Cuba trip cancelled for Oct. considering Belize, is one location better than another?

[TT_Vert]

Sorry I should have been a bit more clear. We were doing back to back cruises to and around cuba from the US. No way around that one..

 

[KathyV]

Thanks guys, lot's to take in. I think I'd like to spend under 6K for 10-14 days if possible. As far as my trip to Cuba, there is a travel ban in place for the US again.

The Cayman Expedition package at the link below, for both Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, is not cheap but it covers a lot including: 2 islands and 2 resorts, 14 nights accommodations with 3 meals per day, 42 boat dives, free Nitrox, airport transfers, boat transfers between the 2 islands, and all taxes, fees, and tips - except dive op tips. You can add-on a drinks package at either/both resorts if you wish.

That package is available through Oct 12 if that date works for you? And I know that the Clearly Cayman resorts will customize a multi-island package for you among any of their 3 resorts (Grand Cayman, Brac, and Little Cayman) at other times of the year that might be a better fit for your dates and budget, or if you want to do other things besides diving.

Last year we were at the Brac resort in late October and we met a Canadian couple that had just spent 5 days at the LCBR and then were transferred by boat to the CBBR for another 5 days of diving and vacation.

Just a thought, good luck with your vacation planning!

Cayman Expedition | Little Cayman Beach Resort

 

[TT_Vert]

Boy that seems perfect KathyV. We don't have to do a damned thing with this except show up. Have you dove w/ these guys before? Any idea of what/where and the quality of their boats/sites? We're not so interested in doing other things other than diving. We've been to Belize before and we'll go back again i'm sure.

Dave

 

[KathyV]

Boy that seems perfect KathyV. We don't have to do a damned thing with this except show up. Have you dove w/ these guys before? Any idea of what/where and the quality of their boats/sites? We're not so interested in doing other things other than diving. We've been to Belize before and we'll go back again i'm sure.

Dave

Yes, we have dived with Reef Divers many times and have stayed at both the Cayman Brac Beach Resort and the Little Cayman Beach Resort several times each - and we will be back at LCBR later this year.

The resorts are really nice in my opinion, not luxurious but very clean and comfortable and the AC works well. The TV reception in the rooms is not great but we are not usually there to watch TV and the reception in the bars is good if you want to catch a sporting event or something.

The grounds are lovely and the staff are great. The food is served buffet style but it is very good IMO with lots of variety. There are pools and hot tubs at both resorts, including a gorgeous infinity pool at CBBR. There is a small exercise room at CBBR but the gym at the LCBR was just converted to a newly opened UW photography center. There is a small spa at each resort and I always enjoy a nice massage when we visit.

CBBR went through a major upgrade a few years ago and LCBR just completed some renovations - we haven't seen the changes yet. The islands are clean, safe, friendly, quiet, and undeveloped.

The diving op is Reef Divers and I think that they are a good and safe operation and they provide excellent briefings and useful maps. The boats are big, roomy, new 46 Newtons, and they can take a lot of divers - I think that they will take up to 20 divers but I have never been on a boat with more than 15 or 16 and usually less. I have seen boats loaded with large dive clubs that prefer to dive together, but I've seen some crowded boats on Ambergris Cay also.

Most of the dives are from permanent moorings and a divemaster will be in the water on each dive. You can choose to follow the DM or go off on your own. They do give you dive time limits of 50 minutes for the early morning dive and 60 minutes for the second morning dive, but you can have more time as long as you don't keep everyone else hanging around and waiting for you for ages. If you want a longer dive then just try to splash quickly and come back with at least 500 lbs. in your tank, nobody is checking your computer.

The Reef Divers op provides full valet service which we love. When you check in they give you a numbered mesh bag and you put your gear in it and leave it outside your hotel room door the morning of your first dive. The staff pick it up and your gear will be set up on the boat when you arrive. But if you prefer they will let you set up your own gear. They will do as much or as little of the set-up and gear-handling as you wish.

