Grand Cayman Shore Diving Conditions

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howswedeofme

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Messages
289
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Location
Michigan
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50 - 99
We are visiting next week and it looks like it has been/will continue to be a bit windy. Has anyone been shore diving at Turtle Reef or Lighthouse Point? Is it washed out? We planned to shore dive the majority of the week and now I'm wondering if we should line up spots on a boat for a couple of the days.
 
We are visiting next week and it looks like it has been/will continue to be a bit windy. Has anyone been shore diving at Turtle Reef or Lighthouse Point? Is it washed out? We planned to shore dive the majority of the week and now I'm wondering if we should line up spots on a boat for a couple of the days.

I don't know the current conditions but Dive Tech is the op at Lighthouse Point and their boat diving packages include unlimited shore diving at LP while you are diving with them - so you might want to reach out to them for more information.
 
Thanks! I've been checking the webcam (and check it often when I'm feeling particularly cold in the frigid Midwest winter) but was hoping from some below-the-surface recon if I can get it.
 
I'm on island and you are right. Windguru not looking very promising for at least the beginning of the week for shore diving anywhere in the NWPT area of the island. Not sure when you are due to arrive, but if it were me , with limited time , I'd look to book a few boat dives at least Sun/Mon/Tues/ the way it looks right now.
Know as of yesterday afternoon, ladder at TR coming out Saturday afternoon.
Ugh just looked again..You might get in Mon/Tues, but end of week really kicking up as well.Head to the boats to be guaranteed diving..
Fingers crossed it changes, which it frequently does.!! Feel your pain have nephew arriving today for a week of hopeful shore diving as well.
 
Thanks, cgills! We haven't done Sunset House for shore diving yet so we have that as a backup (hopefully) but sounds like its probably a good idea to for us to check on some boat availability, then.
 
Sunset is a bit more reliable than Turtle Reef if the wind is blowing from the North east. In addition there is a salt water pool to enter the ocean. If the wind is from from NW, or West, Sunset will will be blown out as well.
 
The days leading up to Christmas were not good. Boats were south and even there it was snotty. However it turned beautiful last week and has stayed that way. For a few days it was literally just wait and see as the winds were not going as planned. Perfect example was the with the 40 ft containers washed off the dockside in GT. We picked up and dropped off guests on WB dock (no beach that day) and the guys had to bring the boat to Spott’s to avoid anything else that might have been in the water. It was not forecasted to be that rough. Sometimes MN just does whatever she wants.
 
We are visiting next week and it looks like it has been/will continue to be a bit windy. Has anyone been shore diving at Turtle Reef or Lighthouse Point? Is it washed out? We planned to shore dive the majority of the week and now I'm wondering if we should line up spots on a boat for a couple of the days.

Hi howswedeofme,

As of right now it's perfectly fine for shore diving.

From the forecast right now, it should be OK up until Sunday, and then it will get pretty nasty on the Northwest Point. This means Cobalt, Macabuca, and Lighthouse Point will likely be blown out. If the swells do what is forecasted, then Sunset House will likely be blown out as well. As the week progresses, Sunset House will probably re-open, (although I'd imagine the vis will take a few days to clear up) while the rest will probably be closed.

Now, that's of course if the wind and waves do what they are forecast to do, which is about 70% of the time. The winter weather is wildly unpredictable. Most of the West Bay dive operator managers and captains are in a group chat which helps each other plan boat movement accordingly, and I can tell you every single one of us was thrown several massive curve balls the week before Christmas. The waves were completely opposite what was forecast, which left some of us with boats badly positioned, having to move them in dangerous conditions. Also worth noting the waves tend to diffuse around the island in odd ways, and a few degrees of wave direction one way or another is the difference between flat ocean conditions in West Bay, versus waves that would do the Andrea Gail in.

The forecast will change as the week progresses, so we seldom pay too much mind to anything more than a few days out. Despite the shore sites being closed, dive boats will be going out on the leeward side of the island, whatever it may be. I'm not sure when you arrive, but the Christmas busy season will end on Monday for most operators, and there will likely be last-minute space on most of the dive boats.

Tony
 
Thanks @Divetech Cayman! We land tomorrow at noon and are trying to get an evening dive in at Macabuca while (if) we can and will likely stop in to try to dive Lighthouse Point on Sunday, then. Bummer about the rest of the week. Last time we visited in early January we were able to shore dive the whole week around the Northwest Point and got a day in up on the North Wall, so maybe we used up our luck. We also had monsoons an entire week on the Brac in May when we thought we'd get great weather, so maybe we earned back our luck! I guess I'll see next week. We are heading out for AM and PM boats on the East End for one day so fingers crossed at least one side of the island gives us some good diving. :snorkel:
 
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