Five mile, Twelve mile, pickle

[sink_or_swim]

If anyone is interested in getting a group of divers together to try to do any of these dives (well probably at least twelve mile anyway) I am interested.

I spoke with some of the DMs at Ocean Frontiers and they mentioned being interested as well, though they told me they haven't had their boats out of the water in 18 months and no one could substantiate the rumor that they went out to twelve mile the last time they moved them around for drydock.

They did give me the name of an operator who would be likely to go out there.

No one I dive with regularly would be suited to open ocean current diving.

Let me know if anyone else is interested. If you don't know what I am talking about, then it is likely that you haven't done enough diving on Grand Cayman to NEED to go yet.

 

[Roombaguy]

I am interested in 12-mile! Keep me posted please.

M.

 

[divesergeant]

OK, I'll bite. I have dived GCM several times but am not familiar with what you're talkng about. Info please!:blinking:

 

[scubadada]

12 mile Bank sounds like a potentially interesting dive and a day well spent. I hear the current can be quite substantial and wonder if this might be a better drift dive under some circumstances rather than an anchored dive. The barge does not seem to be extraordinarlily interesting, perhaps some life populated relief in the area.

I don't know anything about 5 mile

Pickle Bank is a very, very long way off Grand Cayman, ?80 miles. That would have to be a really great dive to justify the trip.

Look forward to hearing more.

Good diving, Craig

 

[Cave Diver]

12 mile is on my to do list.

 

[sink_or_swim]

I probably wouldn't sign on to do 12 mile unless it was a drift diving situation. All of the reports I have heard of the area have at least one knot of current, and that is about the most current anyone would want to dive in during an anchor situation. Even with that much current, regardless of the safety, it just isnt fun to swim against it for 40 minutes. Diving is supposed to be fun, right?

I have heard of 4-5 knots not being uncommon. A diver would have no chance swimming against that current.

What we are talking about are offshore seamounts that come to within the recreational diving limits of the surface. That I know of, in the vicinity of Grand Cayman, are 5-mile, 12-mile, 60-mile, and pickle bank (as mentioned about 80 miles from Grand Cayman, closer to Cayman Brac).

The Cayman Aggressor has been reported to visit some of these areas.

 

[AggieDiver]

I believe Pickle Bank was the one Craig wanted to take us to when he was working as a Captain at Brac Reef. He told us it would be an open ocean drift dive and took a poll of the boat. We had one "no" vote...which meant we didn't get to go. Oh well...

 

[dive ladder]

I know Ambassador Divers dives out there. I found these pics on their Facebook page. Looks like there is not a lot there.

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[Deac in the Wake]

I'm definitely in for a drift dive at 12 mile. It's an opportunity to dive something you otherwise will never get to do on a typical rec trip. I don't mind hanging with a jonline on an ascent line in 1 kt current but I've heard the currents at 12 mi can pull your arms out of socket.

And since I was planning on going down for the Kittiwake sinking, the plans for which are now themselves temporarily sunk, I've got the time.