BVI or the Caymans?

[traciedee]

Would love to hear your opinions. I am looking for easy diving and decent beaches and can not decide where to go. We like kind of laid back and not overly touristy places. Both seem to rate high in Dive magazines.

 

[caymaniac]

Both CI & VI have decent beaches. I have dove both and prefer the Caymans. If you choose Cayman Brac or Little Cayman it is very quiet and not touristy. The beaches on the Brac and Little are not as quite as nice as in the VI's. Grand Cayman has a really nice beach.

 

[Damselfish]

Warning: everyplace mentioned in mainstream dive magazines rates high. Not saying if you see a good review it's not true, just saying they never print any bad reviews and they pump all the same places alot. (There are also lots of great places that they never review.)

That said, I haven't been to the BVI and would like to sometime, I've heard enough to believe there's some worthwhile diving and it sounds like a nice place to visit otherwise. But CI is definitely much more noted as a dive destination, probably for a reason.

As far as Cayman, if you like laid back you might prefer to stay away from the Seven Mile Beach area of GC, or at least stay at a condo further north on that stretch. Consider Cobalt Coast in the Northeast (on the water but no beach, but there is shore diving.) Or the Reef Resort, Morritts, or Compass Point on the East End. (All with beach but not shore diving.) Or as mentioned check out Little Cayman or Cayman Brac.

(I think there is still a lot of rebuilding going on at Morritts so I don't know what staying there is like right now, plus I'd imagine the units that are open are pretty booked by time share owners? Just speculation on my part.)

 

[zf2nt]

Warning: everyplace mentioned in mainstream dive magazines rates high. Not saying if you see a good review it's not true, just saying they never print any bad reviews and they pump all the same places alot. (There are also lots of great places that they never review.)

I would go a bit further than this and say that the amount of coverage a resort receives in the "places rated" pages of the dive magazines is directly correlated with the amount of money the resort pays for advertising with the magazine. Since some dive destinations have only one or two resorts, the amount of coverage the dive destination receives thereby follows the amount of money the resorts on it spend on advertising.

Bruce

 

[Damselfish]

I would go a bit further than this and say that the amount of coverage a resort receives in the "places rated" pages of the dive magazines is directly correlated with the amount of money the resort pays for advertising with the magazine. Since some dive destinations have only one or two resorts, the amount of coverage the dive destination receives thereby follows the amount of money the resorts on it spend on advertising.

Bruce

well, yeah. I was trying to avoid the whole adverti$ing thing. :14:

 

[mike_s]

I would go a bit further than this and say that the amount of coverage a resort receives in the "places rated" pages of the dive magazines is directly correlated with the amount of money the resort pays for advertising with the magazine. Since some dive destinations have only one or two resorts, the amount of coverage the dive destination receives thereby follows the amount of money the resorts on it spend on advertising.

Bruce

Exactly what he said!


But back to BVI verses the Caymans.

Grand Cayman has great beaches and great diving. There is also lots of shopping. But also lots of cruise boat traffic on certain days. There is lots of shopping (most in the cruise boat dock area). It's very easy to fly to with a short flight from Miami, but it's a little touristy also for this reason.

BVI is a little harder to get too. You have to fly into Puerto Rico and then a puddle jumper to BVI or fly into St Thomas and take a shuttle plane or a ferry over. BVI has much more character to it though, but not as much in tourist stuff and shopping. I think it's a little more laid back. Beaches are great also. THe diving is great, but I think most divers would prefer the Caymans slightly over BVI.

 

[Boat Chick]

I haven't been to the Caymans, but went to the BVI's last June and it was fabulous. No shore diving, all by boats (or if you charter a boat you have your own). We used DiveBVI and they were great. Feel free to email me with questions about BVI's. You can read my trip report, and I have a few land pics, don't have the underwater pics posted STILL! www.punkapacific.com

 

[traciedee]

Think I'm going to do BVI.. Has anyone ever heard of We Be Divin? Also thinking of staying in Cane Garden Bay. Any suggestions on where to stay in that area? I saw a place called the Lighthouse Villas that looked nice.