First trip to Cayman Islands and need some input

[Doctorfish]

In the summer, there is almost always good shore diving on the West at Eden Rock, Sunset House, Lighthouse Point and The Turtle Reef, virtualy no surf. On the North, the shore diving at Cobalt Coast is also excellent but can be rougher . None of theses match Bonaire in terms of variety of life, but still very very good. There is easy stair or ladder access at all of these places.

The summer is off season for non divers so condo and hotel rental rates go down considerably.

 

[cgills]

In the summer, there is almost always good shore diving on the West at Eden Rock, Sunset House, Lighthouse Point and The Turtle Reef, virtualy no surf. On the North, the shore diving at Cobalt Coast is also excellent but can be rougher . None of theses match Bonaire in terms of variety of life, but still very very good.

Granted, it has been many years since I dived Bonaire, but I dive a number of these shore dives around Grand Cayman, on a very regular basis throughout the winter months. I'm curious as to your above comment, as to what variety of life your seeing in Bonaire, as opposed to Grand Cayman? Unless your talking perhaps corals,sponges etc, I'm quite sure I could list critters and fish that I have seen at these sites, that could easily match, or even surpass, what you have seen in Bonaire.

 

[Doctorfish]

I agrre that GC has prolific life on the reefs but at virtually any shore site on Bonaire the sheer number of reef fish such as Chromis and Trumpetfish can be enough to make you dizzy. further, there are not many Seahorses or Frogfish spotted in Cayman. IMO both are good, but Bonaire has more varied easily accessable shore diving sites. I dive both regularly and overall, I prefer GC for the wall and the chance to see pelagics, but love the macro opportunities on Bonaire.

 

[cgills]

Sheer numbers, I wont argue with you on that..Not having recent experience on Bonaire to compare. As far as variety,.... I see seahorses, perhaps one or two a season, and frogfish? I find dwarf frogfish on a pretty regular basis,sometimes 2-4 a dive. You just have to know where to look. I think because of the reason you, yourself mentioned, that most folks traveling to Cayman, do so for their walls,and the hopes of pelagics, that the shallows get over looked. I 've actually had my best pelagic encounters on shallow<40 ft , shore dive sites. mantas, hammerheads etc. I do the bulk of my diving in these areas, and believe if folks went there to look for macro life, as they do when they travel to Bonaire, they would be pleasantly surprised. I've recently posted a slew of photos, most of them of macro life, from last season. Have a look see, and please understand why I defend what GC has to offer. www.cgillsphotos.com

 

[Doctorfish]

Wow, incredible photography! You clearly have an eye as well as skill in composition. I agree that a lot of the macro creatures you have captured are rarely seen by the average diver in Cayman. I think I'll spend some more time in the shallows in future.

 

[Mark Derail]

I'll be there on March 3rd for a week, will definitely try doing more macro UW.
I don't have a strobe yet anyways.

I'm staying at Turtle Inn - we don't dive enough for Sunset House, and we wanted on the beach. However I will drive there to meet, greet & dive.

 

[cgills]

Wow, incredible photography! You clearly have an eye as well as skill in composition. I agree that a lot of the macro creatures you have captured are rarely seen by the average diver in Cayman. I think I'll spend some more time in the shallows in future.

Thanks so much. I do have a bit of an advantage being able to dive the same sites again and again, But highly recommend spending some time in the shallows, on the way to the wall. This type of diving is better sone from shore on one's own time, as opposed to guided boat dives, where the pace is much too fast for seeking & finding the little stuff.

 

[scubadada]

Granted, it has been many years since I dived Bonaire, but I dive a number of these shore dives around Grand Cayman, on a very regular basis throughout the winter months. I'm curious as to your above comment, as to what variety of life your seeing in Bonaire, as opposed to Grand Cayman? Unless your talking perhaps corals,sponges etc, I'm quite sure I could list critters and fish that I have seen at these sites, that could easily match, or even surpass, what you have seen in Bonaire.

I really love Grand Cayman and Bonaire. See the REEF diversity data for some objective information Top 10 Stats | Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)

Good diving, Craig

 

[beaverdivers]

We were in LC last spring, Bonaire last fall. Both Great!