Trip Report Cayman Aggressor IV Trip May 2016

[drrich2]

Hi. Since I use these threads as references to help divers considering trips I’ve made, I’m writing the review in 3 parts. Part 1 is my review of the Cayman Aggressor IV live-aboard boat, from 1st hand experience with them May 14 - 16, 2016. Part 2 is my discussion of the diving. Part 3 is my Trip Research Notes, an effort to pull together info. provided by others from varied threads/sources into an ‘Intro. to the Cayman Islands’ resource. Perhaps it can help someone weigh the more popular varied options (e.g.: land-based vs. live-board, one island vs. the other two). I'll contract this trip a bit with my May 2015 trip aboard the Sun Dancer 2 (now Belize Aggressor IV).

Cayman Aggressor IV​

The Cayman Aggressor IV is the sole live-aboard serving the Cayman Islands region. It’s 110’ long and 22 feet wide. The 3 categories of state room are 1 Master (a queen bed, own bathroom), 6 Deluxe (overhead twin bunk, double bed below, own bathroom) & 2 Twin Share (2 single bunk beds; 2 separate rooms share one bathroom, which is narrow with a toilet & shower; each room has its own sink). I’m cheap and stayed in a Twin Share room. Bunk was surprisingly comfortable; I was on the bottom. I didn’t see a ladder to the top, but my room mate had long legs. I don’t spend much room time on a live-aboard anyway, and took more showers off the back of the boat (behind the dive deck); diving multiple times/day and usually a late dive, no problem; they even have soap dispensers back there. As Caribbean live-aboard go, it’s a little pricy and as Diver Steve pointed out on Scuba Board, the idea is to dive all 3 islands, rather than far-flung islands impractical to reach by land (as the Belize Aggressors do).

We also had a little closet.

The top of the boat is a sun deck, with shaded & sunny sections (& a hot tub). Meals are sometimes served here, for an ‘on the water’ effect I enjoyed. There’s a fridge area with some sort of alcoholic stuff and soda on tap. Next down is the enclosed dining area/living room, behind that the dive deck with gear stations. In the enclosed dining area/living room, there’s a stairway down below deck to the hallway with our state rooms. So it looks like the boat has 2 decks, but it’s really sort of 3. They can take 18 passengers; our week there were 16 divers & 2 non-divers (with a group of Italians) IIRC. There was no ‘hang bar’ at 15 feet (unlike the Belize Aggressor IV); an emergency use regulator and a rope with some chain at the end hang down.

Crew on the whole were top-notch (the right mix of competent, conscientious and fun); Captain Niall (pronounced ‘Nile’), his younger brother Allan, Ty, Rodel (Engineer) and Manuel (who speaks multiple languages, including Italian). All rotated through guide duties, typically returning to the boat at around 45 minutes. They don’t allow solo diving (there’s a plaque about that) but buddy teams are free to do their own thing. Chef Kingsley has a good reputation online; he does indeed crank out good food. A woman requiring gluten-free food was happy.

When weather allows, they tend to provide a few dives around Grand Cayman, several dives off Little Cayman and a couple of dives on the popular Keith Tibbetts Russian Destroyer wreck off Cayman Brac. When the weather doesn’t allow the crossing, they dive around Grand Cayman all week. Thankfully I was blessed to dive a week the weather was good and we made it to all 3. Be mindful Little Cayman & Cayman Brac lie near each other, but about 80 miles from Grand Cayman.

The boat was docked in downtown Georgetown near the north and south cruise ship terminals; you can see a Harley Davidson Motorcycles sign and Hard Rock Cafe’ to your right. Plenty of souvenir options, but get them the Saturday afternoon you arrive or Friday afternoon you return, because some shops don't open Saturday morning till around 10 a.m. Kathy V. has mentioned of Cayman’s charm you can see a big name store, yet be standing beside a chicken! Yep. Heard crowing from the boat, saw chickens out about town.

My Trip: Flew into Grand Cayman, got my baggage, a van taxi driver had a sign with my name outside, and he took me & others to the boat for $10 apiece. At the end of the trip, he took us back, with different pick-up times offered. Get on boat Saturday afternoon or evening, return the following Friday afternoon (after 2 morning dives), dock, you can walk into town if you wish, have a Captain’s cocktail party (no formal supper, but I got enough to eat), pack, and Saturday morning you should be off the boat at 8 a.m. (there’s a gazebo in a fenced-in area you can set your baggage). It’s hot and humid, so most people wanted to head to the airport by 10 a.m. or so.

Note: Aggressor Fleet’s Facebook page showed an interior shot from the upcoming Cayman Aggressor V.

