Cayman boat dive or Eden Rock shore dive

[Altamira]

My wife and I will have the opportunity to dive Grand Cayman for the first time on a cruise in late November. We are OW, with 47 dives since March 2010 in Coz, Roatan, Costa Maya, Bonaire, St. Thomas, and Grenada, and are looking forward to our first dives in GC. Will be taking our own equipment. We have the option of doing a two tank boat dive, location dependent on the usual factors, or doing a guided two tank shore dive at Eden Rock. Never having been to GC for diving, we would like to have the opportunity to see the best GC has to offer on a very limited stop over. So, given the choice, would you do the boat dives or the shore dives. Thank you in advance for your recommendations.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Do the boat dive. Shore dives at Eden Rock are really nice, but not as memorable as some of the deeper reef/wall dives from a boat.

Enjoy GC. It's our favorite place to dive. (Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are on our to-do list)

 

[ianr33]

IMHO Eden Rock is a beat up pile of rubble, with the rudest staff I have ever come across on Cayman.

Do the Boat Dive. Any Boat Dive.

 

[diversteve]

I have to agree, my "best" of Grand Cayman list would not include Eden Rock. Decades of cruise divers (it's walking distance from the tender port) haven't done it much good. In a week of diving Grand Cayman it was the worst reef we'd seen, in places the coral was broken and ground down. It's also really shallow - like 40' - with a lot of trash on the bottom. Past that it seemed mostly sand. We don't have any complaints about the staff but our interaction was limited to renting a tank from one staff member at the time. The Grotto next door is more interesting due to the swim-thru's but the best of Cayman is wall diving.

For boat diving - Lobster Pot is nearby in north Georgetown and books two operators that take 6/8 divers max. My personal choice would be Wall to Wall but I've never dove with Deep Blue. Depending on your departure time you can shore dive there after your boat dives. The Lobster Pot Dive Center Grand Cayman - Located in Sunny Cayman Islands on the island of Grand Cayman, one of the few dive centers with our own dock located on the west side, with Cheeseburger Reef, a short swim from shore.

 

[tkaelin]

I think you will enjoy either but with the limited opportunity of being able to do one boat dive or one shore dive it will not be possible to see "the best" GC has to offer. We dove Eden Rock/grotto as a shore dive and thought diving thru the swim thru was enjoyable. There is some reef damage but there was plenty of sea life and healthy coral. We had no problem with the staff but we timed our dive and arrival at times when there were no cruise ships. The presence of the cruise ships and associated crowds definitely will impact the experience. If you do not get to Eden Rock in advance of the crowds you will encounter a crowd trying to get signed up etc, into the water and will encounter surface traffic from jet skis etc greatly diminishing the experience. A boat dive may be preferable for these reasons and for others, depending on the location of the trip. Either way enjoy your dives and don't get too worked up on trying to dive the best GC has to offer on just one dive.

 

[Altamira]

Thanks to all. Your comments were what I thought they would be, so we will do the boat dives. Thanks also for the recommendations on dive ops.

 

[cgills]

Another vote for the boat dive..Your going in November, shore diving is always iffy, more so during the winter months. By reserving a space on a boat, your more or less assured that despite conditions, you'll be able to dive on one side the island or the other. Lobster Pot is a great choice. I know all the ops that operate out of there ,and you would be hard pressed to go wrong, all will endeavor to please..

 

[Wolfie]

I do enjoy Eden rock when I'm there. Its usually just to grab a quick little dive before dinner when the cruise ships have left kinda place. I was surprised an earlier poster thought the coral was "healthy". I'd never consider it while a ship was moored. And I'd never think it was on the better side of cayman diving. The swim throughs are pretty cool as are the tarpons hanging in the shadows. As far as cayman diving goes, it starts there and gets much much better.