Cayman Dive Experiences - Second Visit

[keyshunter]

<< But I don't think ANYONE here would say the diving in east end is anywhere NEAR the diving on Little Cayman. >>

I say they are about equal.

Having done both, I agree. They are about equal.

 

[markrovner]

I can't say what it would be like to commute every day from Gtown to Ocean Frontiers, though i know people who do it. But why not stay on the east end? My plan for next time is to return to Compass Point and commute a couple of times to the West end to get in a little north wall diving. I also want to check out the new shore dive at -- I think it is called -- Lighthouse Reef.

Stay in the east. Why would you do anything else?

 

[kimdave0]

"I say they are about equal."

Well, anyone that would say that east end on Grand Cayman and bloody bay on Little Cayman are "ABOUT EQUAL" either..........

1. Has not been diving at both places.........or

2. Has some agenda for promoting OF, as the other member mentioned.

Unless I am missing something?

Can you name some sites in east end that start at 10 feet and drop straight down like they do at bloody bay? If there are any, they sure didn't take us to them. The walls usually started around 50-60 feet. In Little Cayman, the walls go all the way up to 10 feet. THAT is what makes it so different. Instead of 10 mintues of great diving folllowed by 10 minutes of so-so diving, followed by hanging on a rope in blue water.............. Compare that to diving for almost a FULL HOUR at every depth on a spectacular wall filled with every amazing coral, fan, creatures, fish, everywhere. Compare that!

I'm done here. It's obvious there are people here with agendas to plug the places that give them some discounts or something for doing it. I am just giving my honest opinion and after diving in all those places there is no one in their right mind that would say diving in east end on Grand Cayman and diving bloody bay wall on Little Cayman are "about equal". No one.

 

[cmalinowski]

I should explain a couple things a little better...

I did not have ANY complaints whatsoever about the service at Ocean Frontiers. They have a great staff and made the trips fun. If they only had 12 on the boat, plus the divemasters and captain, then mabye there were a few less than 20 people. But it felt crowded, compared to many of the other places I've been diving with. Maybe their boat is a little smaller.

I did not say (or mean to say) that the diving on the west was the same as the diving on the east. What I am saying is that for all that extra money for OF's high prices, all the gas, all the time driving back and forth, getting up at 6am, IT IS NOT WORTH IT, FOR ME. If the diving on east end was as good as Little Cayman, then sure, I would be happy to put in all the extra money and time. But I don't think ANYONE here would say the diving in east end is anywhere NEAR the diving on Little Cayman.

So that should clear it up a little if I did not express myself well or typed it too fast or whatever.

My OPINION was, and still is:

On Grand Cayman, I would not bother with all the expense and hassle of an east end boat dive. Rather, do a shore dive or 2 in east end and go with one of the smaller operations that takes 10 people or less for boat dives on the west and north walls.

Take all that money and time saved by not diving with OF, and spend at least a few days on Little Cayman.

I'll fill out my profile when I have time. I have a very busy job. I have been diving for 10 years, mostly in tropical places and have well over 100 dives in the Caymans, from boat and from shore. I did over 30 dives just a few weeks ago when I was there. I’m no expert or anything, just giving my opinion for others to consider. If I knew the prices were so much higher at OF and the diving not that much better it would have saved us several hundred dollars… or better yet, we probably would have spend more time in Little Cayman.

While I truly think OF is the best I've dove with, I don't know that I would commute from west end... although it is a pretty drive along the coast. To put that "I wouldn't commute" statement in perspective, I wouldn't do it anywhere where there were safe operators within walking distance unless there was a great need. I also dive in the DIR style and ocean frontiers is very DIR friendly and is run by a GUE instructor. So I have that little extra bit that I like. So, there are definitely reasons that I like it over and above it's great service that may not apply to anyone else.

I have never dove the west end, so I can't compare them. I have only dove east end. I loved it. If I was staying on the west end and wanted to dive on the east end, I would use OF... but we already know that I am highly biased I am huge on relaxation down there, so I don't know that I'd be driving anywhere much since I can walk to the boat quite easily. Although I am thinking of shore diving on my April trip this year.

At least we can all agree that cayman diving is great.

Chris

 

[Alex777]

kimdave0:

1) I have dived at both places, quite likely more than you have.

2) I have no agenda whatsoever for promoting Ocean Frontiers or any other dive op. The suggestion is offensive. I simply do a lot of diving in the Cayman Is. and have some strong opinions about it. Feel free to disagree with my subjective opinions.

3) Bloody Bay Wall is a lovely, pristine dive area which I consider as good as it gets (in my experience) in the Caribbean. The fact that the top of the Wall starts at very shallow depths is a plus. Being on the N side, it is subject to quite a bit of wind and days when it is undiveable.

