Little Cayman or Bonaire
- Thread starter DreaminOfSand&Salt
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caymaniac
Contributor
Been to both a number of times, Bonaire is the easiest shore dive island that I've been to and I've been to a few. Bonaire was very, very good pre-hurricane surge that happened about 10 years ago. It is still good but has less coral than it used to due to hurricane surge (especially Klien Bonaire), has had problems with dying coral/bleaching and doesn't have much of any large fish other than Tarpon. It is so fun to walk into the water at your own speed and dive till you feel the need to terminate the dive. Visibility is great, the species of small fish as well as variety are excellent for the Caribbean.
Little Cayman on the other hand has some of the best wall diving, can have some of the best visibility (my best was over 200). Little Cayman offers a chance to see (things I have seen anyway):
Eagle Ray, dolphins, sharks (bull, lemon, grey reef, black tip, hammer head, nurse), manta, large grouper, turtle on a regular basis. You will probably not see these every day but at least at some point in the week. The small things are there but not as plentiful as Bonaire can be. Other highlights at Little Cayman are the species of sponge that Bonaire doesn't have, such as yellow tube and red sponges . You must remember to be on the lookout for these colorful sponges as well as an occasional school of fish.
Little Cayman on the other hand has some of the best wall diving, can have some of the best visibility (my best was over 200). Little Cayman offers a chance to see (things I have seen anyway):
Eagle Ray, dolphins, sharks (bull, lemon, grey reef, black tip, hammer head, nurse), manta, large grouper, turtle on a regular basis. You will probably not see these every day but at least at some point in the week. The small things are there but not as plentiful as Bonaire can be. Other highlights at Little Cayman are the species of sponge that Bonaire doesn't have, such as yellow tube and red sponges . You must remember to be on the lookout for these colorful sponges as well as an occasional school of fish.
Although the island is very conveniently setup for shore diving, loading/unloading tanks, shore entry/exits and driving around can start to seem like work after a while.
My kind of work
I hear ya. I'm getting old and I have to help my petite wife with her gear and tanks too. For my tastes, the UW experience on Bonaire is a clear notch below in quality and variety to the top diving destinations in the Caribbean. If it were equal or above, I probably would not mind the "work".
Juan Alberto Soto
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My wife and I have been to Bonaire 3 times, the diving was fantastic. My son and I have been to Little Cayman once, the diving was absoulutely amazing, best night dives I've ever had, effortless boat diving. My wife is taking me to Little Cayman for my 60th birthday in January, it was my choice.
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I was wondering how this question would have ended up if it were on the Bonaire thread instead of the Cayman Islands. My response would have been the same. Everyone has their favorite place(s)
OP
DreaminOfSand&Salt
Contributor
I was wondering the same thing also, but was already leaning towards LC so everyones opinion helped me commit - Thanks again, Brian
Having not been there before should we ask for any certain sites or does the op take you to the best places?
Having not been there before should we ask for any certain sites or does the op take you to the best places?
Doctorfish
Contributor
Over the course of the week, the dive op will hit most of the great sites, weather, vis and current dependent. They keep a list on the boat.
For me, Mixing Bowl, Cumber's Caves and Randy's Gazebo are always highlights, but there are many others. Come to think of it, I can't remember any "bad' sites in the marine park.
For me, Mixing Bowl, Cumber's Caves and Randy's Gazebo are always highlights, but there are many others. Come to think of it, I can't remember any "bad' sites in the marine park.
Damselfish
Contributor
They will choose sites based partly on conditions and available moorings (not that moorings are much of a problem.) But if you make requests I'm sure they will try to get them in if it works. I really like Mixing Bowl and most likely they will make a point of hitting that one sometime. Mixing Bowl is the site between Bloody Bay wall and Jackson walls and a very interesting transition point. I also like the sites in Jackson Bay, it starts deeper the further east you go but it's less dove and is more varied structurewise than the more sheer wall of Bloody Bay. They don't always do as much of that because conditions often aren't as good, and maybe because it's further, and maybe because most people expect to dive the various famous Bloody Bay sites - but I think it's worth giving them a nudge in that direction. (My favorite thing about the Cayman Aggressor is that while we were at Little Cayman, we got in lots of dives in Jackson Bay.)
Hi,
I've been to both, too, and each has its charms. Basically, it comes down to your deciding whether you want to do self-guided shore dives, the special aspect of Bonaire, or guided boat dives on Little Cayman.
The one piece of advise I would give is to not dive Grand Cayman--it's over-dived and not at all interesting. The only night dive I ever did where no fish showed up was off Grand Cayman! However, there is one kinda touristy dive we did off Grand Cayman that was fun: Stingray City. If you want a safe, fun, up-close-and-personal experience with stingrays, this is it. However, some folks object to it because it is "artificial" and may create an overly man-made sea environment: the stingrays are attracted to the site because they are fed by divers and snorklers. I still enjoyed the experience.
joewr
I've been to both, too, and each has its charms. Basically, it comes down to your deciding whether you want to do self-guided shore dives, the special aspect of Bonaire, or guided boat dives on Little Cayman.
The one piece of advise I would give is to not dive Grand Cayman--it's over-dived and not at all interesting. The only night dive I ever did where no fish showed up was off Grand Cayman! However, there is one kinda touristy dive we did off Grand Cayman that was fun: Stingray City. If you want a safe, fun, up-close-and-personal experience with stingrays, this is it. However, some folks object to it because it is "artificial" and may create an overly man-made sea environment: the stingrays are attracted to the site because they are fed by divers and snorklers. I still enjoyed the experience.
joewr
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