Divi Tiara Beach

[KathyV]

I read on another forum that the beach in front of the abandoned Divi Tiara resort on Brac looks like a nice spot for swimming and snorkeling; has anyone been there recently? What was your opinion of the beach area?

@caymaniac posted a photo, at the link below, of the beachfront when the resort was still operating and it looks lovely. Our first visit to Brac was after Divi Tiara had closed and we have only seen it as a ruin - it's really a shame.

https://www.scubaboard.com/community/posts/6745061/

 

[boulderjohn]

I am going to go through the mustiness of my memory for this. I stayed there not long before it closed. It really was beautiful, and I had a wonderful stay there. The diving was great.

What I am remembering, though, is not so much a beach as a dock complex that led to the boat area. I remember looking down at rays swimming around in those areas. There were some small coral heads.

When we went there, a tropical storm had just finished, and they said the seas were still too rough for the boats to get out beyond the reef. Shore diving was OK, and we took some tanks and shore dived all the way out to the Tibbets without thinking twice about it. That leads me to believe you can have a lot of nice experiences heading out from shore. I would think the shore at that old place would be lovely for that.

 

[boulderjohn]

This is off topic for your purpose, but I thought this story might be amusing to some.

When I stayed there, we did a dive out at bloody bay wall in Little Cayman. The shop's videographer went along and took the typical videos. Back at Divi Tiara, we had a party where the video was shown, with the hope of getting people to purchase. (This was quite a while ago, when I still considered myself a reasonably young man.) While under water, my hair was moved about by the currents and the movement of my diving. In the video, I saw myself as I had never seen myself before. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed. "I am really bald!"

"You mean you didn't know?" several people exclaimed.

No, I really didn't. What was left of my hair had covered things enough to maintain the illusion of hirsute youth. As soon as the video was over, I went to the gift shop and purchased a Divi Tiara hat to protect me from the sun.

I completed 3 weeks of diving in Palau a few days ago. I wore that hat while I was there.

 

[gbf]

"hirsute youth".

You have a way with words.

my self-image crashed and burned in the same way...

 

[oly5050user]

I am going to go through the mustiness of my memory for this. I stayed there not long before it closed. It really was beautiful, and I had a wonderful stay there. The diving was great.

What I am remembering, though, is not so much a beach as a dock complex that led to the boat area. I remember looking down at rays swimming around in those areas. There were some small coral heads.

When we went there, a tropical storm had just finished, and they said the seas were still too rough for the boats to get out beyond the reef. Shore diving was OK, and we took some tanks and shore dived all the way out to the Tibbets without thinking twice about it. That leads me to believe you can have a lot of nice experiences heading out from shore. I would think the shore at that old place would be lovely for that.

Boulder join, that is not Tiara Divi you describe. It is the old Buccaneer hotel site you described. Tiara is on other side of island and did not offer shore dives due to fringing reef just offshore of resort, same as Brac reef resort.

 

[boulderjohn]

Boulder join, that is not Tiara Divi you describe. It is the old Buccaneer hotel site you described. Tiara is on other side of island and did not offer shore dives due to fringing reef just offshore of resort, same as Brac reef resort.

It is strange that Buccaneer would sell me a hat that said "Divi Tiara" on the front, isn't it?

Divi Tiara did not offer shore dives, but when it could not run its boat, they let us take tanks and travel to locations where we could dive from shore. We travelled to the shore closest to the Tibbetts wreck and swam out to it from there.

 

[Sue/Dave]

Loved your story boulderjohn.
We go to Brac every year and ...as the non-diving half of Sue/Dave...I always swim and relax at the little beach OP KathyV asked about. I imagine that it is nothing compared to the glory days of Divi Tiara, but the white sand is wonderful and the water is clear. There are a few interesting snorkel spots before the boat lane, but they are small. I can’t say what is beyond since I’ve never ventured any farther. We almost always encounter a local family with children enjoying this tiny bit of paradise, too. Very calm, relaxing, spot. The best bit of sand is just west of the old Divi, there’s a sandy road that ends right at the beach. Now, shhh, don’t tell anyone as I need “my” private paradise to stay unspoiled.
(Photo attached off the balcony at Brac Caribbean beach condos about .5 miles from Divi beach area)

 

[scubadada]

I read on another forum that the beach in front of the abandoned Divi Tiara resort on Brac looks like a nice spot for swimming and snorkeling; has anyone been there recently? What was your opinion of the beach area?...

I visited Divi Tiara during my visit to Cayman Brac last October Divi Tiara, perfect for Halloween I parked and locked my bike by the remains of the Club Tiara timeshares and walked down the beach. You don't really want to walk through the Divi Tiara grounds due to all the burrs. The water was quite beautiful, just like the picture posted by @caymaniac I did not go swimming there. As @Sue/Dave points out, the area was likely quite different in 2006, when Divi Tiara closed. Much of the vegetation has really taken over and, unfortunately, a lot of trash has washed up and accumulated. Parts of the beach are still quite nice and the water is very inviting. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the beach, the old Divi Tiara bar held my attention for quite a while Divi Tiara bar signs

...What I am remembering, though, is not so much a beach as a dock complex that led to the boat area. I remember looking down at rays swimming around in those areas. There were some small coral heads.

When we went there, a tropical storm had just finished, and they said the seas were still too rough for the boats to get out beyond the reef. Shore diving was OK, and we took some tanks and shore dived all the way out to the Tibbets without thinking twice about it...

Buccanner Reef and the Wreck of the Tibbets are both accessible as shore dives from the old Buccanneer's Inn site on the north side of the island Shore diving on Cayman Brac? There is no shore diving on the south side of the island anywhere near Divi Tiara. There are a couple of sites, Public Beach and Mr. Moss's quite a bit further east

 

[gbf]

We stayed at buccaneers inn in 1976 or 77. Salt water showers. There was no boat access or dock at that time at BI. They hauled us to somewhere close to what is now brac reef resort on a flat bed beater to get on Winston McDermotts boat. There was a slip cut into the iron shore at BI that gave access to the water - as I remember there was 1 chute that led in/out. The others dumped you in the fire coral. don't ask me how I know this...

We had a great time.