Bottom Line: Fine, comfortable boat, excellent crew, twin share bathrooms have a small, narrow shower and a short person wouldn’t want the top bunk. But I was happy with the boat and very happy with the crew. Compared to the Belize Aggressor IV, the latter was a cheaper trip, offered a Half Moon Caye land trip after the Blue Hole dive (in place of a dive), the Deluxe (they don’t have Twin Share) room beds weren’t bunk and we had our own bathroom (bit roomier IIRC), lacked a hot tub and Friday afternoon added cost mainland excursions were offered (which I declined to pack & rest).

 

[drrich2]

The Diving​

Very good viz. (reminded me of Bonaire), warm water (but seasonal; gets cooler in Winter), current was rarely significant and never a problem, the boat attaches to mooring buoys and we dove off the rear of the boat, climbed back on via 2 ladders. Fins are kept at the back of the boat, so not much ‘duck walking.’ The Cayman Aggressor IV limits you to 110’ depth, no solo diving, buddies can do their own thing but a guide (or 2) is (are) in the water every dive, tending to return to the boat at around 45 minutes (but you can stay down longer). Nitrox was a $100 upcharge, most of us dove it, analyzers provided, and I recall it testing roughly around 30%, sometimes over 31%.

Underwater topography varied. You might find a flat, sandy area under the boat, large masses of coral & rock (e.g.: reminiscent of the ‘spur and groove’ formations I saw in Key Largo), and nearby a steeply sloping to outright vertical wall. Cayman offers depths far beyond recreational depths.

We saw reef and nurse sharks but there was no shark feed dive (we fed stingrays at Stingray City). We saw a few lion fish but surprisingly very few; never saw any culled, but it’s getting done at other times. Some Nassau grouper and even some sea turtles may approach divers; I realize ‘friendly’ is a misnomer but some are rather docile. Reef sharks may make multiple passes (presumably hoping for handouts), but never got intrusive or worrisome. Other common sights were tiger grouper, some yellowfin grouper, horse-eye jacks, some queen and surprisingly a number of ocean triggerfish, several eagle and stingray, and some big green moray eels. Saw 1 octopus & 2 tiny squid on a night dive.

Comparison to Belize Aggressor IV: I’ve dove the Lighthouse Atoll region out of Belize aboard the Sun Dancer 2 (now Belize Aggressor IV), and my subjective impression of varied topography, lushness, ‘fishiness,’ viz., warmth and overall dive experience was pretty comparable. Where the Caymans won out was on the docility of some sea life, particularly Nassau grouper and some sea turtles. In Belize I dove the Blue Hole but no wrecks; in the Caymans I dove 3 wrecks. The B.A. IV tends to offer 26 dives & a Half Moon Caye Island excursion (or 27 dives if they don’t hit the Blue Hole); the Cayman Aggressor offered 25 dives, but hit all 3 Cayman islands. They didn’t offer paid excursions, but messing around Georgetown can be its own excursion, and I imagine you could call a cab and do your own.

 

[drrich2]

Our Trip Itinerary:

1.) Sunday (Grand Cayman) - Doc Poulson, Sting Ray City (the original site, not the sand bar), Babylon (1 dive each). Only 3 dives that day, so we could head to Little Cayman.

Look in the sand just beyond/above his head.

2.) Monday (Little Cayman) - Randy’s Gazebo (2 dives), Bus Stop (3 dives).

3.) Tuesday - (Cayman Brac) Keith Tibbetts Russian Destroyer (2 dives), (Little Cayman) Marilyn’s Cut (1 dive - fisherman were using 3 Fathoms, which the Captain wanted) and 3 Fathom Wall (2 dives).

4.) Wednesday (Little Cayman) - Leah Leah’s Lookout (2 dives), The Meadows (3 dives).

5.) Thursday - (Little Cayman) - Nancy’s Cup of Tea (3 dives, starting with a dawn dive, to allow time to head to Grand Cayman that evening), The Great Wall (2 dives).

6.) Friday - Grand Cayman: Kittiwake Wreck (1 dive), Devil’s Grotto (1 dive).

So 25 dives spread over 14 sites; 5 Grand Cayman, 18 Little Cayman, 2 Cayman Brac.

The iDiveCayman website has site descriptions.

