Grand Cayman Dive Shop (Boat + Shore Diving) Recommendations

[Doctorfish]

Tkaelin makes a good point. When on Grand we usually stay at a condo north end of 7MB which allows easy access to Lighthouse, Macabuca, West Bay Dock, as well as the Yacht Club to catch the North Wall boats. Coconut Bay or Lighthouse Point condos would be good options as well.
We virtually never try to go through Georgetown to get to Sunset House and if going to East End, travel very early in the morning.
Traffic on GC is a nightmare and staying near Northwest part of the island avoids a lot of it.

There is a Fosters Food Fair in West Bay and a number of restaurants not too far away so we never go near Georgetown except to catch an occasional night dive and wings at Sunset House.
Come to think of it, the traffic and the bustle on Grand is probably why we much prefer LC and Brac.

 

[tkaelin]

When staying up in west Bay, we only venture down gt way on a Sunday with no cruise ships. Can actually be pleasant then otherwise forget it

 

[Alucard]

Just an FYI - Coconut Bay shore dive is only available to people staying on the property and owners. I am an owner there and there have been major concerns raised about liability, as this isn't dive op but private property, maintained by the condo association (aka the STRATA).

I strongly recommend going out of Turtle Reef and turning right at the mini wall if the current allows - this lets you get at the same part of the wall.

 

[Doctorfish]

I see that Living The Dream Divers has just opened a small condo development immediately south of Lighthouse Point. On their web site, the units look spectacular and reasonably priced ( for Cayman ). There seems to be a walkway down to the water but no dive access on site as yet. I assume they will be allowed to put in steps or ladder at some point but at present, walking next door to Lighthouse to shore dive would not be a hardship. The shore dive out of Lighthouse is arguably, one of the best on island.

I would certainly consider doing a package for accommodation and diving with LTD.
In addition to the new condos they run big boat/small group dives.

There was a thread posted the other day as a trip report staying in one of the LTD units. Very positive review.

Alucard makes a good point re trying to dive from Coconut Bay. Even if legal, parking up by the road and walking down with gear is a PITA. The ocean access was over broken up concrete and the ladder was iffy when I last dived there a few years back.

It's easy enough to dive Hepps Pipeline from Turtle Reef Divers. Convenient parking, sheltered steps, dive shop on site.
Bit of a swim but much less hassle.
One of the joys of Grand Cayman is doing an afternoon shore dive at Turtle Reef, showering and having a drink and snack at Macabuca afterwards. That's living!

 

[tkaelin]

One of the joys of Grand Cayman is doing an afternoon shore dive at Turtle Reef, showering and having a drink and snack at Macabuca afterwards. That's living!

Its one of my favorite dive experiences on GC. I dive Turtle Reef and hit Macabuca for cracked conch and a cold beverage. More than once when landing in the morning before heading out to the East End/OceanFrontires I have driven up to Macabca to do just that. Hope to do it again sometime soon.

 

[divesergeant]

Doctorfish,

That’s us posting about LTD’s Ocean Cabanas!

Trip Report - DiveSergeant Trip Report- Living The Dream Divers and their Ocean Cabanas

GCM April-May Trip Report We made it to Grand Cayman Sunday afternoon, April 24th. Uneventful flights, with four quality hours spent in layover at MIA. Woo-hooo! But I have to say, the tacos we had there for lunch were arguably amongst the best we can remember having. Andy’s Jeep Rental-...

scubaboard.com

We are very happy with the setup. We’re in their Stingray Cabana, a top floor, ocean front room in their northwest building.

No shore diving here yet, but plans in the works.

Like doctorfish and tkaelin, we love spending time at Macabuca and diving there. Do a dive, lounge, do another, rinse off and enjoy wonderful food and drink. Damn, that’s the life!

 

[Doctorfish]

Thanks for the trip report and photos. Very informative. When they put in a ladder, it will be very appealing to stay there.

 

[Alucard]

One of the joys of Grand Cayman is doing an afternoon shore dive at Turtle Reef, showering and having a drink and snack at Macabuca afterwards. That's living!

I completely agree that this is a great shore dive experience - the setup there is wonderful. A good second is Sunset House and MyBar. I don't rate the dive quite a good, but the bar and food there are excellent.