Cayman questions

[bobbyS]

We're staying in a condo near the Westin on 7 mile beach. Are tanks available near by for shore diving? What is a good dive operation? Do they pick up or do we need to take a cab? Is Sting Ray City worth going to? Any helpful advice is appreciated.

 

[diver 85]

I didn't think there was much to see from shore-diving off 7 Mile Beach(my background with GC, used to go there twice a year from ~'88 thru '93--when too many people --& cars--got to the island we left for Roatan)....anyway, I would go down to either in front of the Turtle Farm or try to dive Eden's Rock/Devil's Grotto for shore diving.....

We did SRC ?about '90 & the kids(age 9 & 12) loved it, if you know what I mean..


EDIT:....here's a ~'92 VCR video I crudely reshot with my digital camera of a Devil's Grotto(or Eden's Rock, same place) dive---we always stayed down the road @ Seaview Hotel & shore dived it most afternoons....myself, wife & 2 youngest kids on this particular dive.....hope you can make heads or tails of the reshooting, lol

http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w169/GEAUXtiger/Family%20shots/?action=view&current=20100309001.mp4

 

[diversteve]

We're staying in a condo near the Westin on 7 mile beach. Are tanks available near by for shore diving?

Divers Supply does. afaik they don't have a website but here's a link to their info: Cayman Islands - Divers Supply
Most of the dive sites off SMB are too far out to swim to. You'll see the boats moored on them from your condo.

One of the better shore dives a little north of where you're staying is Turtle Reef. Sundivers is the on-site diveop there. Turtles are often spotted there as the Turtle Farm nearby has been releasing them for about the last 5 decades. Also look for Tarpon in the shade of the mini-wall to the south of the entrance cove.

What is a good dive operation?

Alphabetically:
Ambassador Divers
Neptune's Divers
Off the Wall
Wall to Wall

Do they pick up or do we need to take a cab?

Most diveops pick up along SMB. A few even pick you up off the beach.

Is Sting Ray City worth going to?

I thought so. It's a lot of fun.

Any helpful advice is appreciated.

Most of the dive operators at established dive sites - Sunset House, Eden Rock, Turtle Reef, etc. expect (require?) you to rent tanks from them while shorediving as they own the property to the waterline. Most have improved access substantially so it's worth the small charge. Afaik none of them let you remove tanks from their property.

Sunset House is also worth a look one afternoon. Dive the Amphitrite Mermaid, have lunch at My Bar on the water and check out the Cathy Church gallery/photo school on-site.

I've moved this thread to the Cayman Islands forum for more targeted comments.

 

[carriemak]

IMO - Sting Ray City is worth a one time trip.

 

[gstrek]

I agree with Carriemac - it is worth a one time trip. I've dove and snorkeled Sting Ray City and enjoyed both. In fact, I enjoyed the snorkeling better. We dive with Don Fosters who has SRC trips and have also been out with Captain Marvin's snorkel trips.

A couple weeks back we were in GC and dove with Fosters, including a shore night dive on their house reef. We've also dove Sunset House reef, Devil's Grotto/Eden Rock as shore dives but stay away from the downtown sites while cruise ships are in.

This was our 10th trip to GC and a several time return diver to Don Fosters. They let us dive our own thing (with computer) or go guided. When cruise ships are in, they will have afternoon 2-tank dives for on-island divers and never mix the two. Good folks and they do pick up on SMB if you need a ride.

 

[divesergeant]

Yes, stingray city is worth a visit. It is always a great time as long as you go with a smaller operator and can avoid cruise ship crowds.

As for dive ops, I can't say which is the best since we've not dived with all of them. But, we always have a great experience with Neptune's Divers (www.neptunesdivers.com).

We often rent tanks from Eden Rock for doing shore dives.

Shore diving is great at Sundivers' Turtle Reef location. We always try to get in a day of dives there. Add in Macabuca beach bar & grill for after dive refreshments and it is perfect. Dive tech has a shore location near the Turtle Farm also. I did it a few years ago and had a great dive.

I hope this helps,
DS

 

[RussL]

I'll echo another vote for Stingray City. It's definitely a unique experience and a lot of fun. I've snorkeled it and dived it (twice). I much prefer diving it, but snorkeling was fun, too. As mentioned, try to go with a small outfit and if possible, go at at time when it's not too crowded.

When I was in GC a few weeks ago, we dove it in the afternoon. When we got there, we were the only boat (8 people). By the time we were done, there were 2 other boats and the visibility was low from everyone kicking up the sand. By the way, we went with Off the Wall divers. Contact Danny at OTW. He runs the dive operation.

 

[likestodive]

I've been going to Cayman every August for several years and have stayed in various hotels close to where you are staying. Stingray City is definitely worth doing if you can get out there when there isn't too many other people. Sandbar (which is only 3 feet deep) is different but may be even more fun. I like them both but prefer not to be there on cruise boat days (typically Tues - Thurs). I like Deep Blue as a dive shop. Never had a reason to go anywhere else. Patrick, Nick, and Rick run a great dive operation. Good boats. Run on time. They understand how to treat both newer divers and 'old timers'. I always rent a car but am pretty sure they will pick you up.

The Cracked Conch by the turtle farm is a fun shore dive. Well worth doing several times during a week IMO. I also like the Sunset House for shore diving. Easy, shallow, and a decent amount of sea life.

Just got back from a week of good diving on Cayman. Did 25 dives over 7 days or so. Saw eagle rays, turtles, tarpon, etc. Can't wait to go back next year.