Comments: Doc Poulson a small wreck, the Keith Tibbits and Kittiwake pretty large, and the Kittiwake really opened up to make it ‘fairly safe’ for guided swim throughs. Devil’s Grotto has a rocky ‘diving on the moon’ feel, not much lush growth, but it was neat; guide found a nurse shark, and we saw tarpon. The 1 anemone and flamingo tongue I saw were on this dive. The Captain’s favorite is 3 Fathom Wall, with Leah Leah’s Lookout a close 2nd; I liked The Great Wall (nice lush flat region, near vertical drop-off). If you’re told sting rays can’t bite, I’m telling you they can; get your thumb in one’s mouth and see! It was a hard pinch, no serious harm, but got my attention.

Dive Trip Economics​

If you'd booked my dive trip, without the 32% off Aggressor sale I took advantage of, departing out of Nashville Airport, here's what your trip cost (minus tips, airport food, etc...) might look like:

1.) Cayman Aggressor IV 7-day Trip in Twin Share (cheapest) Room: $2,695.

2.) Roundtrip Airfare out of Nashville via Delta Airlines: $618.41.

3.) Roundtrip 2 checked bags:$130.

4.) Parking at Airport: $72.

5.) $45 Port Fee.

6.) $100 Nitrox.

7.) $20 Taxi to/from boat.

I like round #'s, so let's say $2,700, $620, $130, $70, $50, $100, $20. Total: nearly $3,700 for 25 dives, or $147.60/dive. Granted, I was blessed with a killer deal at 32% off.

Richard's Tips:

1.) Wear Lycra socks or similar under your dive boots to prevent abrasions/blisters on your toes/feet. Somebody on Scubaboard told me that; good advice.

2.) Take 2 dive computers. My Atomic Aquatics Cobalt I died during the last dive (old Oceanic VT3 wrist unit did fine); someone else's wrist unit failed.

I intend to format my Cayman Islands research notes for the forum thread later. That's going to be some work, and I'd rather go ahead & get this out 'as is.' Hope it helps someone share the blessing I had.

 

[TulsaTime]

Excellent trip report, as always, Rich. Really appreciate the detail you provide in your reports. Sounds like you had a great time! You certainly got some wonderful shots.

My son & I are going on our first LOB (out of St Kitts) in Sept and your report has really got me looking forward to it.

 

[novasquid]

your posts make researching trips easy! nicely done. thanks for taking the time to post.

 

[KathyV]

Great report and pics Richard! They had rough weather early this month so I am glad that you had good weather and vis; sounds like a very nice trip. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Skeptic14]

Very detailed report, looks like a bunch of great dives with good marine life. I'm really interested in doing a LoB so this will be very useful information in the near future.

Regarding your cobalt computer dying, was it the battery or a malfunction? Was your backup air integrated? Would spgs be available if your backup wasn't air integrated for subsequent dives?

Thanks for sharing, also great grouper and moray shots!

 

[drrich2]

Just sent the Cobalt I off today; I think condensation/water got into it. There's no trade-in program; I think repair will likely be a bit pricey. Won't know till it gets there Wednesday and they let me know the problem & repairability. My VT3 was used with a wireless transmitter. I don't know off-hand whether they had a spare SPG onboard.

One note: they didn't have a 100 cf tank for me, but had a steel 80 cf tank, which I used, and was told they could top off some. I don't know the brand, volume vs. rated fill pressure, etc... Would love to know. Intended to photograph the print on the tank before I left, but in the hectic preparation for departure I didn't get it down.

If anybody knows the specifics on steel 80's, I'd be interested.

Richard.

 

[drrich2]

Cayman Trip Research Summary​

When I travel, I research the destination and like to include a summary with my trip report, to help others new to it get some quick orientation, and share info. others shared with me. The Cayman Islands have strong name recognition, and are big draws for dive tourism, so you’ll find plenty of info., but Grand Cayman is complex enough, and choosing amongst the islands involved enough, to be worth a little ‘cheat sheet’ intro.

In 2015, new owners took over Cobalt Coast and the previous onsite dive op. Divetech moved to Lighthouse Point (which can change shore dive options) and Cayman Brac Beach Resort had a major renovation, so be careful what’s changed when you read old online reviews of resorts/dive op.s.

The Cayman Islands are a British Territory, Grand Cayman almost directly south of southern Florida, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman (both smaller islands) 75 miles further east. Like much of the Caribbean it’s in the ‘hurricane belt.’ They are the peaks of a huge underwater ridge, derived from old coral formations. Per Wikipedia Caymanians have the highest standard of living in the Caribbean. English is the language, currency the Caymanian dollar ($1 U.S. is worth about $0.8 Cayman), electricity 110 volt/60 Hz (like the U.S.) and they drive on the left side of the road (Cayman Rules of the Road). From Kathy V.’s posts I learned the Caymans are conservative, seem pretty ‘safe’ as Caribbean destinations go, have good mosquito abatement programs and you can drink the water.

