Cayman Brac vs Grand Cayman - Advice Appreciated

[KathyV]

Drumroll...... we decided to go to Brac this trip! We are incredibly excited! We already booked our roundtrip flights to GCM - now onto the Cayman Air leg of the trip. For the return trip, which is on a Sunday, we can choose between landing at GCM at 9:15am or 11:35am. Our flight to the States takes off from GCM at 1:45pm. Would the 11:35am arriving flight be cutting it too close?

Book the early flight. No question. Gives you some option if there is a problem.

I usually let Reef Fanta Seas, the Clearly Cayman booking agent, also book my flights. They do charge a fee but it isn't bad and they really know the nuances of Cayman Air and timing and working with the other airlines to get to customers to GC and the sister islands. Plus having all your flights on one ticket can be helpful if there is a delay somewhere along the way.

Of the two smaller Cayman islands, Brac is usually the easiest to get to because they have a larger airport that can accommodate turboprops and jets, and they have lights so they can also handle flights after dark.

Little Cayman's airfield is very small, and the twin otters are the biggest planes that they can accommodate, and they don't have lights so there are no flights at night.

 

[howswedeofme]

We are flying Delta to GCM with points so we can't book through a travel agent, unfortunately. We booked our Saba trip earlier this year through an agent and didn't have a great experience so I'm also a little turned off by the travel agent assistance right now. We had some baggage and flight delays and were on our own to figure it all out with travel insurance and calling the airlines. We have a looooong layover both ways at GCM so we should have plenty of time to get through customs. I'm hoping we can get the shuttle to the yacht club for lunch and maybe a little sunshine time

 

[tkaelin]

Post a trip report. Brac is on my list, maybe this summer.

 

[howswedeofme]

Post a trip report. Brac is on my list, maybe this summer.

Will do! We aren't going until May so that might be a little late to be useful if you're planning a summer trip. LC is still on my list, too, but hopefully we can do a day trip over there from Brac. It looks like a reasonable fuel surcharge to do that if the weather cooperates.

 

[vincent54]

Like all dive areas, you should have been there yesterday.(well, last week) My least favorite dive on Brac is the Tibbet's. A foraging Eagle Ray,2 Goliath Groupers and a Hammerhead fly by near the wall edge. Remember, the dive companies will tell you only the south side has sharks. Not true. And at Burt Brother's there is a large Tiger Shark that comes and goes, he/she will comes right into the edge of the shore. I have found a couple of the shed teeth that about 1/2 inch wide each, maybe an 8-10 footer.. Explore. Dive boats love 8-12 am and stay on the West side. Try the other 80% of the Brac, dusk and dawn, and you might like Brac the best. My favorite spot in the world is the Northeast point. Everything from Porpoise, big schools of yellow tuna, big wahoo and just a rugged adventure with a most beautiful surface view of the bluff. I usually end up going on my own because the access is rough and I don't care to hear people bitch and moan. I have heard it all, rocks too sharp, sun too hot, too many waves, it's too far to walk, blah blah blah Just dive.

The bad thing about reviewing a dive area is you only see a fraction of what actually is there. Things move, hide, and generally disappear when the big boats rumble in. Have fun

 

[howswedeofme]

Thank you, vincent54! That's part of the reason we like the shore diving capability on Brac - we can get out and explore some other areas and times of day if the boats don't take us there. We have relatively experienced divers this trip (I think I may have the least dives at 65-70) with experience in less than comfortable conditions so hopefully we can all agree to suck it up to get through a rough entry to get to the site you recommend. I hope we are lucky enough to see a hammerhead fly by on our trip. It's on my bucket list of encounters.

 

[vincent54]

Everyone says Southside Brac is the best chance. I ask the fisherman and they run into Hammerheads quite a bit off the east end. Just a matter of being in the right place at the right time... I actually want to dive Jupiter Florida because of the greater chance of seeing sharks. The reef sharks around Brac are making a solid return, but other species are still scarce. and definitely dive Kings Point condo from shore if the weather cooperates. Cheers