Cayman Island, Seven Mile Beach... Where to Stay & Dive

[LauraLynnee]

Hi Everyone-

My husband and I are heading to the Cayman Islands beginning of November and it will be our first time there. We are trying to figure out where to stay in the Seven Mile Beach Area and who to dive with. Any recommendations?

Also, we read that it will happen to be Pirate/National Heritage week while we are there (didn't plan it, just happened to coincide). Has any one been here during this week? Anything to go to or avoid for that matter?

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

 

[Alex777]

For accomodation in the SMB area, you have lots of choices:

High End (in cost & quality): the Ritz Carleton, the Westin, the Marriott, various condos
Medium range: Comfort Suites, Sunshine Suites
There is no low end.

SMB area dive ops:

larger boats: Don Foster's
smaller boats: SunDivers, Off the Wall, Deep Blue, Wall to Wall, Ambassador Divers (the list goes on)

Pirate's Week is essentially a week-long party with various street dances, etc. IMHO, any of the events are safe to attend.

Lots of people will probably chime in with their own favorite dive ops, but the reality is: with the exception of a couple of substandard ones, they ALL give good, friendly service. Stuff that people point to as being outstanding service (setting up your gear, picking you up, letting you choose the dive site, doing small favors in 1 way or another) is actually the norm. I would pay no attention to claims along the lines of "Jane & Bob run the VERY BEST dive op in the Caribbean!!!" There just isn't that much to distinguish between most of the dive ops.

 

[scubapro50]

I stayed at the Comfort Suites last time I was there. It's a nice place and within walking distance of many shops on 7 mile beach. Another really good place is Sunset House ..... It is closer to town (days the cruiseships dock the traffic is bad) but the people at Sunset House really know the diving in the area and we always have a great time when we book there.

 

[barbsharpe]

We just returned from SMB (our 3rd straight). As posted above, you will love it all. For boat dives, we usually dive with Dive Tech. Shore dives you can do alot on your own - just rent your tanks from the onsite op. Do your research and be sure to pick up Cayman Activity Guide at the airport for coupons, etc. As for accomodations, since we not only dive, but enjoy the beach scene and other activities, we stay at The Westin. Great area to be in. If you are into condos, we visited The Villas of Galleon this trip and will be staying with them next summer so we can stay longer! They are located right next door to The Westin. Rent your vehicle from Marshall's (cheaper) across from the airport. Grand Cayman has wonderful diving...get ready for an incredible trip!

 

[LauraLynnee]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the great insight, now I'm really getting excited about the trip. Are there any dive locations in particular that are "must-dives"? Thanks!

 

[Andy077]

Hi Everyone-

My husband and I are heading to the Cayman Islands beginning of November and it will be our first time there. We are trying to figure out where to stay in the Seven Mile Beach Area and who to dive with. Any recommendations?

Also, we read that it will happen to be Pirate/National Heritage week while we are there (didn't plan it, just happened to coincide). Has any one been here during this week? Anything to go to or avoid for that matter?

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

I recommend the Harbour View apartments, right between George Town and seven mile beach, Harbour View Apartments, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Off The Wall divers Caribbean: Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman: Diving we used both last month for a week, nothing but good things to say about both.

 

[divesergeant]

I second Andy077's recommendation for Harbour View Apartments. Rose and Dudley are great. They make you feel like you're staying with family. Their location is also perfect; right at the base of SMB, walking distance to George Town, and right across the street from a major supermarket.

We've dived with Neptune's Divers and Divetech and loved them both. As Alex777 said, there are many really good dive ops there. We've found that the smaller ones are often more personal and have had bad experiences with Sunset House so we avoid them. Others speak well of Sunset House, so we might have caught them on a bad day. I hesitate to categorically dismiss them for one bad trip.

Be sure to try the shore dive at Turtle Reef. It is right at the Cracked Conch restaurant and Macabuca bar. We did that several times, getting two dives in mid-morning followed by lunch while we air-dried. Divetech has a shore dive just down from Turtle Reef that is pretty cool, too. And, if you stay at Harbour View, there is some nice coral formations just off-shore from their beach. We've found tons of tarpon hanging out there during the day.

For boat dives, be sure to ask for Bonnie's Arch.

We were there for Pirate's Week once. It was a lot of fun, with each area of the island having its own night to throw a party. If you don't want to party, you can avoid it pretty easily.

Feel free to PM with any questions...

DS

 

[billinwilliamston]

We'll spend our last night on the island at Comfort Suites SMB. We stayed there when they first opened a few years back. It was fairly nice and had a great location. We chose CS this time around because they were the cheapest we could find for one night ($89 US/night + taxes = $110 US).

We'll definitely let y'all know what we think.

I absolutely second DS on Turtle Reef. Good diving in all directions. Be aware of the current. It can be faster than it seems and the current close to shore may not be what you experience out at the mini wall or the main wall. It's not unswimmable by any means, but if you underestimate it, you'll end up with a good little swim back.

 

[divesergeant]

I absolutely second DS on Turtle Reef. Good diving in all directions. Be aware of the current. It can be faster than it seems and the current close to shore may not be what you experience out at the mini wall or the main wall. It's not unswimmable by any means, but if you underestimate it, you'll end up with a good little swim back.

Amen on the current on the NorthWest corner of the isand! I did a shore dive at the new Divetech location with a diver named Santiago from a cruise ship who needed a partner. On the way back, we got into some major current. The return was simply an athletic event, as opposed to a dive!

Hey Bill, one of these days we'll have to meet on the island for some diving. We're looking at Grenada this winter, but maybe back to GCM the following. We'll have to try and get a bunch together. The last trip was a hoot with a bunch of CAGers!

See ya,
DS

 

[divesergeant]

Oh, on the Turtle Reef dive, the Cayman Activity Guide has a coupon for a couple of dives and cocktails/lunch that I hear is a decent deal. Nothin' like a good dive and chow for a good price!

DS