Grand Cayman is the largest and most populated; 76 sq mi area and pop. 52,601 (plus the horde of cruise ship passengers overwhelming the capital, Georgetown, part of the day). Georgetown (pop. 27,704) is in the southwest, and the center of the action (stores, etc…). Just north of Georgetown is beautiful Seven Mile Beach, and some area dive op.s can pick you up there. From my reading, the trend is for north and east coast diving to be best. There’s shore diving; Diver Steve (Post #3) opined arguably the 3 best shore dives to be Turtle Reef, Lighthouse Point and Cobalt Coast (the often spoken of Eden Rock has suffered from excessive use), and staying at the northwest point puts you near those and under 10 minutes drive from the activities/restaurants of Seven Mile Beach. I’m told some dive op.s won’t rent a tank to a single diver as a measure against solo shore diving (there’s no law against solo diving in the Cayman’s, but it’s not common).

Sunset House - housing with onsite dive op., breakfast included but not lunch or supper (there’s an onsite restaurant); south of Seven Mile Beach, has onsite shore diving. It’s got a rocky shoreline, not a beach. Website claims a 15 minute walk from downtown.

Cobalt Coast – housing with onsite dive op. (taken over in 2015 by new, albeit highly reputable, owners who also run Little Cayman Beach Resort), all-inclusive meal package, reputable onsite shore dive (when the weather cooperates!), and it’s ‘off the beaten path’ (as Kathy V. put it) so you’ll probably rent a car. North/northwest location.

Compass Point (housing)/Ocean Frontiers (dive op.) – at the east end, where some of the most pristine Grand Cayman diving is said to be. A distinguishing feature is the option for 2 2-tank boat trips/day! Another ‘off the beaten path’ option so you’ll likely rent a car. A straight line between Compass Point (east coast) and Sunset House (west coast) is nearly 20 miles.

Lighthouse Point/Divetech – Northwest location. Divetech has historically catered to both recreational and technical divers, and had kids’ programs. They, too, offer 2 2-tank boat trips/day.

Sunshine Suites Resort – a non-oceanfront housing option (per Scoobydrew Post #60 only a 5 minute walk from 7 Mile Beach) at the north end of 7 Mile Beach, with access to area restaurants. You can get pickup service from Divetech to their location at Lighthouse Point.

Turtle Nest Inn (where Kathy V. said she’d stayed) – also has condo.s. It’s in Bodden Town, south-central G.C. (check out Diver Steve’s Post #3 for more discussion on how ‘out of the way’ it is). IIRC, Kathy tends to snorkel and shore-dive in Grand Cayman, then head to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman for her main boat diving.

Cayman Brac is 14.7 sq mi area and Little Cayman 11 sq mi area, and even combined their population only comes to 2,277. They don’t get the influx of cruise passengers.

Little Cayman Beach Resort – highly reputable all-inclusive ‘valet’ dive op. with much praised buffet food. You can do a 2-tank boat trip in the morning, and a 1-tank boat trip in the afternoon; if there’s enough interest, they might do a couple of extra charge night dives.

Cayman Brac Beach Resort – renovated in 2015, including addition of an ‘infinity’ pool. Described much like LCBR; valet diving, 2-tank AM trip, 1-tank PM trip and in there’s enough interest, maybe a couple of extra charge night dives.

Cayman Brac is occasionally mentioned regarding shore diving. Vincent54 posted his experience with that and reported one way to do it was grab tanks from Reef Divers or Scuba Shack (at the latter he paid $10 U.S. air, $12 nitrox/tank, tanks by the dozen). He noted it more difficult than Bonaire; if there’s wind very little of Brac is calm. If it’s calm, he heads to northeastern spots, but didn’t recommend some end-of-island sites when surge is up (can get unpredictable currents), and the southeast is also advanced (lots of surge, hard to get in & out).

Note: Pop. Figures per Wikipedia page based on 2010 census.

 

[drrich2]

Diver’s Perspective.

The Cayman Islands are an expensive destination with warm water, high viz., varied terrain and often ‘easy’ diving conditions in a pretty safe ‘first world’ conservative environment with topside attractions of nature and civilization (Grand Cayman) or rustic ‘get away from it all’ scenic seclusion (Cayman Brac and Little Cayman). You can ‘cost control’ on Grand Cayman by renting a unit with kitchenette and preparing some meals, or buy an all-inclusive package (e.g.: Cobalt Coast). Little Cayman has been claimed as possibly the best Caribbean diving, Cayman Brac almost as good and often cheaper (with shore diving if you seek it out), and Grand Cayman a good ‘diving + other stuff’ destination (with some shore diving). There’s shore diving in the Caymans, but it’s most famous for boat diving (unlike Bonaire).

