Trip Report Grand Cayman (7MB) November 2022

[Skeptic14]

Nice write-up!

Regarding snorkeling the west side, the snorkeling off SMB can actually be pretty good in a few places. Governor's Beach is just a few feet south of Platntana and has an interesting (although not large) reef not too far from shore. Look for the white buoy. There is a another nice reef in front of the private residence next door to (south of) the Meridian that starts about 150 yards off shore and goes out to just pass the 200 yard channel marker (we use the marker buoy as a target when swimming out). There is another smaller reef just about 25 yards north of that one, so we usually do a two-fer. We've seen lots of sharks, turtles, rays, lobsters, and the usual cast of marine characters. We have a place at the Meridian, and on non-dive days I usually check out this reef. And finally Cemetery beach - about 2 miles north of Plantana - is another popular snorkeling site and again you have to swim out about 200 yards. There is parking on the street and a path next to the cemetery leading to the beach. And if you are getting in the car anyway to drive up to Cemetery, it's worth keeping on going to Macabuca restaurant (good food, by the way) where you can climb down the ladder next to their outside bar and snorkel Turtle Reef. This is also a popular shore dive site.

Thanks!

On our first trip we attempted to find Governor's Reef and struck out, only finding a few patches of coral and grass beds. But since then I've seen pictures posted and was a little surprised how we missed it.

This trip I searched a few of the "dark spots" in different directions from Plantana only finding a few very small rock/coral patches and grass beds and very few fish. I probably gave up before going out 200 yards though and I didn't search exhaustively and didn't walk down to Governor's Reef again though.

On previous trips we've done Rum Point, Wreck of Gamma and Eden Rock though. However, I'll have to remember your notes and perhaps next time (with oldest a bit bigger) we'll give those spots a better search.

 

[Damselfish]

Thanks!

The impression I've gotten, admittedly not based on extensive research, is that there's less from a topside standpoint and beach compared to 7MB on the East End. Plus the east end is more susceptible to weather and sargassum I think. However, I will add it to my growing list to further research.

East End is more remote, with less for restaurants and shopping. But, it's gotten less remote with a few more options over the years. Besides the beach, what are you looking for topside? The beach along Morritt's and the Wyndham is pretty nice, and sheltered in a sort of lagoon. There is some pretty good snorkeling in there. Assorted watersports besides diving available, and other activities as these are both mostly timeshare rentals. I prefer the layout of the Wyndham, all along the water with a nice pool along the beach. I prefer it to SMB.

 

[Skeptic14]

East End is more remote, with less for restaurants and shopping. But, it's gotten less remote with a few more options over the years. Besides the beach, what are you looking for topside? The beach along Morritt's and the Wyndham is pretty nice, and sheltered in a sort of lagoon. There is some pretty good snorkeling in there. Assorted watersports besides diving available, and other activities as these are both mostly timeshare rentals. I prefer the layout of the Wyndham, all along the water with a nice pool along the beach. I prefer it to SMB.

Topside for the non-diver contingent would be mostly beach, pool, restaurants, and some shops.

I think the biggest concern would be the beach being calm. I’ll have to take a look at the Wyndham beach regarding being protected.

Also likelihood of sargassum; what is your experience in that regard?

 

[Redfoot]

Great report and pictures-

Thank you for sharing and taking the time to write up.

Turks and Caicos may also fit your bill- beautiful beach, safe, good diving, snorkeling from shore and equal to or slightly less expensive than GC.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Thnx for an excellent report
I do agree with you about key largo, gc is not even in the same conversation as it relates to fish life!
The same could be said in reverse for coral comparisons

 

[uncfnp]

As much as I prefer the east side and hate the west side it sounds that west is the best choice given your topside needs.

 

[Skeptic14]

Great report and pictures-

Thank you for sharing and taking the time to write up.

Turks and Caicos may also fit your bill- beautiful beach, safe, good diving, snorkeling from shore and equal to or slightly less expensive than GC.

