Easy short trip to warm waters from YYZ?

[uncfnp]

One of the potential problems with Cobalt Coast is that Reef Divers only does 2 AM boat dives per day. Being most north, the shore diving is prone to adverse conditions. You can always try going south to Lighthouse Point or Turtle Reef, but it will not be on your package. I can't figure out why they don't offer 3 boat dives per day like they do on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Does anybody know?

When I spoke to them earlier this week they plan to do the same later this year. Quite possibily by the August trip.

They will also do afternoon specialty dives if enough divers sign up. There is already a Kittiwake afternoon dive included in the price and I hope for a SRC dive.

 

[scubadada]

When I spoke to them earlier this week they plan to do the same later this year. Quite possibily by the August trip.

They will also do afternoon specialty dives if enough divers sign up. There is already a Kittiwake afternoon dive included in the price and I hope for a SRC dive.

What you really want is a guaranteed 3rd dive per day like they offer at the other 2 resorts, not a promise if enough people sign up. I would have no interest in going to SRC. I would not mind going to the Kittiwake, once. The other two resorts also offer 1 or 2 night dives if there is interest. These are nice dives. Cobalt Coast is deficient

 

[Bogtrotter]

@Bogtrotter , please tell me more! How do you find the diving? The dive ops? Accommodations? Where to dive? Where best to fly in? What airline? Cuba is rarely discussed here on SB, for obvious reasons, but other than Jardines de la Reina, I haven’t heard much about its diving. I know one LDS runs regular trips there but never felt “comfortable” signing up due to topside conditions. I prefer to have running hot water for daily showers, for example.

Good grief- running hot water! Ah well perhaps Cuba is not for you then Actually the better diving tends to be away from the popular tourist spots where the decent hotels are. I'm thinking Holguin might work for you- it's less busy than Varadero and there are a couple of good hotels there. If you stay at Paradissus Rio d'Oro the diving is included for free. If you go in the low-season hotel rates are pretty good and the dive ops less busy. My preferred locations in Cuba are Santa Lucia and Santiago, the latter mostly because I'm on good terms with a guy there who has taken me off the beaten track. The diving is not spectacular, the north coast is especially fished out, but there are some good dives to be had. In fact my last experience in Mexico has given me new appreciation for Cuba. Anyway it's close and cheap from Toronto with shorter packages available, which is why I responded.

 

[KathyV]

Splurge on a week off and consider...
COBALT COAST RESORT on GRAND CAYMAN

I considered that. It’s not the money, it’s the time off. Can’t be looking like I have more time off and go on more trips than my boss.

One of the potential problems with Cobalt Coast is that Reef Divers only does 2 AM boat dives per day. Being most north, the shore diving is prone to adverse conditions. You can always try going south to Lighthouse Point or Turtle Reef, but it will not be on your package. I can't figure out why they don't offer 3 boat dives per day like they do on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Does anybody know?

What you really want is a guaranteed 3rd dive per day like they offer at the other 2 resorts, not a promise if enough people sign up. I would have no interest in going to SRC. I would not mind going to the Kittiwake, once. The other two resorts also offer 1 or 2 night dives if there is interest. These are nice dives. Cobalt Coast is deficient

That area of Grand Cayman does get winded out often, but I think that is most likely to happen in fall and winter so the August trip that @uncfnp is doing should be okay, but it will probably be very hot! And I believe that the unlimited shore dives include night dives on the house reef so that's nice!

Right now Reef Divers does offer some afternoon dives from CCGCR but sometimes for an extra charge, and these are usually "excursions" like trips to Stingray City.

This is just a guess on my part but I think that the Tibbetts family and the Clearly Cayman Resort corp are still sort of "figuring out what to do with the Cobalt Coast property" so perhaps they will eventually offer 1-tank dives in the afternoon as part of their packages, like they do at LCBR and CBBR. (Edited to add: the information that @uncfnp just posted indicates that this may happen soon!).

In 2015 when we were staying at Little Cayman Beach Resort, and when the Cayman Brac Beach Resort was closed for extensive remodeling, a staff member at LCBR told me that the Tibbett's family had just invested a big hunk of money in CBBR for the infinity pool, 2-level beach bar and other remodeling on Brac, when the opportunity to buy Cobalt Coast came up suddenly because the founder and owner of the resort wanted to sell and retire.

The Cobalt Coast property offered several attractive features, including the opportunity to be the only resort/dive company with properties on all 3 Cayman islands; plus their proximity to the spectacular North Wall as well as access to diving the West side, and also shore diving on the House Reef most of the year - which isn't available at many GC properties. It also provides access to all the attractions and amenities of Grand Cayman - but purchasing it was a major investment.

I am sure that they are not hurting for money, but the LC staff member told me that the family had to sell off some property they owned on Grand Cayman to help finance the CC purchase, and that they would still need to invest a lot into the property to update it to the same level as their other resorts.