For typical 1-week vacations, I believe LCBR and CBBR offer packages with 17 dives (extra for a couple of night dives, if enough people will pay), the Cayman Aggressor IV up to 25+ dives, and Grand Cayman op.s 12 dives (assuming 6 days of 2-tank morning dives); Ocean Frontiers or DiveTech can add 5 days of 2-tank afternoon boat diving, but Cayman diving often runs upwards of $100/2-tank boat trip (don’t forget tips!). Some Grand Cayman op.s let you supplement with free shore diving if weather allows.

Cayman Aggressor IV, Cobalt Coast (if you eat in and don’t rent a car), LCBR and CBBR offer some of the simplest, all-inclusive ‘turn key’ trips (nearly everything included at a fixed cost) besides airfare.

Some Scenario Options:

If your sole goal is diving, you’ve no non-divers in tow, no interest in topside attractions, aren’t markedly prone to sea sickness, wish to hit all 3 islands if weather cooperates (but can accept just Grand Cayman if it doesn’t), or catch a great sale by Aggressor Fleet, try the Cayman Aggressor IV live-aboard. You might get cell phone service part of the trip, unlike some live-aboards (discussion thread).

If you seek the reputed best diving in the Caribbean, valet service, 3 dives/day, don’t need much civilization-based entertainment and needn’t entertain non-divers, try Little Cayman Beach Resort. If you want slightly more topside stuff, or are up for somewhat challenging shore diving, maybe a little cheaper than Little Cayman, try Cayman Brac Beach Resort.

For good+ diving, a large island to explore, civilization-based entertainment (e.g. shopping, eating out, dolphin encounters, hands-on with sea turtles at the Turtle Farm), and if you’ve got non-divers to entertain, consider Grand Cayman, but decide between being close to the action (Georgetown, Seven Mile Beach) or farther away, closer to better diving (e.g.: east end). I’d start with a pro.s/con.s comparison between Cobalt Coast (northwest) or Dive Tech and Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point (east end). Trip Advisor has Grand Cayman: Driving Tour – A Guide to inspire you.

Online Resources:

1.) Wikipedia entry on the Cayman Islands.

2.) C.I.A. World Fact Book – Cayman Islands.

3.) The differences (for a diver) between the 3 Caymans Islands – Cayman Islands Forum – Trip Advisor (an extensive write up by Kathy V.; well worth your time).

4.) iDive Cayman Islands – online collection of dive site descriptions.

5.) Aggressor Fleet’s website on the Cayman Aggressor IV Live-aboard.

6.) Cobalt Coast website.

7.) Sunset House website.

8.) Ocean Frontiers website/Compass Point Dive Resort website.

9.) Divetech website/Lighthouse Point website.

10.) Sunshine Suites Resort website.

11.) Little Cayman Beach Resort website.

12.) Pirates Point Resort website.

13.) Southern Cross Club website.

14.) Cayman Brac Beach Resort website.

15.) ShoreDiving.com – Cayman Islands website.

Some Scuba Board threads with useful content. Many of these references address issues beyond the thread title.

1.) If Cozumel is #1…where is #2? Particular attention to Post #27 (Kathy V.),

2.) Update on Brac Beach and Cobalt Coast Resorts. Particular attention to Post #1 (Kathy V.), #11 (Scubadada), #13 (AdivingBel), #16 (Kathy V.), #51 (Scubadada), #53 (Scoobdrew), #56 (Scubadada), #58 (Doctorfish), #59 (Kathy V.), #60 (Scoobydrew), #61 (Damselfish), #65 (Tienuts) & #66 (Kathy V.).

3.) If you could spend a month on Grand Cayman. Post #2 (Kathy V.), Post #3 (Diver Steve), Post #6 (Kathy V.).

4.) Best Boat and Shore Dive Locations. Posts #12, 15, 16 (Vincent54).

5.) Best Resort / Place to Stay for a Week of Diving. Post #2 (Kathy V.), Post #3 (Diver Steve), Post #4 (by Kathy V., links about non-dive activities in the Caymans), Post #5 (Doctorfish).

6.) Suggestions for Caribbean Dive Vacation? Post #6 (Scubadada), Post #7 (Kathy V.).

7.) Cell Phone Coverage on Cayman Aggressor?

8.) Grand Cayman Trip Report (discussing time of year to go, odds of weather blocking Bloody Bay Wall diving, and varied Cayman diving options).

Customized Map of Grand Cayman:

Grand Cayman Custom Map