Thanks.

I think Grace Bay might but the late returns from morning diving isn't optimal, 2pm vs before noon on GC.

As much as I prefer the east side and hate the west side it sounds that west is the best choice given your topside needs.

How would you compare the east to west diving? I've always heard it's "better" but not sure how. Are the reefs better, is there more fish life? Both?

Thanks

 

[uncfnp]

How would you compare the east to west diving? I've always heard it's "better" but not sure how. Are the reefs better, is there more fish life? Both?

Bare in mind I have only 3 trips to GC. First trip in 2016 we stayed midway between Georgetown and East End so we could do a bit of diving east and west. Definitely preferred east on that trip. Healthier reef, more interesting topography and sealife. We absolutely hated the traffic, congestion and multilane roundabouts of Georgetown and 7 mile beach. We loved the beauty and relaxed atmosphere of Bodden Town to the east end, enjoyed the sunsets at Rum Point/Starfish and the drive along the north shore.

Next trip was a group trip to Cobalt Coast thinking we might get in more of the northern dives. Not for us. Most of the diving that trip was along 7 mile to the northern end of the west coast. Absolutely will not do again. Dead coral, limited sealife and I did not enjoy the topography. Did not make a single entry in my log book other than to note dive statistics.

Just finished my planned return to the east side, delayed x 2 by covid. Still love the atmosphere of the east side but we did not get to dive the sites we had hoped for because of winds and poor viz. All our dives were limited to southern sites so tough to give you a true perspective of the current conditions on the east side. Of course SCTLD disease has made an impact in GC as it has much of the Caribbean. For 8 days diving we had one turtle fly by and 2 reef sharks where they are known to hangout. Saw all the usual suspects but lower numbers than expected.

 

[drrich2]

Excellent trip report! I'm especially glad to see one taking into consideration divers with non-diving family with little kids; it's a demographic not always well-represented, but common and important.

This trip was a family beach vacation combined with some diving for me, the sole diver in the group. As such, the focus and details of this report will probably be most useful to those traveling with non-divers, particularly if young children are part of the non-diver contingent.

Having long been a popular cruise ship port, Grand Cayman has a range of topside excursions like the Turtle Farm you mentioned (that also did dolphin encounters last I checked, granted a controversial practice), so entertaining a family is practical.

the beach is nearly always calm and therefore very kid-friendly particular for smaller kids.

Great to hear.

We stayed at Plantana on 7MB for the second time and once again were very happy with the choice. Plantana is located on the northern half of 7MB which is less crowded and further from the cruise ship traffic down in George Town. The beach was never crowded, some mornings we had it completely to ourselves. Where Plantana is located makes it possible to walk to restaurants and shops or take a very short car ride if the little ones are tired.

Sounds very nice; the Plantana is one I hadn't heard of. Judging from their rates page they aren't cheap. When I considered Grand Cayman, I looked at Sunshine Suites and Comfort Inn Suites, which seem to be the 2 'economical/value' mainstream (e.g.: not condo.s, AirBnB or VRBO) places to say along 7MB. I'd want to know the advantages of Plantana compared to them for whatever the price difference is.

Our 2-year-old had no issue getting in and out of the water alone even on those days. This compared to the typical expectation of breaking waves on rough days at beaches makes this beach tough to beat for the little ones.

The only imperfection I can think of is that snorkeling off most of 7MB is not good. There are plenty of good snorkeling spots elsewhere on the island but nothing special on 7MB itself.

It seems the same conditions that make a great wading beach (e.g.: gradual slope, barren sandy bottom) are at odds with those that make great snorkeling (e.g.: more rapid drop-off to several fee t or more deep, abundant underwater structure for shelter to draw animals, etc...).

Living the Dream (operator I’ve used previously and did again this trip)

What led you to use them over other options? Just curious.