It sounds like they have been doing that, and now they are shutting down for a few months during the high season to update all the air-conditioning units and do some other renovations.

I have visited the CC property (but not stayed there) and dived with them once or twice and it looks nice but a bit dated, and they have a good operation, but the beach is tiny and man-made on iron shore, the pool is small, and they may not have an indoor, air-conditioned dining room - but I am not sure about that. But I saw the buffet set up on the bar in a roofed open-air area, and people eating lunch under a pergola, at the bar, and at tables near the waterside - so they may not have a dining room. (I like to eat in air-conditioned comfort, but maybe that will be part of the AC updates that they are doing now?!)

The resort does have a beautiful pier and dock and they have gorgeous views of the Caribbean Sea, as well as swimming, snorkeling, and diving opportunities right out front - which are not available at LCBR and CBBR.

So maybe they will make some other changes in the future to the property and the dive offerings, but right now it is the cheapest Clearly Cayman resort/dive/meal package available, and flying to GC is easier and cheaper than getting the other Cayman islands; so it has a lot of potential.

I will be interested to hear the comments of the SB members after their August trip.

 

[Dogbowl]

Good grief- running hot water! Ah well perhaps Cuba is not for you then Actually the better diving tends to be away from the popular tourist spots where the decent hotels are. I'm thinking Holguin might work for you- it's less busy than Varadero and there are a couple of good hotels there. If you stay at Paradissus Rio the diving is included for free. If you go in the low-season hotel rates are pretty good and the dive ops less busy. My preferred locations in Cuba are Santa Lucia and Santiago, the latter mostly because I'm on good terms with a guy there who has taken me off the beaten track. The diving is not spectacular, the north coast is especially fished out, but there are some good dives to be had. In fact my last experience in Mexico has given me new appreciation for Cuba. Anyway it's close and cheap from Toronto with shorter packages available, which is why I responded.

Thanks, I’ll definitely take a closer look at Cuba!

 

[uncfnp]

plus their proximity to the spectacular North Wall

^^^This!

 

[Trailboss123]

I considered that. It’s not the money, it’s the time off. Can’t be looking like I have more time off and go on more trips than my boss.

LOL-- I have this same problem.

 

[Trailboss123]

One of the potential problems with Cobalt Coast is that Reef Divers only does 2 AM boat dives per day. Being most north, the shore diving is prone to adverse conditions. You can always try going south to Lighthouse Point or Turtle Reef, but it will not be on your package. I can't figure out why they don't offer 3 boat dives per day like they do on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Does anybody know?

No-- but that would be outstanding and would certainly pique my interest to consider staying there.

 

[KathyV]

One of the potential problems with Cobalt Coast is that Reef Divers only does 2 AM boat dives per day. Being most north, the shore diving is prone to adverse conditions. You can always try going south to Lighthouse Point or Turtle Reef, but it will not be on your package. I can't figure out why they don't offer 3 boat dives per day like they do on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Does anybody know?

No-- but that would be outstanding and would certainly pique my interest to consider staying there.

A complaint that I have heard about diving the Caymans is that it can be difficult to find a place where hardcore divers can do 4-5 dives per day at a reasonable price. Compass Point offers 4 dives per day but those are all boat dives and that can get expensive.

There are some places with house reefs like Sunset House, Lighthouse Pointe, Coconut Bay, and Cobalt Coast that have shore diving available which provides more dives cheaply (weather permitting) but if CCGCR added the option for 3 boat dives per day at a reasonable price AND the opportunity to shore dive when the weather is good, that would be very attractive to some divers. (There was a time when we regularly did 4 to 5 dives per day on vacation, but we have tapered off as we've gotten older!)

I am thinking of sort of a mix and match set of offerings, some divers might just want to do 2 boat tanks per day, others might want them and the unlimited shore diving, while still others might want 3 boat tanks per day, with or without shore diving. And they could price them separately to match the selections of the customers. They are already pretty good about that, you can sign up for a 2 tank and 2 meal package at LCBR and CBBR and add of additional dives and/or meals as desired. You can also add-on a 3 drink package if you wish.

I've brought this up before (see link below) but when the conditions and interval are right, I think that dive ops on GC that have house reefs should offer "Drop Off" dives like they do on Roatan. They bring extra tanks on the boat and drop off divers that want to dive the house reef on the way back to the dock. So the dive begins as a boat dive but ends as a shore dive - it's nice and it is easier - you are already wearing your gear and you won't have to carry heavy stuff down to the shore or do a beach entry.

Why Don't More Dive Ops Offer Drop Off Dives?

 

[KathyV]

My apologies @Dogbowl I just realized that we hi-jacked your thread to discuss Cobalt Coast and shore diving on Grand Cayman - sorry!