GC and CB trips are imminent!

[KathyV]

Hi, we leave on Saturday for a week in Grand Cayman, staying at the Turtle Nest Inn, followed by a week on Cayman Brac at the BRBR. We have been to GC 3 times and we once spent a week diving off of LC on the Aggressor, but we have never stayed on Brac. I am really looking forward to it.

I am seeing some alarming weather reports, is there anyone on site that can give an update on conditions and forecast for the Caymans?

Also, can anyone explain the baggage allowance on Cayman Air to CB? If we wanted to check some baggage in GC to pick up on our way home - is that an option? Thanks for your help!

 

[EastEndDiver]

Kathy back to Turtle nest Inn I see....glad you enjoy it.

I don't know who you are diving with on GC ,DNS diving will pick up and drop off at the Inn/Condos and offer a discount for multiple days of diving.

http://www.divedns.com/

 

[AggieDiver]

Baggage limits to CB depend on which flight you are on. If you are on the 737 flight, you have more baggage allowed than if you are on the twin otter. I highly doubt you could check in bags a week early anywhere and expect to ever see them again. If you are on the twin otter, you can still carry over the limit, it is just $0.50 per pound, so it won't be a huge expense to take extra weight like it is on US carriers. You could always find a friend on GC and leave bags with them, which might lighten your load for the trip to CB.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Kathy are you staying at the Inn or Condos?

I just was corresponding with Alain (Owner Turtle Nest Inn) and he mentioned they would gladly store your excess bagage for your trip,the only thing is you probably would need to rent a car to retrieve it for your flight back home.As you know they at Turtle Nest Inn try to accomodate their guests and way possible .

If I can be of any help just ask. I own a condo there so I also try to help if possible.


John

 

[chibracdiver]

Try Caribbean Hurricane Network - stormCARIB.com - Local Reports on Tropical Systems threatening the Caribbean Islands. Great weather reports along with hurricane tracking.

 

[KathyV]

Kathy back to Turtle nest Inn I see....glad you enjoy it.

I don't know who you are diving with on GC ,DNS diving will pick up and drop off at the Inn/Condos and offer a discount for multiple days of diving.

DNS Diving Grand Caymans - The way to DIVE Grand Cayman

Yes, we love TNI! Thanks for the info about DNS!

 

[KathyV]

We are on the otter so that explains the difference, thank you for the information it was very helpful.

 

[KathyV]

Kathy are you staying at the Inn or Condos?

I just was corresponding with Alain (Owner Turtle Nest Inn) and he mentioned they would gladly store your excess bagage for your trip,the only thing is you probably would need to rent a car to retrieve it for your flight back home.As you know they at Turtle Nest Inn try to accomodate their guests and way possible .

If I can be of any help just ask. I own a condo there so I also try to help if possible.


John

We are staying at the Inn, it will be our second time there; but we plan to check out the condos while we are there. Yes, they are always very accomodating. I will have to check out the time between flights to see if we can leave anything with them. Thanks!

 

[KathyV]

Try Caribbean Hurricane Network - stormCARIB.com - Local Reports on Tropical Systems threatening the Caribbean Islands. Great weather reports along with hurricane tracking.

This is a great site, thanks for the link!

 

[KathyV]

Well, we got back last night and had a terrific 2 weeks in the Caymans!

Unfortunately, the weather was terrible the first week while we were on Grand Cayman. That was the week when Hurricane Rina passed 100 miles from GC. It was pouring rain when we arrived, they wouldn't let us get off the plane until the rain abated a bit. The next day was also a continuous downpour but for the next few days we had partly cloudy periods in between the downpours and the sun even peeped through a few times!

We were not able to dive at all that week which was very disappointing as we were really hoping to dive the Kittiwake and a few of our favorite sites. Happily, we were able to snorkel several times out in front of the Turtle Nest Inn, and the snorkeling was great! We saw squid during the day on almost every trip!

We had a lot of fun on GC even though the weather was poor and the TNI was just a nice as it was when were were there in 2008. I really like Bodden Town and the chance to get away from the traffic and crowds of Georgetown and the 7 Mile Beach. The winds were so high that no one was diving. The waves were crashing 15 feet high along the harbor in town and they closed the shore road in the West End for a couple of days and detoured the traffic.

While we were eating lunch on the second floor at the Cracked Conch we watched the waves crashing over and around the Matabuca bar and we saw the waves snap a flag pole in half!

After the winds died down the big news in the Caymanian Compass that the Kittiwake had been slightly damaged and had shifted 60 feet during the storm!

Happily, the weather was perfect during the second week of our vacation in Cayman Brac at the Brac Reef Beach Resort. Although we had dived off of CB and LC during a previous Aggressor trip, this was our first time on CB and we loved it. The hotel and the dive operation were fantastic and the food was fabulous.

The vis wasn't as great as we wished but it was still gorgeous. We took a day trip to Bloody Bay Wall and of course, it was spectacular! We rented a car for 2 days and drove all over the charming little island of Cayman Brac. I am a new fan of the Caymanian Sister Islands!

Thanks for all the info and advice! It was a great trip!