Cayman Dive Op in December - LTD vs Indigo

[emileyparker]

After many, many visits to Cozumel and a couple of trips to Roatan, I've set my sights on diving Grand Cayman. Logistics wise, me and my husband only have the first week in December open to travel and Cayman seems like the best option to not have a wash out and easily get to from Austin, via Houston.

1. Looking at Living the Dream vs Indigo Divers. If I'm reading the rates right, LTD is only $99 for a 2tank dive vs $160 at Indigo. Any reason for the wide price discrepancy? I'm used to ~$100 in Cozumel, so $160 per diver is a lot IMO. (Even multi-day packages, the pricing varies widely). Past reviews say the experience between the two ops is a toss up, so leaning towards LTD unless I'm missing something?
2. I've read a few posts/reviews about north winds impacting snorkeling/diving. Does Grand Cayman experience similar nortes as Cozumel in early Dec, with the port can be close multiple days? I've ready some posts that seem to say so, but others that say early December is perfect weather and great for diving. Making sure I have the right impression!

 

[tkaelin]

On December, winds and GC, it’s not an issue unless you are planning on diving north side. GC has good diving on all four sides/ compass points with 7mb west and usually unaffected by northers.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @emileyparker

You might message Indigo Divers and ask why their daily rates and nitrox rates are significantly higher than those for Living the Dream. Perhaps they have a good answer.

Diving the north wall in winter is always a risk.

 

[Doctorfish]

I've dived LTD many times, including last December, and they run a great operation. Big boats, personalized service and great DMs. I'm not sure why Indigo and some other ops charge significantly more for the same service, but I don't really care.

You can't go wrong with LTD.

In December, the north and sometimes even the west can get blown out, but remember Cayman is an island and there is always a lee side, with decent diving. If the weather is bad, all the dive boats will move to an alternate port at Spott's Landing or Red Bay. It would be very unusual to loose a day of diving because of weather.

.

 

[emileyparker]

Thanks for the feedback! I was cautious that a low cost to dive could imply that LTD is not as high quality as other dive ops, but sounds like that's not the case and they have many avid supporters. As long as I can get some dives in, west, north, or otherwise, that's all I'm looking for weather wise.