Cobalt Coast vs LCBR

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

jd950

Contributor
Messages
1,301
Reaction score
282
# of dives
I just don't log dives
I am interested in hearing thoughts about this. My wife and I have a fairly full dive calendar this year but have not been able to do a dive trip with our two adult sons for almost a year and decided to squeeze in a family trip in early 2020. One of our favorite destinations in the Caribbean is Little Cayman. Have been there a few times. We have never done any diving on Grand Cayman or Brac.

I was about to book a trip for Little Cayman Beach Resort and noticed the price difference between there and Cobalt Coast. For our group of 4, and including the cost of the flights to and from Little, we would save almost $3000 for the week by going to Cobalt Coast. I know the diving is better on Little Cayman from everything I have ever heard, but $3000 is a big difference. Having never dived Grand Cayman or been to Cobalt Coast, I am having a hard time figuring out if it cold really be worth the extra money for 5 days of diving on Little.

Comparisons? Thoughts?
 
This is just my opinion (of course) and I am certain others will disagree. I enjoyed the CC resort and the staff is first rate but the diving was very forgettable. Now I know dive sites and even conditions at the same site change day to day but I will not return to CC.

I do plan to return to Grand Cayman at some point in the future but it will be to dive on the east end.
 
Not sure what your budget is but if considering CC on GC then at least look at Coconut Bay and shore diving there and nearby. If you are saving $3k on your option you are likely to save another $2-3k by going Coconut Bay and shore diving. Just a thought. You would have a three bdrm condo, kitchen, pools and access to arguably the best shore dive on GC - Hepps and arguably the second best Turtle reef with Macabucca just next door.
 
Also keep an eye on the Sargassum issue. At least here in Grand Cayman you can find areas to dive that are not affected. Not a big deal for boat diving but if you are planning a lot of shore diving, it could be an issue. The Sister Islands and our South Coast are getting plenty this year.
 
For a $3K difference, I would opt for Cobalt Coast over LCBR.
But, as @uncfnp said, my personal preference would be to stay out on the East End and stay and dive with Compass Point Compass Point Dive Resort in the Cayman Islands

My second choice on Grand Cayman in a group your size would be aligned with @tkaelin and rent a condo at Coconut Bay Coconut Bay Condos - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | Oceanfront Residence looking out over the Caribbean Sea
I would get out on morning boat dives with Cayman University Divers (your group of 4 will have the entire boat to yourself) and then I would supplement my boat dives with inexpensive shore dives right there at Coconut Bay and also the two other nearby shore dives at Lighthouse Point and Turtle Reef. https://www.cudivers.com/
 
I have stayed at Cobalt Coast twice, but not since the change in ownership and operator. My last two trips to Grand Cayman were to the east end, Compass Point and Ocean Frontiers. I have also been to LCBR twice

You say your trip will be in early 2020, does that mean winter? It may be less likely, risky, that you will be able to get out on the north wall and/or do shore diving at this time of year in Grand Cayman. There may be implications for Little Cayman as well, perhaps not as great.

Though I would also give the nod to Little Cayman for quality of diving, Grand Cayman has some really good west side dive sites and some excellent north sites. Both CC and LCBR have Reef Divers and both offer 3 boat dives per day. The main advantage of CC is the unlimited shore diving at the resort, which is pretty good. Down the road is even better shore diving for modest cost at Lighthouse Point and Turtle Reef. Though all of these sites may be affected by big seas, farther south is less affected at times.

Sorry, only you can judge whether the cost savings at CC makes it the choice

:) I was typing as my friend, @Trailboss123, was posting
 
I am interested in hearing thoughts about this. My wife and I have a fairly full dive calendar this year but have not been able to do a dive trip with our two adult sons for almost a year and decided to squeeze in a family trip in early 2020. One of our favorite destinations in the Caribbean is Little Cayman. Have been there a few times. We have never done any diving on Grand Cayman or Brac.

I was about to book a trip for Little Cayman Beach Resort and noticed the price difference between there and Cobalt Coast. For our group of 4, and including the cost of the flights to and from Little, we would save almost $3000 for the week by going to Cobalt Coast. I know the diving is better on Little Cayman from everything I have ever heard, but $3000 is a big difference. Having never dived Grand Cayman or been to Cobalt Coast, I am having a hard time figuring out if it cold really be worth the extra money for 5 days of diving on Little.

Comparisons? Thoughts?

Perhaps you should also calculate the cost difference for a stay at Cayman Brac Beach Resort? It is cheaper than LCBR but more expensive than CCGCR, and you will also have the expense of the airfare to the Sister Islands, but it may save some money. And it is still an all-inclusive Clearly Cayman resort with valet diving provided by Reef Divers.

I have visited CCGCR and we did a couple of dives with their Reef Divers op but I've never stayed there so I can't really comment, but I can say that in winter that end of the Grand Cayman is likely to be windy and you probably won't be able to shore dive the house reef and may not be able to dive the North Wall.

I think that the diving on Little Cayman's Jackson's Bight and Bloody Bay Wall is some of the best diving available in Cayman (and in the Caribbean) but if you run into rough weather and have to dive the south side of LC, the diving is fine but not that special.

I think that the diving around Brac is very good (a little deeper than LC but not bad) and the boat rides are usually shorter - although they usually are not long around any of the Cayman islands. IMO you have a better chance of finding good diving around Brac if the winter weather turns against you than around LC.

I haven't seen all the recent renovations at LCBR yet, but in the past I've felt that the CBBR was a nicer resort than LCBR and the food was a little better, and Brac is a prettier and a more topographically interesting island to visit than Little Cayman. Plus there are more flights to CB than to LC and less chance of having your luggage delayed.

Just my opinion, but you might want to also consider CBBR in your decision-making.
 
It depends on the time of year. If spring/summer, odds are that you would be able to dive the north wall on GC which is quite good. If fall or winter, on GC you would likely be diving west, which IMO is OK but not great. The best diving on GC, arguably is east end and you can pick up a reasonable package through Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point. Should be competitive with Cobalt but not AI.

I would price them out. Should be much less than LCBR all in.
 
Do the topside offerings of Grand Cayman matter to you? I realize Cobalt Coast isn't on 7 Mile Beach, but still...you've got the option to get out, see some things. Whether that's worth anything to you or your sons I don't know.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom