afternoon diving at Divi Brac??

[SteveFass]

Hey all. I'm going in a group trip to Brac (my first time to any Cayman island) and staying Divi for one week and am wondering what to do in the afternoons. I gather there's a two tank boat ride in the morning, but I'd prefer to do at least 3 dives per day.

The Divi website mentions free shore diving. Free is good. But what can you tell me about the shore diving there? Is it worth the price?

What are my other options to get in an afternoon dive every day?

Second question - night dives - I'd like to do 3-4 night dives. Will that be a problem?

Thanks much.
Steve

 

[divingjd]

The Divi offers afternoon boat dives for an additional fee (I think it is $45). I did them every day (except one day the weather turned nasty) when I was there in February. They offer night dives two nights a week, maybe more if you can get together enough divers to go. There isn't any shore diving right at the resort. You would need a rental car to get you and your gear to a dive site. I didn't do any shore diving. I have read that Radar Reef is a popular shore dive site.

 

[-hh]

Hey all. I'm going in a group trip to Brac (my first time to any Cayman island) and staying Divi for one week and am wondering what to do in the afternoons. I gather there's a two tank boat ride in the morning, but I'd prefer to do at least 3 dives per day.

They run an afternoon 1-tank dive, with the caveat of needing enough divers to do it. I think the minimum is 6. I forget the price, but they typically offer "2 tank/day" and "3 tank/day" packages, so ask.

The Divi website mentions free shore diving. Free is good. But what can you tell me about the shore diving there? Is it worth the price?

Here is my webpage on the subject; it needs to be updated a bit (hopefully, this fall after our 17th year visiting the Brac).

In general, the 'problem' with shore diving is that you need transportation go get anywhere other than the sandy area right out in front. A good rental rate for a car will be around $200/week, which merits being cross-walked to how much it costs just to go out on the PM diveboat.

Second question - night dives - I'd like to do 3-4 night dives. Will that be a problem?

Probably. If you have your own car and are comfortable doing a night shore dive by yourself, no problem. But if you want to rely on the dive operation taking you out for a night boat dive, you'll need to have a group of 6 to make their minimum, which IIRC they usually offer only on Tuesday & Thursday. Ask early.


-hh

 

[SteveFass]

Sheesh, thanks for the depressing news, hh. Getting / begging / cajoline six people to go out on an afternoon dive sounds hard enough; even harder after a big dinner. I guess two or three people could chip in on a car if that was the only other way to blow some bubbles. But I'll take your advise about speaking up early - maybe before I even get there.

Hey - are there maybe other dive shops on Brac that would go out? Shops with smaller boats that wouldn't need six divers? Could I boat dive with Divi in the a.m. and with someone else in the afternoon and evening?

 

[divingjd]

Getting six people for an afternoon dive is not that hard. They have three boats and if you've got two from each boat, that's enough for one afternoon boat. Like I said, I did the afternoon boat every day except one, and the boat went out that day, I just didn't feel like it.

For the night dives, start asking around early in the week and get it arranged. People won't mind you asking if they want to go.

 

[-hh]

Sheesh, thanks for the depressing news, hh. Getting / begging / cajoline six people to go out on an afternoon dive sounds hard enough; even harder after a big dinner.

As Don says, the PM boat generally isn't that hard, assuming that you're going at a time where there's enough guests to run 2+ boats. Its the night dives during the off-season that gets challenging...as a rule of thumb, its better to present as "Here's my group of 6 who wants to...".

Hey - are there maybe other dive shops on Brac that would go out? Shops with smaller boats that wouldn't need six divers?

The only other dive op (with boats) is Reef Divers at BRBR. Their boats aren't smaller and I'd have to check what their minimums policies are...since they don't even offer free tanks in their dive packages, their minimums might be higher.

Could I boat dive with Divi in the a.m. and with someone else in the afternoon and evening?

I see no reason why you couldn't. While its a ~250yd walk down/back with your gear down to Reef Divers, they do take their boats past the Divi's dock to get to the Carib Sands dock and their overnight moorings, so you could arrange for a pickup/dropoff, although Max probably wouldn't be all that happy to see his competitor using "his" dock. But Max really doesn't have much of a leg to stand on for "lost" business, since you're doing it only because he's not interested.


-hh

 

[SteveFass]

Okay, thanks much, folks. I feel better now, at least about getting in afternoon boat dives, if not with Divi, then BRBR. I'm going in early November; not exactly peak season, but I don't expect it to be dead there either. If I can get in two night boat dives over one week I'll feel okay.

Still, I'm shocked that there are only two dive operators on the whole island. I've been on some pretty small Caribbean islands (e.g., Utila, Ambergris Caye) and there have been loads of operators of all different shapes and sizes. I get the feeling I'm in for something completely different.

 

[divingjd]

The Brac is different. Not many people go there unless they are diving or maybe fishing. There are only about 1500 residents on the island, so it's pretty quiet. Little Cayman is even quieter - only about 150 residents, and I'm not sure there would be any if it weren't for the resorts. It's also not as cheap as places in Belize and Honduras, so that's got to cut down on the tourist traffic. I love it, but it's not the kind of place I recommend to everybody. If somebody needs a backpacker haven or, on the other end, lots of shopping, nightlife, and restaurants, I don't recommend the Sister Islands. If your idea of a good time is a beach, a hammock, diving, and a few beers at the beach bar, it's practically heaven.

 

[worlddiver]

Just read on the internet that Divi just closed their doors for good in the Brac. They were one of the best dive resorts on the Brac. The managment and staff were always interested in your experience as a diver and at the resort.

 

[caymaniac]

Just read on the internet that Divi just closed their doors for good in the Brac. They were one of the best dive resorts on the Brac. The managment and staff were always interested in your experience as a diver and at the resort.

This was just confirmed by the Divi office, it closed at 5pm yesterday. :>(