On the boat when we are ready to dive we just head to a couple seats at the back of the boat and put on our mask and fins. The dive staff bring our tanks to us and help us into them and then you just stand up and giant stride into the water. When you get back on boat via nice broad ladders, they take your tank and switch your gear over to the next tank.

When you are done diving for the day they will rinse the gear you leave on the boat (BCs, weight belts, regulators, fins) and it will all be set up and ready for you the next day. We put our mask, snorkel, booties and wet suit or seaskin into the mesh bag and dunk it in a rinse tank and hang the bag and our wetsuits it in the drying room. You can rinse computers and cameras separately and take them back to your room.

I think that the Cayman sister islands provide excellent Caribbean diving with short trips to the reefs, and the Bloody Bay Wall off Little Cayman is the best diving in the Caribbean IMO. We have dived Belize from a LOB and also during a trip to Ambergris Cay and we had great trips. I prefer the Caymans but we certainly have not visited all the dive destinations that Belize has to offer.

There are beautiful walls on Jackson's Bight and Bloody Bay Wall off of Little Cayman with lots of swim throughs if you like them, friendly groupers, and abundant, healthy sea life. We also very much enjoy the diving around Cayman Brac, again beautiful walls and friendly groupers and short boat trips. The walls start a little deeper off Brac, but not bad, and the Russian Frigate wreck (the Tibbetts) is a great wreck dive. You are likely to see some sharks around the Caymans, mostly Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, and maybe a few others like some Black Tips - but not a lot of sharks. You will see lots of turtles, sting rays, eagle rays, eels, and other cool critters.

It's usually pretty easy to fly to Grand Cayman from many US airports and then you transfer to a short flight (30 mins or less) on Cayman Airways to reach the Sister Islands. Brac has a larger airport and it will accept twin otters, jets, and turboprops, but you can only fly small planes in/out of Little Cayman, usually Twin Otters.

Reef Fantaseas in Florida are the booking agents for the 3 Clearly Cayman resorts (CBBR, LCBR, and CCGCR) so give them a call and see what they are able to offer during your dates, and don't be afraid to ask for customizations, they are usually very willing to mix and match options for guests. Good luck!

 

[caydiver]

I would go back to Cuba in a heart beat. If you want a truly special holiday go there before you It gets developed. We loved our mini trip and will go back in a heartbeat beat. No comparison to any other Caribbean destination. Go while it is still fresh. Super easy for Americans to go through cayman. Sister islands are nice but totally different experience. Cubs is unique. If you can go before it changes.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Jay, when did you do this dive? If it was 2016 or later, then one thing about Ramon's that's not great is that they are apparently ignoring their responsibilities under the Belize National Code Of Practice For Recreational Scuba Diving Services. This is a comprehensive code of practice that was adopted in 2016 in part specifically to address former unsafe practices by some dive operators at the Blue Hole, including taking divers who had neither the skills nor the experience to do the dive.

A C-card + cash isn't supposed to cut it any more. At a minimum dive ops are required to review with the potential customer the Safety Screening Form with each potential BH customer. The form documents the diver's certifications and experience, including recent experience and deep dive experience, signed off on by both the diver and the dive leader. The dive leader is given the option to approve the diver or require a refresher course and/or additional specified training. I know Splash in Placencia also requires either an AOW or Deep Dive certification in addition to the screening.

So if this happened in 2016 or after, I'm really surprised that Ramon's would take obviously unqualified divers. I was present at Half Moon Caye when Ramon's brought in the body of a staff member who died while free diving on their Blue Hole trip (but not at the Blue Hole). I would have thought that such a terrible experience would have made Ramons even more likely to follow safe practices ever since.



Easy enough to get around the ban. Just go to Cancun first, then fly back and forth from there. My wife and I did it years ago.

I found the diving there surprisingly not that great compared to Belize. But Cuba itself is definitely worth checking out, especially before McDonalds and Hilton Hotels move in. If we go again, I'd spend more time on the mainland and less time in the water.

