Easy short trip to warm waters from YYZ?

[Trailboss123]

Also, I am a person that really likes variety and diversity and yet I don't tire of the house reef diving at Sunset House. I think it has the reputation of being a dive site that gets a lot of dive pressure, but I think that is more of an assumption than a reality. I have done lots of shore dives there and rarely saw anyone else. I find the reef to be quite healthy there. Everyone heads out to the big Mermaid statue and dives around there, the best diving IMO is just below and to the south of where they moor the dive boats. The dive boats are extremely comfortable, spacious and nothing at all resembling a cattle boat. Giant stride entry from the back of the boat. As I mentioned above, the restaurant at Sunset House is good and has a pretty varied menu and has probably the best Indian food on the island- if you like Indian food. If I were staying for a week or longer, I have some other places that I would likely stay and a different dive operator, as well. But, if I were going for 4 days and I want to maximize diving and have everything be easy and convenient and nice-- I would choose Sunset House.

 

[KathyV]

I think @KathyV has a great idea with Grand Cayman. You can get a non-stop flight on Air Canada direct into Grand Cayman and back. Doesn't get much easier than that. Flight is a bit expensive as a result of that convenience, but wow-- How nice to only have a 4 hour flight to paradise? Flight is on a Thursday morning and returns on Monday. Here is a snapshot:
View attachment 443016

If you did stay at a place like Sunset House, you could really maximize your dive time on such a short trip. By getting in at 1:05pm, you could have Sunset House pick you up at the airport (which they do for free) and you'd be back at the resort, settled and able to do an afternoon shore dive before dinner. One nice thing about Sunset House is that you really would not need to rent a car for such a short trip. They have an outstanding on site restaurant and bar that you could eat all of your meals at (breakfast is already included with their stays) or if you need some variety, you can walk into town (15-20 minutes) or a short taxi. You could do the 2 tank morning boat dives on Friday, Sat and Sunday and supplement that with on site shore diving in the afternoons and nights Friday and Saturday. The above flight is one that I randomly selected dates for. It is Thursday February 22nd and return on Monday the 26th. Let me know if you have any other questions. Homepage | Sunset House | Grand Cayman - Cayman Islands – Sunset House – George Town – Cayman Islands

I did find some cheaper flights, but none are so easy. They all involve layovers somewhere in the US

Out of the available Grand Cayman choices I really do think that Sunset House would be the best option to give you an easy trip that will maximize your diving time - and it is even better knowing that they will pick you up at the airport. If you play around with the dates you might find better airfare IDK. We flew non-stop on United from GCM to ORD during our fall trip and it was so nice to have an easy, short flight - well worth some extra money IMO. The fact that you would by flying in and out on weekdays is also great because GCM can get terribly busy on weekends, and it is under construction right now and this is the busiest season, so it may be horrendous on the weekends.

The SH resort property is lovely but it is on ironshore not beach. They have an indoor restaurant and their outdoor bar/restaurant is called "My Bar" and it is one of the best oceanfront bars on the island. I am not a fan of Indian food, but they have other great choices and I love the red conch chowder! You can also have a pizza delivered one night and Guy Harvey's in George Town offers cheap dinner specials - but we haven't tried them so I don't know if they are good. We have only stopped in at GH for a drink and a snack a few times. I think the hotel rooms at SH are clean and plain but they include a mini-fridge which is helpful.

The reason I hesitated a bit in recommending Sunset House is because I haven't dived the house reef in a long time and I have read negative comments about it - but it was good to learn from @Trailboss123 that it is primarily local damage near the mermaid statue and that other nice areas are available. He has been there recently so you should definitely take his advice over mine.

Grand Cayman is a very pricey destination and this is the high season throughout the Caribbean, so the option to add shore dives to boat dives is a great and easy way to extend your diving budget.

It sure would be nice to escape the cold, gray winter for a few days of warm-water diving on a lovely tropical island - so I hope you can make it happen!

 

[Dogbowl]

I'd look for nonstop flights to maximize your at the destination time.

Some options from YYZ

Nassau
Aruba
Georgetown, Grand Cayman

I used Fri-Tue for these. Some had later Th night flight options also

On Nassau you could stay downtown or on Cable Beach and boat dive daily with Bahama Divers - they'll pick you up. Stiart Cove's does also but it's a 45-60 min. shuttle ride to their location
'

IDK the Aruba options but there's also shore dives there

Grand Cayman has both also with about 2 dozen operators picking up anywhere on 7 Nile Beach. Pricey though - dives in the 2/$100 range and in high season even the "Suites" hotels are $3-400/nt. It is easy to do 4 boat dives/day there. Hotels along SMB are also close to restaurants, shops and the airpprt since cabs are also pricey.

Maybe also see where else WestJet flies - they were in some of the results I found, I use Matrix - ITA Software by Google

Thanks! Did not even think of Aruba or Nassau. I’ll definitely check out flights for those and see if I can make them work.