4) GC's East End has 3 spectacular but quite different dive areas: the NE side (including such wall dives as Anchor Point, Babylon, Valley of the Dolls, Barrel Sponge Wall, etc.); the SE side (including such wall dives as The Maze, Jack McKenny's Canyon, 3 Sisters, Pat's Wall, Maggie's Maze, etc.); and the true Eastern End of GC (including shallow sites like Snapper Hole, Dragon's Lair & Cinderella's Castle). Each area offers something different: dramatic vertical canyons and probable shark encounters on the SE; a profusion of healthy soft coral and dramatic swim-thrus on the NE (similar to Bloody Bay Wall, really); and an abundance of marine life scattered thru the caverns of the Eastern End. Collectively, these areas offer a diving experience at least as rich as that found on Bloody Bay Wall. Oh - and the S Side of GC offers, arguably, a 4th group of sites with their own personality. If 1 area is too windy for diving, 1 or more of the others is almost always OK.

5) When referring to GC's East End, you speak of "10 minutes of great diving, followed by 10 minutes of so-so diving, followed by hanging on a rope in blue water ...". To me, this suggests a lack of experience: any dive in the E end, deep or shallow, should last more than 20 minutes (unless you suck the air from your tank like a Hoover); and any experienced diver should be able to do a 3-minute safety stop (absent current) without hanging onto the mooring line. I suggest that you simply found aspects of East End diving a bit too challenging?

 

[Damselfish]

"I say they are about equal."

Well, anyone that would say that east end on Grand Cayman and bloody bay on Little Cayman are "ABOUT EQUAL" either..........

1. Has not been diving at both places.........or

2. Has some agenda for promoting OF, as the other member mentioned.

Unless I am missing something?

Can you name some sites in east end that start at 10 feet and drop straight down like they do at bloody bay? If there are any, they sure didn't take us to them. The walls usually started around 50-60 feet. In Little Cayman, the walls go all the way up to 10 feet. THAT is what makes it so different. Instead of 10 mintues of great diving folllowed by 10 minutes of so-so diving, followed by hanging on a rope in blue water.............. Compare that to diving for almost a FULL HOUR at every depth on a spectacular wall filled with every amazing coral, fan, creatures, fish, everywhere. Compare that!

I'm done here. It's obvious there are people here with agendas to plug the places that give them some discounts or something for doing it. I am just giving my honest opinion and after diving in all those places there is no one in their right mind that would say diving in east end on Grand Cayman and diving bloody bay wall on Little Cayman are "about equal". No one.

I'm glad you're done here, since you seem to go around inclined accusing anyone who doesn't agree with you have having an agenda - making it look like you have one. I've certainly been diving both places, and I certainly have no agenda for promoting OF, in fact I mentioned a couple things I didn't like about them.

It's nice that Bloody Bay starts shallow, has it's advantages. But it's hardly my only criteria in choosing a good dive site. I much prefer varied scenery with tunnels, canyons, overhangs, pinnacles, whatever to a sheer wall. My dives on sites that start deeper are certainly better than 10 minutes of great diving followed by 10 minutes of so-so diving. (Are you diving tables?) And even if I do have to hang in blue water, there is always plenty of interesting stuff to look at. If you look, there's amazing stuff there too.

What you're missing is that people have different opinions. Don't get so annoyed or accuse people of having agendas when many of them happen to be different from yours. Sheesh.

 

[keyshunter]

"I say they are about equal."

Well, anyone that would say that east end on Grand Cayman and bloody bay on Little Cayman are "ABOUT EQUAL" either..........

1. Has not been diving at both places.........or

2. Has some agenda for promoting OF, as the other member mentioned.

Unless I am missing something?

Can you name some sites in east end that start at 10 feet and drop straight down like they do at bloody bay? If there are any, they sure didn't take us to them. The walls usually started around 50-60 feet. In Little Cayman, the walls go all the way up to 10 feet. THAT is what makes it so different. Instead of 10 mintues of great diving folllowed by 10 minutes of so-so diving, followed by hanging on a rope in blue water.............. Compare that to diving for almost a FULL HOUR at every depth on a spectacular wall filled with every amazing coral, fan, creatures, fish, everywhere. Compare that!

I'm done here. It's obvious there are people here with agendas to plug the places that give them some discounts or something for doing it. I am just giving my honest opinion and after diving in all those places there is no one in their right mind that would say diving in east end on Grand Cayman and diving bloody bay wall on Little Cayman are "about equal". No one.

Since I have been dragged into this let me say that I do not take kindly to your accusations.

I have never dived with Ocean Frontiers. But I have dived extensively at all 3 of the Cayman Islands --19 trips for a total of 24 weeks and almost 400 dives. My opinions are just that--opinions. But I do, however, like to believe that I am in my right mind.

Oh, and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

 

[markrovner]

I think the only way to resolve this is we all get on the Aggressor for a week and have the LC vs. EE slapdown.

I'm in.

 

[Alex777]

<< I think the only way to resolve this is we all get on the Aggressor for a week and have the LC vs. EE slapdown. >>

Good plan. But we also have to dive a few SMB sites because kimdave0 & Jamini asserted originally that East End diving "is really not any better than the west side".

 

[markrovner]

<< I think the only way to resolve this is we all get on the Aggressor for a week and have the LC vs. EE slapdown. >>

Good plan. But we also have to dive a few SMB sites because kimdave0 & Jamini asserted originally that East End diving "is really not any better than the west side".

Hmmm...can we compromise and call the North wall part of seven mile beach?