April-May 2018
Trip Report-LONG-Ambergris Caye, Sunbreeze Hotel, Ambergris Divers, Blue Hole, Food

Jay

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Sorry I should have been a bit more clear. We were doing back to back cruises to and around cuba from the US. No way around that one..

Thank you. We're going land based, flying in, and had our tickets bought before the new restrictions were put in place. I'll post a trip report when we get back.

Jay

 

[TT_Vert]

Thanks, leaning towards this. Could you clarify if this is split over 2 weeks at two different resorts? I think we could work the September 28–October 12 dates into our schedule. We may hop over to cuba after this too as I really want to see cuba.

Dave

Yes, we have dived with Reef Divers many times and have stayed at both the Cayman Brac Beach Resort and the Little Cayman Beach Resort several times each - and we will be back at LCBR later this year.

The resorts are really nice in my opinion, not luxurious but very clean and comfortable and the AC works well. The TV reception in the rooms is not great but we are not usually there to watch TV and the reception in the bars is good if you want to catch a sporting event or something.

The grounds are lovely and the staff are great. The food is served buffet style but it is very good IMO with lots of variety. There are pools and hot tubs at both resorts, including a gorgeous infinity pool at CBBR. There is a small exercise room at CBBR but the gym at the LCBR was just converted to a newly opened UW photography center. There is a small spa at each resort and I always enjoy a nice massage when we visit.

CBBR went through a major upgrade a few years ago and LCBR just completed some renovations - we haven't seen the changes yet. The islands are clean, safe, friendly, quiet, and undeveloped.

The diving op is Reef Divers and I think that they are a good and safe operation and they provide excellent briefings and useful maps. The boats are big, roomy, new 46 Newtons, and they can take a lot of divers - I think that they will take up to 20 divers but I have never been on a boat with more than 15 or 16 and usually less. I have seen boats loaded with large dive clubs that prefer to dive together, but I've seen some crowded boats on Ambergris Cay also.

Most of the dives are from permanent moorings and a divemaster will be in the water on each dive. You can choose to follow the DM or go off on your own. They do give you dive time limits of 50 minutes for the early morning dive and 60 minutes for the second morning dive, but you can have more time as long as you don't keep everyone else hanging around and waiting for you for ages. If you want a longer dive then just try to splash quickly and come back with at least 500 lbs. in your tank, nobody is checking your computer.

The Reef Divers op provides full valet service which we love. When you check in they give you a numbered mesh bag and you put your gear in it and leave it outside your hotel room door the morning of your first dive. The staff pick it up and your gear will be set up on the boat when you arrive. But if you prefer they will let you set up your own gear. They will do as much or as little of the set-up and gear-handling as you wish.

On the boat when we are ready to dive we just head to a couple seats at the back of the boat and put on our mask and fins. The dive staff bring our tanks to us and help us into them and then you just stand up and giant stride into the water. When you get back on boat via nice broad ladders, they take your tank and switch your gear over to the next tank.

When you are done diving for the day they will rinse the gear you leave on the boat (BCs, weight belts, regulators, fins) and it will all be set up and ready for you the next day. We put our mask, snorkel, booties and wet suit or seaskin into the mesh bag and dunk it in a rinse tank and hang the bag and our wetsuits it in the drying room. You can rinse computers and cameras separately and take them back to your room.

I think that the Cayman sister islands provide excellent Caribbean diving with short trips to the reefs, and the Bloody Bay Wall off Little Cayman is the best diving in the Caribbean IMO. We have dived Belize from a LOB and also during a trip to Ambergris Cay and we had great trips. I prefer the Caymans but we certainly have not visited all the dive destinations that Belize has to offer.

