire 8 times but never to Cayman Brac. How does the shore diving compare, with Bonaire for a reference?

Richard.

 

[caymaniac]

I've been to Bonaire 8 times but never to Cayman Brac. How does the shore diving compare, with Bonaire for a reference?

Richard.

It's not the same. it is possible but not nearly as easy. There are not as many resorts, buildings or people on the Brac. The Brac Scuba Shack can help you with shore diving. There are only a couple of dive ops on the Island, nine miles long and about a mile wide at the widest. There are maybe five restaurants on the Brac.
I've been to Bonaire a couple of times, and it is set up the best in the Caribbean for shore diving. There is virtually no traffic on Cayman Brac. The busiest spots on the Island are the grocery stores and there are a couple of those. One of the popu;lar things to do on the Brac is go to the top of the Bluff and hike where the boobies nest.

Sun up on the Brac

 

[drrich2]

So I'd expect fewer shore diving sites, but what's the difference? Longer swim outs? Worse currents?

Richard.

 

[caymaniac]

Currents are possible but not that often, maybe the same or less current. There can be days that the shore diving on the north side (predominant side for shore diving) has waves (this depends on the time of year you plan to go). The west side and the east side of the Island has the most current and those sides are really best boat diving. If you plan to get to the wall on a shore dive it can be a long long swim, more than 100yds in some areas and more than two to three hundred in others.
See that buoy in the middle backgroud, it is about half way to the wall not an option to make it to the wall really at this point. An easy entry here and some small things I saw at this site, a octopus, a small eel, a scorpion fish:

 

[AggieDiver]

I would just go to Brac Reef Beach Resort if your schedule doesn't allow you to go to LCBR. Very similar great service and food as you would get on LC. Diving on Brac is very good and you should get at least one day on LC weather permitting.

 

[mikeycanuk]

We stayed at a villa on the Brac 2 years in a row and dived with the Brac Scuba Shack. No cattle boats, in fact one week it was just us, private diving! In our villa it was utterly private, nude snorkelling anyone? Those urchins looked deadly..... Had an awesome reef outside the villa. Had a van come with the house. We dived, shopped, cooked and ate out. And just chilled out.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[scubadada]

Hi jd950,

I've been to LCBR twice, 2010 and 2014, great resort, fantastic diving, you probably can't beat Bloody Bay Wall. I've not been to BRBR but, persoanlly, would not hesitate to visit. The resort looks very similar to LCBR and the operator is the same. It's a little less expensive to boot.

If you are not tied to Little Cayman or Cayman Brac, I can recommend two quieter locations on Grand Cayman, each of which I have visited twice. Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers is on East End. The resort is very nice, the diving is great, the operator may be the best I've ever used. Compass Point is not AI but the rooms have full kitchens and there is a good restaurant on site and several within a short drive. Cobalt Coast/Divetech is in the Northwest corner. Again, a very nice resort, it does have an AI option and very good food. The operator is very good and they offer some interesting afternoon options such as a DPV dive from Cobalt Coast to their other shore diving site at Lighthouse Point or a rebreather experience dive. Both of these options would probably end up costing about the same as LCBR though airfare would likely be a little less.

Enjoy your dive vacation, let us know what you ended up doing and how it went.

Good diving, Craig