Getting Ready for GCM: 4/21-4/28

[diversteve]

Let's not forget that Morritt's is 45mins. to an hour from Georgetown.

Unless it's recently changed, the only way you might be able to get tanks from Ocean Frontiers is to boat dive with them first. Unfortunately that means your next closest option is Eden Rock in Georgetown - they have a 24 hr. rental. Scuba Equipment Rental If your arrival schedule permits, I'd plan to pick tanks up there before you drive out to Morritt's. Eden Rock is open to about 5:30 on weekdays. I doubt Tortuga will re-fill them but you might ask.

There's Silversides sites near Morritt's on the North side anyway. But that's in summer - usually August. Google indicates the same is true for Devils Grotto.

Borrowed from Ocean Frontiers: Silversides - July/Aug/Sept - Grand Cayman

Silversides - July/Aug/Sept - Grand Cayman

Schools of silversides are enchanting to watch, dancing in the rays of light, with the fish moving in unison as if they are a single creature. The timing and magnitude of silverside schools varies from year to year, most summers they are monstrous. At peak times in Grand Cayman the schools can completely fill the caverns and gullies of divesites like Grouper Grotto and Snapper Hole, even overflowing across the top of the coral reef. On these exceptional days these dives are probably the best in the world, as divers not only descend beneath the waves, but then also on into another living liquid of millions of fish. As you scuba dive and fin forward the school parts in front of you, then engulfs you in a bubble of clear water, entirely and symmetrically encircled by fish. Suddenly a predator bolts through the mass, hoping to catch a straggler, momentarily scattering the silversides before they reform into their sinuous mass. Cayman Summers don’t get any better than this.

Red Sail currently owns Tortuga Divers afaik. Hasn't always been the case IIRC. Home | Tortuga Divers | Cayman Islands | Red Sail Sports As mentioned above, they don't rent tanks. http://www.tortugadivers.com/redsailcaymanactivityequipment-rentals&view=detail&id=48

Check out dive site options in that area - most in HD video. http://idiveglobal.com/locations/ Babylon is one of the best, your wife would probably prefer doing it by boat as it's a long surface swim out. http://idiveglobal.com/locations/babylon-2/ My buddy was there after Christmas, several reef sharks tailed them the entire dive - looking for a lionfish snack. Once he turned around and almost kicked one.

With all due respect, Eden Rock was the worst dive we did all week on Cayman. The reef was tired, coral broken, there's a lot of junk on the bottom and it's all sand past about 40'. Decent beginner dive since it's all in 20-40'. I'm sure the newer cruise ships holding position on thrusters just offshore there don't help the viz either. When the Silversides are gone, the Grotto - while interesting for the swim-thru's - is pretty plain inside also.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

No shore diving at Morritts. Water is only about 7 feet max depth inside the fringing reef which is about 100 yards offshore. There is a strong sideshore current inside that reef. The current turns and goes out through a boat channel nearby. The fringing reef is constantly battered by surf and so there is little live coral anyway.

I have had to do a full-on rescue of a Instructor/DM dive buddy team who had refused to abide by the advice offered by the Tortuga Divers staff and tried to shore dive out through the boat channel.

 

[billinwilliamston]

No shore diving at Morritts. Water is only about 7 feet max depth inside the fringing reef which is about 100 yards offshore. There is a strong sideshore current inside that reef. The current turns and goes out through a boat channel nearby. The fringing reef is constantly battered by surf and so there is little live coral anyway.

I have had to do a full-on rescue of a Instructor/DM dive buddy team who had refused to abide by the advice offered by the Tortuga Divers staff and tried to shore dive out through the boat channel.

Drew,
Are you serious? Someone tried to go out through that boat channel, let alone trying to get back in? I guess some people equate their pro card with being 10 feet tall and bullet proof.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Drew,
Are you serious? Someone tried to go out through that boat channel, let alone trying to get back in? I guess some people equate their pro card with being 10 feet tall and bullet proof.

Absolutely serious. Actually had it happen a couple times.

I remember explaining the current and such while refusing to rent tanks to one buddy team. A few hours later we were fishing them out with the skiff as they had no chance to get back in against that current. They had gone elsewhere to get tanks.

Another pair managed to self rescue by dropping to the bottom and pulling themselves hand over hand. They had the good sense to turn around early when they realized the magnitude of the problem. They had a 45 minute dive at a max depth of about 7ft... and ended up with less than 500psi in their tanks. Never actually made it past the boat channel markers.

I did do one intentional dive in that channel. A Cuban refugee boat had hit the reef and sank in the channel. I dove to recover a few items to provide proof it was the same boat that was seen in the Brac a day or two before. I carried an anchor to keep me on the bottom and stayed tethered to the skiff by rope.

 

[releck97]

Absolutely serious. Actually had it happen a couple times.

I remember explaining the current and such while refusing to rent tanks to one buddy team. A few hours later we were fishing them out with the skiff as they had no chance to get back in against that current. They had gone elsewhere to get tanks.