There are beautiful walls on Jackson's Bight and Bloody Bay Wall off of Little Cayman with lots of swim throughs if you like them, friendly groupers, and abundant, healthy sea life. We also very much enjoy the diving around Cayman Brac, again beautiful walls and friendly groupers and short boat trips. The walls start a little deeper off Brac, but not bad, and the Russian Frigate wreck (the Tibbetts) is a great wreck dive. You are likely to see some sharks around the Caymans, mostly Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, and maybe a few others like some Black Tips - but not a lot of sharks. You will see lots of turtles, sting rays, eagle rays, eels, and other cool critters.

It's usually pretty easy to fly to Grand Cayman from many US airports and then you transfer to a short flight (30 mins or less) on Cayman Airways to reach the Sister Islands. Brac has a larger airport and it will accept twin otters, jets, and turboprops, but you can only fly small planes in/out of Little Cayman, usually Twin Otters.

Reef Fantaseas in Florida are the booking agents for the 3 Clearly Cayman resorts (CBBR, LCBR, and CCGCR) so give them a call and see what they are able to offer during your dates, and don't be afraid to ask for customizations, they are usually very willing to mix and match options for guests. Good luck!

 

[KathyV]

Thanks, leaning towards this. Could you clarify if this is split over 2 weeks at two different resorts? I think we could work the September 28–October 12 dates into our schedule. We may hop over to cuba after this too as I really want to see cuba.

Dave

The Cayman Expedition package is definitely split between 2 islands and 2 resorts over 2 weeks. There are 3 Clearly Cayman resorts, and the Cayman Brac Beach Resort and the Little Cayman Beach Resort are on the Cayman Sister Islands and they are located near each other (about 5 miles apart). Their 3rd resort is on Grand Cayman and is not part of this 14-day Expedition package.

You will fly to Grand Cayman and then take Cayman Airways to Brac to spend a week diving, and then they will transfer you by boat to Little Cayman for another week of diving and vacationing.

I think that both islands offer excellent Caribbean diving and Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall is really special. But you should be aware that the Sister Islands are very quiet and rural. There's not much topside entertainment outside of the resorts. Cayman is a modern country and the Sister Islands are clean and safe. They have good roads and reliable power, and you can drink the water and eat the food without worry. They are good destinations if you want to eat, sleep, dive, relax.

Besides diving and water sports, you can enjoy nature but they are much less developed than Grand Cayman (or even Ambergris Caye). Cayman Brac is the more topographically interesting of the 2 islands with a dramatic bluff, and rock climbing and caving activities are available on the Brac.

Cayman Airways definitely flies from Grand Cayman to Havana but I don't know if they offer flights daily(?), so you would need to factor available flights into your planning if you would also like to visit Cuba.

Don't wait too long to book, the Clearly Cayman resorts are very popular, especially LCBR, and they fill up fast even though you are traveling during the low season. The booking staff are usually quite accommodating and they will try to find options that will work for you, at least that has been my experience.

FYI, take a look at the film "Cayman Went" at the link below. It is a small, independent film that was filmed on Brac. You don't have to watch the whole thing but you will see lots of images of the island, both the topside and underwater, to help you decide if it looks like a place you would like to visit.
https://vimeo.com/104722556

 

[Ayisha]

If it's great diving, then probably not, lol.

During the dive portion of the trip, we stayed on a small island south of Cuba...

Jardines de la Reina is 60 miles offshore (3 - 5 hour boat ride) from Jucaro, and Jucaro is a 6 - 7 hour drive from Havana. There's no habitable island near Jardines and it's only accessible by a liveaboard (with a permit for the MPA), so it's safe to say that where you went wasn't Jardines.

I've been diving in several areas off of Cuba, and none of them compare in the least to Jardines. Diving in other areas of Cuba was just ok, pretty typical Caribbean and sometimes worse, while Jardines was spectacular, very colourful and healthy with lots of big life.

Havana and rural/historic parts of Cuba are great for topside cultural exploration and mixing with locals, but if diving is one of the purposes while in Cuba, a liveaboard off Jardines de la Reina is the place to go.