kwm13
Registered
My wife and I just made our first trip to Cayman Brac and we are already trying to figure out when we can get back. We stayed at The Carib Sands because the Brac Reef Resort did not have availability. I can honestly say that I am glad they did not (this is nothing against the Brac reef Resort) because we would have missed out on diving with Brac Scuba Shack. Martin, Leisel, Phil, and Roxanne we friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and a lot of fun.
We landed in Grand Cayman and laid over for 2 hours waiting for the puddle jumper to get to Brac. The restaurant at the airport was good for lunch and then we stepped outside for a short walk. We got to hand feed a few young chickens and their mom along the way. Cayman Airways changed our flight to one that had a stop on Little Cayman. This was fine with me because I enjoy puddle jumpers but my wife could have done without the additional flight time and noise. I would suggest ear plugs or headphones to help with this. The strangest or funniest part of the trip to Brac was going into the "terminal" and seeing the baggage carousel start up and seeing our 3 bags and 2 car tires come through. My wife and just looked at each other and started to laugh. The woman working in the arrival area smiled and welcomed us to "The Brac". We were met at the airport by the car rental company with our car and after a few forms, laughs and directions at the rental counter we were on our way driving down the "wrong side of the road." We stopped in picked up several things at Billy's Market because we missed the turn to the Carib Sands. The prices were higher for the things we got but not unexpected because we were aware of the exchange rate, tax, and added cost of getting things to a smaller out of the way place.
We arrived at the Carib Sands and checked in easy enough. The unit we had #135 was very nice, clean and ready. I would liked to have seen a few more things in the kitchen other than salt, pepper, sugar packets, and few coffee packets. Some basic spices would make cooking a lot easier. I am sure they are left from time to time by guest and then are removed by cleaning staff. The view was fantastic, the beach was right out the back door and just several yards away. The pool was to the right and very clean. The dock where Brac Scuba Shack would pick us up was a stones throw from the pool. After walking around, my wife and I headed back to the unit to unpack, relax and unwind. We filled out the paperwork for our diving over a cold drink and then headed down to Brac reef Resort for dinner. The Reef resort was jumping because the Dive Pirates had taken it over for the week which is why we could not book there in the first place. The food was real good, we had the buffet. We met a bunch of the Dive Pirates, talked with them, and had a few laughs before going back to the Carib Sands.
The next morning we met the Boat crew on the dock and after a few introductions we got on board. We did not have to carry our gear on because while we were talking Phil and Roxanne had grab our gear bags, put them on the boat, and started setting it all up. Normally my wife and I handle our gear but it all happened so fast that we just went with the flow. Had we insisted on handling our own gear I am sure they would have happily stepped aside but with how well they handled our equipment and how efficient they were at no time did we worry about anything. The boat left the dock with my wife, myself and 2 others but stopped 5 minutes later down the lagoon at a ramp by the shop where we were met by Martin and Liesel. After handing Liesel the paperwork and making sure all was in order a few more divers got on and off we went. Martin was running the boat, Phil was instructing some students and Roxanne was giving us boat briefing. We got to the other side of the island, got a great dive briefing, put on our wet suits and booties, walked to the back of the boat, sat down and had our gear carried to us. The whole diving experience just got better from start to finish. If we had to pick one word to describe the diving, it would be "effortless". Almost non-existent currents, great visibility, abundant marine life, healthy reefs, and calm seas made this into a divers paradise for us. The next day another group was on the boat and we talked about all kinds of trip variations, from combining the morning and afternoon dives to heading to Little Cayman. As long as the divers were in agreements Phil and Roxanne would try to make it happen. The next 2 days we went to Little Cayman. The first trip was just for the morning because they had afternoon divers and the next day was all day. Phil and Roxanne even went as far to make all lunch arrangements (shopping and making) for most of the boat so we could bring lunch with us. I could ramble on and on about how great The Brac Scuba Shack operation but I would suggest you go and find our for yourself what a great experience it is.
My wife passed on one afternoon dive and met a local fisherman at the dock who had caught a few tuna. She was able to buy a few pounds which she cooked 2 different night for dinner. We went to the Alexander one night to see the hotel and have dinner. The hotel seemed nice and clean and the food was good and the same goes for the Captain's Table. Our last day we had arranged through Carib Sands a tour of the island. I failed to mention that we only had the car we rented for the first day and last day. We walked to the restaurants and stores the rest of the time. The rental company dropped the car off at the hotel the last day and the guide showed us around the island. We say the caves, lighthouses, several trails, the museum, and just about the entire island. My wife napped in the afternoon and I went for a snorkel in the lagoon. The lagoon has sting rays, eagle rays, tarpon, turtles, not to mention all the fish.
The worst part of the trip was that it had to end. The weather just got better and better as the week progressed. The seas calmer and calmer till even the south side just had gentle swells. We also had to leave several new friends we made during the week, Bob, Anne, Charlie, DT, Will, AK, and Sue. The day we left Brac Scuba Shack was supposed to get their new boat. This is the first place that my wife and I would return to with out hesitation. There were a few things that were not perfect but nothing that had to do with the diving. It had to do with the Carib Sands for the most part. None of them really affected the overall trip since it was a dive vacation for us and they were just nuisance things for my wife and I anyway. I did a review of the Carib Sands on trip advisor so I wont bother rehashing all of that hear. Sorry if this was to long or to story like for some of you.
