Advice on Cayman Shore Dives & Multi-dive packages

[XMaLpha]

Greetings...

We are a family of 4 certified (or some would argue certifiable) divers who will be in Grand Cayman for the month of July, 2003. I wondered if anyone can offer some advice:

1) is it possible to rent/buy tanks for the month to do self-directed shore dives?

2) is it possible to dive in the "so-called" no dive zone? I just learned that the house we rented "MAY" be in that zone - it is "The Pink House" at 972 Rum Point Road - I could scream! We had hoped to dive right off the beach in front of the rental property - Could anyone local please advise!!!!

3) Does anyone know of any operations that offer a really "good" bargain on a bunch of dives - more than a week's worth with some scheduling flexibility. (I know, this is probably unlikely since scheduling is always difficult.)

thanks in advance for any help you can offer....

regards,

 

[Drew Sailbum]

1) You could buy tanks and get fills somewhere, probably in Georgetown. Bit of pain in the a-- if you ask me since you will be driving halfway across the island. You can rent tanks for shore diving at many locales.

The dive shop nearest your rental house is Red Sail Sports at Rum Point. They rent tanks, but have then brought in by boat from the west side. If you want nitrox you'll have to provide advance notice and James or Anna will take care of it for you.

There are many excellent shore diving sites all around the island. The general rule is that you should not bring your own tanks to a shore dive site if there is a dive shop on site. Rent your tanks there. If no shop, then feel free to get tanks anywhere.

2) Most of the area from Old Man Bay to Rum Point falls into two "No Diving Zones". I've seen the regulation referred to in two ways, either "No Diving Zone" or "No Commercial Dive Boats Allowed." Not certain which is correct.

I live on the shore in Old Man Bay in this area, and can attest that much of the shoreline is very sharp ironshore and would make entries and exits very difficult.

3) Most operators are willing to cut some sort of a discount on multiple dives. Red Sail at Rum Point can set up a tab for you and book boat dives at any of the Red Sail shops (including Tortuga Divers on East End) around the island. {Obligatory plug since I work at Tortuga}

Ocean Frontiers, Cayman Dive Lodge, and Tortuga Divers dive East End and will have a busy summer. Usually there is more availability on the weekends and/or late in the week.

 

[XMaLpha]

Hi Drew....

Thanks very kindly for the excellent information - it is greatly appreciated.

Hopefully we will be ab le to join some dives at Tortuga while in G.C.

regards,

 

[XMaLpha]

Hi Drew...

You are a wealth of information and a great ambassador for GCM diving - thank you!

I read somewhere that we need a flag for diving in many cases, so we'll bring one.

Can I ask a few more naive questions:

- are the "no dive zones" clearly marked so that you can see the boundaries from the shore? I am wondering if we will be able to tell for sure whether or not the shoreline in front of the house we rented is included in the no dive zone. I'd hate to get into trouble if we did the ol' roll out of bed and plunge one morning. The place we rented is suppossed to have a beach access.

- you don't happen to drive by that address on Rum Point Road by any chance (I have no sense of distance on that side of GCM). If you do, by any chance, can you possibly let me know if it is within the no dive zone? With my luck it is - even though we were really explicit with the rental agent - our main reason to travel to GCM is to dive.

thanks very kindly for any additional information you can provide.

cheers,

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Or more precisely, what are diveable waters and are they everywhere?

The "No Dive Zones" are woefully unmarked. Most tourist maps have some sort of generalized notation, but boundaries are not easily recognized.

A quick check with one of the members of the Marine Conservation Board reveals that there are plans to get this marked better and properly enforced. How soon that happens is not clear.

I'll have to ask our Department of Environment Marine Enforcement Officer about the exact boundaries and limitations on this zone.

The next time I head up toward Rum Point, I'll make a mental note of the exact location of that house. Always a chance that it is located in between the two zones.

 

[JeffMandell]

Drew:
In reading your list of east end dive ops, I'm wondering: I'm going to spend a week diving LC at Southern Cross. I thought we'd spend the 2 remaining days diving GC, since I"ve never done so. Would you recommend the east end? How about the north wall (Divetech/Cobalt)? Thanks. Jeff

 

[Drew Sailbum]

On Grand Cayman, I'd suggest 1)East End, 2) North Wall, 3) South Sound, 4) West Wall/Seven Mile Beach. That is based upon health of the coral.

For North Wall diving, Divetech is well respected. They also have a couple of nice shore dives at Turtle Reef and at Cobalt Coast.

 

[XMaLpha]

Drew - you are a wealth of knowledge - thanks again...

I hope you'll drop by while we are there so I can buy you a beer for all of the valuable information you have so kindly provided - you know where we'll be staying.

thanks again...