Another pair managed to self rescue by dropping to the bottom and pulling themselves hand over hand. They had the good sense to turn around early when they realized the magnitude of the problem. They had a 45 minute dive at a max depth of about 7ft... and ended up with less than 500psi in their tanks. Never actually made it past the boat channel markers.

I did do one intentional dive in that channel. A Cuban refugee boat had hit the reef and sank in the channel. I dove to recover a few items to provide proof it was the same boat that was seen in the Brac a day or two before. I carried an anchor to keep me on the bottom and stayed tethered to the skiff by rope.

Although my experience was a little different, it was still not fun. Last year, my buddy and I set out to shore dive Turtle Pass from the cove north of the Reef. We informed the Ocean Frontiers staff of our plan, grabbed our tanks from then and away we went. The seas were flat calm and we entered off of some ironshore and began our swim out. There was no current to speak of all the way out. When we reached the pin, we began our descent. I noticed that something was awry when I saw a barracuda flying by N-S about 15 feet below me. As we continued to descend, we hit this current. After making it to a sand chute in the reef, we chose to abort the dive and swim back in. By this time, the current was through the entire column of water and it had swept us south of the cove. Our next (and only) possibility was the Morritt's inlet. We were able to snorkel through it with no trouble, but it did serve as a warning to always have a back up plan. We are both experienced divers (DM and Rescue) with a decent amount of time spent shore diving in GC. Upon returning our tanks to OF and explaining our "adventure", it was mentioned that due to the dive site being on a point, it was very susceptible to tidal changes and the currents can and will change on a dime. I wish we had that information before we chose the site...lesson learned!

 

[thakroz]

Thank-you all for all the advice. I should clarify my desire to "shore dive" from Morritts. All I really want to do is to go out in water too deep to stand up in and do a refresher for my wife. She hasn't been diving since her OW cert dives a few years ago and I wanted to review her mask clearing, reg recovery, alternate air sharing skills. I don't really want to dive there. However, if there is a longshore current, it might be too difficult. Perhaps we could just jump into one of the pools? I spoke to someone at Tortuga and they seemed to think there wouldn't be a problem figuring something out.

We booked the three day package with them, which includes the dives, a sunset cruise from Rum Point, and a free Tee. Has anyone ever gone out on the sunset cruise from Rum Point? Anyway, I'm so excited. I'll update the thread while I'm there so if you're bored at work, I'll try to add a little levity. I have to admit that I've been guilty of vicariously enjoying a dive trip while land locked here in CO.

Cheers!

 

[Sunny2012]

Ok, Sunny. You win on the silversides. Lol, however, you can find them in many other places as well...

Yup and have...

 

[diversteve]

Thank-you all for all the advice. I should clarify my desire to "shore dive" from Morritts. All I really want to do is to go out in water too deep to stand up in and do a refresher for my wife. She hasn't been diving since her OW cert dives a few years ago and I wanted to review her mask clearing, reg recovery, alternate air sharing skills. I don't really want to dive there.

It's a little counter-intuitive since you're staying at Morritt's but Ocean Frontiers does a shallow dive for new certs, resort divers etc. in the afternoon. I've heard it's done in a calm protected area just offshore near there. Maybe that's something you could work out to do with your wife the first afternoon - just get in the water and take whatever time you needed as a buddy pair for her to get comfortable. I think OF even picks up at Morritt's but I'm not sure.

 

[billinwilliamston]

Thank-you all for all the advice. I should clarify my desire to "shore dive" from Morritts. All I really want to do is to go out in water too deep to stand up in and do a refresher for my wife. She hasn't been diving since her OW cert dives a few years ago and I wanted to review her mask clearing, reg recovery, alternate air sharing skills. I don't really want to dive there. However, if there is a longshore current, it might be too difficult. Perhaps we could just jump into one of the pools? I spoke to someone at Tortuga and they seemed to think there wouldn't be a problem figuring something out.

We booked the three day package with them, which includes the dives, a sunset cruise from Rum Point, and a free Tee. Has anyone ever gone out on the sunset cruise from Rum Point? Anyway, I'm so excited. I'll update the thread while I'm there so if you're bored at work, I'll try to add a little levity. I have to admit that I've been guilty of vicariously enjoying a dive trip while land locked here in CO.

Cheers!

When my bride and I did our rescue with Tortuga part of the open water stuff was done right off the dock at Morritt's. If there is an issue beyond rules are rules, it wont be with what you want to do, it will be with what you could do if you were foolish enough. The "premiere" pool (the one with the island and the pool bar) is deep enough to do what you want to do as well.

 

[shineysideup]

A little off topic but I saw a couple of things in the thread about Red Sail getting out of dive ops. I happen to know the operations director and they are most certainly staying in dive operations both at Tortuga Divers and their locations on Seven Mile Beach. Just wanted to clear that up