We landed in Grand Cayman and laid over for 2 hours waiting for the puddle jumper to get to Brac. The restaurant at the airport was good for lunch and then we stepped outside for a short walk. We got to hand feed a few young chickens and their mom along the way. Cayman Airways changed our flight to one that had a stop on Little Cayman. This was fine with me because I enjoy puddle jumpers but my wife could have done without the additional flight time and noise. I would suggest ear plugs or headphones to help with this. The strangest or funniest part of the trip to Brac was going into the "terminal" and seeing the baggage carousel start up and seeing our 3 bags and 2 car tires come through. My wife and just looked at each other and started to laugh. The woman working in the arrival area smiled and welcomed us to "The Brac". We were met at the airport by the car rental company with our car and after a few forms, laughs and directions at the rental counter we were on our way driving down the "wrong side of the road." We stopped in picked up several things at Billy's Market because we missed the turn to the Carib Sands. The prices were higher for the things we got but not unexpected because we were aware of the exchange rate, tax, and added cost of getting things to a smaller out of the way place.
We arrived at the Carib Sands and checked in easy enough. The unit we had #135 was very nice, clean and ready. I would liked to have seen a few more things in the kitchen other than salt, pepper, sugar packets, and few coffee packets. Some basic spices would make cooking a lot easier. I am sure they are left from time to time by guest and then are removed by cleaning staff. The view was fantastic, the beach was right out the back door and just several yards away. The pool was to the right and very clean. The dock where Brac Scuba Shack would pick us up was a stones throw from the pool. After walking around, my wife and I headed back to the unit to unpack, relax and unwind. We filled out the paperwork for our diving over a cold drink and then headed down to Brac reef Resort for dinner. The Reef resort was jumping because the Dive Pirates had taken it over for the week which is why we could not book there in the first place. The food was real good, we had the buffet. We met a bunch of the Dive Pirates, talked with them, and had a few laughs before going back to the Carib Sands.
The next morning we met the Boat crew on the dock and after a few introductions we got on board. We did not have to carry our gear on because while we were talking Phil and Roxanne had grab our gear bags, put them on the boat, and started setting it all up. Normally my wife and I handle our gear but it all happened so fast that we just went with the flow. Had we insisted on handling our own gear I am sure they would have happily stepped aside but with how well they handled our equipment and how efficient they were at no time did we worry about anything. The boat left the dock with my wife, myself and 2 others but stopped 5 minutes later down the lagoon at a ramp by the shop where we were met by Martin and Liesel. After handing Liesel the paperwork and making sure all was in order a few more divers got on and off we went. Martin was running the boat, Phil was instructing some students and Roxanne was giving us boat briefing. We got to the other side of the island, got a great dive briefing, put on our wet suits and booties, walked to the back of the boat, sat down and had our gear carried to us. The whole diving experience just got better from start to finish. If we had to pick one word to describe the diving, it would be "effortless". Almost non-existent currents, great visibility, abundant marine life, healthy reefs, and calm seas made this into a divers paradise for us. The next day another group was on the boat and we talked about all kinds of trip variations, from combining the morning and afternoon dives to heading to Little Cayman. As long as the divers were in agreements Phil and Roxanne would try to make it happen. The next 2 days we went to Little Cayman. The first trip was just for the morning because they had afternoon divers and the next day was all day. Phil and Roxanne even went as far to make all lunch arrangements (shopping and making) for most of the boat so we could bring lunch with us. I could ramble on and on about how great The Brac Scuba Shack operation but I would suggest you go and find our for yourself what a great experience it is.
My wife passed on one afternoon dive and met a local fisherman at the dock who had caught a few tuna. She was able to buy a few pounds which she cooked 2 different night for dinner. We went to the Alexander one night to see the hotel and have dinner. The hotel seemed nice and clean and the food was good and the same goes for the Captain's Table. Our last day we had arranged through Carib Sands a tour of the island. I failed to mention that we only had the car we rented for the first day and last day. We walked to the restaurants and stores the rest of the time. The rental company dropped the car off at the hotel the last day and the guide showed us around the island. We say the caves, lighthouses, several trails, the museum, and just about the entire island. My wife napped in the afternoon and I went for a snorkel in the lagoon. The lagoon has sting rays, eagle rays, tarpon, turtles, not to mention all the fish.
The worst part of the trip was that it had to end. The weather just got better and better as the week progressed. The seas calmer and calmer till even the south side just had gentle swells. We also had to leave several new friends we made during the week, Bob, Anne, Charlie, DT, Will, AK, and Sue. The day we left Brac Scuba Shack was supposed to get their new boat. This is the first place that my wife and I would return to with out hesitation. There were a few things that were not perfect but nothing that had to do with the diving. It had to do with the Carib Sands for the most part. None of them really affected the overall trip since it was a dive vacation for us and they were just nuisance things for my wife and I anyway. I did a review of the Carib Sands on trip advisor so I wont bother rehashing all of that hear. Sorry if this was to long or to story like for some of you.
