Cobalt Coast

[THX1138]

thx1138,
looks like we will be there the same week.
we are staying at beach colony resort and diving with dive tech.
maybe we will bump into each other.

Hello: I will be nearby at Villas of the Galleon. Diving with spouse and another couple on a few occassions. Will be diving separate on a few trips to North Wall. I am basic 90 foot Nitrox Diver with too many dives to remember. Will have a car for week. When schedule gets set, will be happy to at least offer a ride or two. John

 

[under water]

We spent a week at Cobalt Coast and dove with DiveTech. The diving at Cobalt coast was great BUT.. the weather allowed us to do shore diving for only two of the six days we dove there. Both the site at the hotel and their other site at Lighthouse point were not open for shore diving. This was a major bummer as it didn't seem to be that bad, but their location gets the brunt of the wind and the waves were big enough to make the entry difficult. Anyway, they closed the ladders on our second day and we didn't see them open them up until the day we left. The west/south side is more protected and I understand was open for diving when the DiveTech sites weren't.
We were happy with DiveTech.. found them to be accommodating but not doting.
They have two boats and I did prefer Atatude to the other one.
They do a great job of dive prepping so you have an idea of what the terrain looks like before you dive the site.
Extras? The island is small .. explore it. If your group is not the party hardy type then check out the Botanic Gardens. Downtown is for souvenir shoppers and cruise ship people.
Hell is almost walking distance from Cobalt Coast. check it out when the crowds aren't there .. ie no jeep tours from the cruise ships

 

[DivingPanda]

I have fond memories of Cobalt Coast and DiveTech as we took our first dive trip there in 2004. The resort is wonderful, although a bit isolated - you'll definitely need a rental car to get around. The food and hospitality was great, and it was nice being able to take a dip in the pool between courses! We had a 1-BR that was quite spacious and I recall that the bathroom was stocked with some great moisturizing shampoo!

As our dive group was 'young' experience-wise (and age-wise in some cases) at the time, I don't think we took full advantage of the diving Grand Cayman has to offer (only 2 wall dives), but it's an excellent dive operation. We had TenAta to ourselves with two guides diving with us. Note that it's a short bus ride each morning from the resort to the marina where the boats dock.

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[ianr33]

We spent a week at Cobalt Coast and dove with DiveTech. The diving at Cobalt coast was great BUT.. the weather allowed us to do shore diving for only two of the six days we dove there. Both the site at the hotel and their other site at Lighthouse point were not open for shore diving.

I was there over Thanksgiving last year when the weather was pretty rough. Cobalt Coast would have been great for surfing but diving was out of the question.Lighthouse Point entry looked really scary.
We dived from the public Boat Ramp just north of Lighthouse Point. Very sheltered entry.

Divetech bent their "no tanks off site" rule so that we could do that. Can't say enough good things about them.

 

[Damselfish]

We were at Cobalt Coast in April once when we got blown out like that, no diving from the hotel, waves crashing over the dock. It was when Divetech was still at Turtle reef and that was fine at the time.

 

[dflaher]

We spent a week at Cobalt Coast and dove with DiveTech. The diving at Cobalt coast was great BUT.. the weather allowed us to do shore diving for only two of the six days we dove there. Both the site at the hotel and their other site at Lighthouse point were not open for shore diving.

Hi,

My wife and I wil be staying at Cobalt Coast in October (can't wait!). If the surf is too high for shore diving at the resort, do the boats still go out?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[under water]

Hi,

My wife and I wil be staying at Cobalt Coast in October (can't wait!). If the surf is too high for shore diving at the resort, do the boats still go out?

Thanks,
Dan

The boats move around to the Northwest side of the island and they take the divers to the boats in a couple of vans. It's about a 5-10 minute ride.
I understand that even when the shore diving is open at the resort that they sometimes drive you to the boats instead of pulling them up to the pier at the resort.
When the boat is moored on the northwest side, they tend to go to sites on that side as well rather than go to the north side sites.
The first 2 days of our stay in April, the boats let from the pier in front of Cobalt Coast. As mentioned, it is unusual for them to do that.

 

[Damselfish]

I suspect it's the exception rather than the rule for the boats to leave directly from Cobalt Coast. So far we've been there in April and July and have never left from the hotel. When conditions were nice and they're going further out along the north wall, they always left from a marina on south sound which I think is a shorter run.

 

[Alex777]

When conditions were nice and they're going further out along the north wall, they always left from a marina on south sound which I think is a shorter run.

I think that would be Morgan's Harbour on North Sound.

 

[Damselfish]

yeah, north sound, duh.