I’m the sole diver on these trips and thus have to get a guide since I’m not solo certified and I don’t think GC allows solo diving anyway.

And that's an issue that keeps me away from Grand Cayman. If we could spend a week on 7MB, I could get in a couple of (expensive) boat dives some mornings and maybe round it out with a few cheap shore dives other days, that could bring average cost down a bit. Plus I find the 'Big Brother' vibe irksome.

Grace Bay on Provo would be a good alternative beach for my wife and kids, however everything I’ve read says that boat diving from Provo means not returning until more like 2pm, which eats up too much of the day.

Not only does it have a rep. for also being quite expensive, and the long days of boat rides when not on a liveaboard, when I've looked into it in the past I didn't get the sense it had as many formal topside excursion offerings as Grand Cayman.

GC is probably not known for being an economical choice for diving and if you stay on 7MB that’s probably even more true.

For total trip cost, if planning well in advance, roundtrip airfare to GC can be pretty cheap, car rentals I've been told are pretty cheap, and if one doesn't need the beach then I think it was Turtle Inn in the Boddentown area (IIRC?) that @KathyV posted about in the past, with some good deals.

But even along 7MB the Sunshine Suites seems like a very good option that is not too bad at all price wise. It’s located near a large public access point for 7MB that can be walked to easily and the onsite restaurant is very good.

What led you to pick Plantana over Sunshine Suites?

 

[Skeptic14]

Excellent trip report! I'm especially glad to see one taking into consideration divers with non-diving family with little kids; it's a demographic not always well-represented, but common and important.

Thanks; It's no @drrich2 trip report of course, but hopefully useful to other divers with family and young kids trying to maintain the hobby!

Sounds very nice; the Plantana is one I hadn't heard of. Judging from their rates page they aren't cheap. When I considered Grand Cayman, I looked at Sunshine Suites and Comfort Inn Suites, which seem to be the 2 'economical/value' mainstream (e.g.: not condo.s, AirBnB or VRBO) places to say along 7MB. I'd want to know the advantages of Plantana compared to them for whatever the price difference is.

If it were just a dive trip for me, I would probably opt for something that came with unlimited shore diving along the west side north of 7MB, Sunshine Suites or try out the East End.

However, with the family and kids, the advantages of a place like Plantana are:

Since it's directly on the beach you get the ocean views and sounds; so nice ambience.

Also, there are no streets to cross with arms full of kids and beach gear and there's no loading kids in cars and car seats each time to/from the beach. When the beach is a big part of the weeks entertainment and there's a nap schedule, easy back and forth to the beach is pretty valuable.

And the condos provide multiple bedrooms, full living room, kitchen, washer/dryer, it's nice to have the extra space with kids vs a more typical hotel room layout and size.

What led you to use them over other options? Just curious.

Mostly, LTD is a known quantity; the previous trips went well. That plus their boats are nice and big and they don't fill them to capacity.

For total trip cost, if planning well in advance, roundtrip airfare to GC can be pretty cheap, car rentals I've been told are pretty cheap, and if one doesn't need the beach then I think it was Turtle Inn in the Boddentown area (IIRC?) that @KathyV posted about in the past, with some good deals.

I've never noticed GC airfare to be cheap, flights from VA to FL are typically cheaper, but they also are not as expensive as going to the west coast. Car rental prices seemed on par with all my recent rentals; mini-vans are a cheaper option than large suv though. But yes, the airfare and rental cars are not what makes GC expensive relatively.

I think the 2 biggest things that make GC expensive for a family trip are the accommodations; the cheapest rates near 7MB are more than what I paid on my Key Largo trips, and I didn't go with the cheapest option in Key Largo. I also am pretty sure that staying on Kaanapali in Maui was cheaper than GC.

And then food, and not just restaurants, groceries are very expensive in GC. Food cost adds up very quickly with a family, whereas it can almost be overlooked on a solo dive trip.