 

[Dogbowl]

I think @KathyV has a great idea with Grand Cayman. You can get a non-stop flight on Air Canada direct into Grand Cayman and back. Doesn't get much easier than that. Flight is a bit expensive as a result of that convenience, but wow-- How nice to only have a 4 hour flight to paradise? Flight is on a Thursday morning and returns on Monday. Here is a snapshot:
View attachment 443016

If you did stay at a place like Sunset House, you could really maximize your dive time on such a short trip. By getting in at 1:05pm, you could have Sunset House pick you up at the airport (which they do for free) and you'd be back at the resort, settled and able to do an afternoon shore dive before dinner. One nice thing about Sunset House is that you really would not need to rent a car for such a short trip. They have an outstanding on site restaurant and bar that you could eat all of your meals at (breakfast is already included with their stays) or if you need some variety, you can walk into town (15-20 minutes) or a short taxi. You could do the 2 tank morning boat dives on Friday, Sat and Sunday and supplement that with on site shore diving in the afternoons and nights Friday and Saturday. The above flight is one that I randomly selected dates for. It is Thursday February 22nd and return on Monday the 26th. Let me know if you have any other questions. Homepage | Sunset House | Grand Cayman - Cayman Islands – Sunset House – George Town – Cayman Islands

I did find some cheaper flights, but none are so easy. They all involve layovers somewhere in the US

Exactly the kind of trip I’m looking for! Now, let me check if they have multiple flights for the long weekends in July and August!

Thanks!

 

[Dogbowl]

Buy a drysuit, plenty of great local diving within one to four hours.

My buddy refuses to dive locally. I can be swayed but he cannot. Perhaps I need a new buddy.

 

[Dogbowl]

Out of the available Grand Cayman choices I really do think that Sunset House would be the best option to give you an easy trip that will maximize your diving time - and it is even better knowing that they will pick you up at the airport. If you play around with the dates you might find better airfare IDK. We flew non-stop on United from GCM to ORD during our fall trip and it was so nice to have an easy, short flight - well worth some extra money IMO. The fact that you would by flying in and out on weekdays is also great because GCM can get terribly busy on weekends, and it is under construction right now and this is the busiest season, so it may be horrendous on the weekends.

The SH resort property is lovely but it is on ironshore not beach. They have an indoor restaurant and their outdoor bar/restaurant is called "My Bar" and it is one of the best oceanfront bars on the island. I am not a fan of Indian food, but they have other great choices and I love the red conch chowder! You can also have a pizza delivered one night and Guy Harvey's in George Town offers cheap dinner specials - but we haven't tried them. We have only stopped in at GH for a drink and a snack a few times. I think the hotel rooms are clean and plain but they include a mini-fridge which is helpful.

The reason I hesitated a bit in recommending Sunset House is because I haven't dived the house reef in a long time and I have read negative comments about it - but it was good to learn from @Trailboss123 that it is primarily local damage near the mermaid statue and that other nice areas are available. He has been there recently so you should definitely take his advice over mine.

Grand Cayman is a very pricey destination and this is the high season throughout the Caribbean, so the option to add shore dives to boat dives is a great and easy way to extend your diving budget.

It sure would be nice to escape the cold, gray winter for a few days of warm-water diving on a lovely tropical island - so I hope you can make it happen!

Oops, I think I was unclear about when I was intending to go. My bad...I was thinking about the July and August long weekends. I get 4 days off (Friday-Monday) and if I add one vacation day, I can swing a 5 day trip.

I also did not consider Sunset House because I haven’t heard anything about it here, good or bad. I just thought maybe they went out of favour...

 

[KathyV]

Oops, I think I was unclear about when I was intending to go. My bad...I was thinking about the July and August long weekends. I get 4 days off (Friday-Monday) and if I add one vacation day, I can swing a 5 day trip.

I also did not consider Sunset House because I haven’t heard anything about it here, good or bad. I just thought maybe they went out of favour...

Traveling in July or August will definitely be cheaper and less crowded in Cayman (and throughout the Caribbean) because that is the low season. The water and the air will definitely be warmer, too! You will have an increased risk of hurricanes and storms all over the Caribbean but they are the most likely to occur later in summer and fall; see the link below:

Hurricanes and Storms

Of course, since you are planning for holiday weekends in Canada then the airfares may be pricey and the airports busy, but you have time to shop around a bit.

Sunset House is a popular and thriving dive resort. It's not big, just 50 units, but that makes it nice! We always visit during our trips to GC to pick up camera supplies and to enjoy sunsets, drinks, and the red conch chowder at My Bar.

I think it would be a great spot for a short dive trip from the Midwest (I'm in Chicago and that is also in the North American Midwest, similar to Toronto).

Cayman is pricey but it is nice and it is easy and it's great that you don't have to worry about eating the food or drinking the water or getting infected with mosquito-borne tropical diseases like you do in some of the less expensive dive destinations.

I hope you find a nice place for your holiday getaway!

 

[Anthony A.]

Aruba is guaranteed hot weather in the winter. Been there many times, 5hr flight but diving is great. Boat or shore is equally good. Bahamas is hit or miss in the winter. Same as Florida. One week its 28 degrees, next week its 15. Aruba all the way for winter diving.

 

[Trailboss123]

Traveling in July or August will definitely be cheaper and less crowded in Cayman (and throughout the Caribbean) because that is the low season. The water and the air will definitely be warmer, too! You will have an increased risk of hurricanes and storms all over the Caribbean but they are the most likely to occur later in summer and fall; see the link below:

Hurricanes and Storms

Of course, if those are holiday weekends in Canada then the airfares may be pricey and the airports busy, but you have time to shop around a bit.

Sunset House is a popular and thriving dive resort. It's not big, just 50 units, but that makes it nice! We always visit during our trips to GC to pick up camera supplies and to enjoy sunsets, drinks, and the red conch chowder at My Bar.

I think it would be a great spot for a short dive trip from the Midwest (I'm in Chicago and that is also in the North American Midwest, like Toronto).

Cayman is pricey but it is great that you don't have to worry about eating the food or drinking the water or getting infected with mosquito-borne tropical diseases like you do in some of the less expensive destinations.

I hope you find a nice place for your holiday getaway!

All of that was so well stated!

 

[Dogbowl]

All of that was so well stated!

Agree. I think @KathyV should consider writing a Cayman dive guide.