TruckDiver
Contributor
Just returned from a family get-together/dive type vacation on Grand Cayman and wanted to share a few things..
The Island;
Whe we got out of the airport, we found the area in front of the terminal to be under construction. That kinda became the norm, as there are construction projects of various types everywhere you go. We hadn't been to the island in a couple of years, but the changes were everywhere. Traffic on West Bay road was pretty heavy all day, really bad around rush hour, but the new Harqail Bypass that runs parallel to West Bay Rd. does seem to help. The were up to 6 cruise ships visiting on a couple of days. We didn't even attempt to venture downtown when they were there. At the rate the island is building up and catering to cruise ships, it won't be long before loses it's appeal.
The Resorts;
My family ( parents and brothers) stayed at Seven Mile Beach Resort.
Nice condo, all new furniture and kitchen cabinets and appliances. The kitchen was nicely equipped, side by side fridge and combo microwave/oven in stainless steel. Lots of cabinets and really quite well equipped with dishes and utensils. We didn't have any problems cooking meals for six adults.
Mater bedroom had a California King bed, 27" tv and plenty of drawers and closet space. Also had a nice sized master bath.
The other bedroom had two full sized beds! I believe that pre-Ivan, there were two twin beds instead. It had a good amout of room inside even with the fulls, but it didn't have nearly as much storage space as the master did.
My wife and I stayed next door at the Comfort Suites. Typical room from that chain, King-sized bed, desk and mini-kitchen. Small fridge, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. Not very diver-friendly as it only had a shower, no tub. We rinsed our gear at Seven Mile Watersports, the on-site dive op for Seven Mile Beach Resort. Room included free continental breakfast, but we didn't partake of it as we had our meals with the family. Only complaint we had was the elevators were SLOW, probably would of been faster to take the stairs, but since we were on the 5th floor and on vacation, I didn't try it.
The Shore Diving;
Being that several of my family members were inexperienced with ocean dives, we went to Eden rock for their first saltwater experience. Fairly good dives, but since Eden Rock is right next to the cruise ship terminal, expect to be charged for everything. Charged for tanks, charged for weight by the pound, but don't expect to be waited on promptly. When we we there, there were only two folks working and one of those was giving a guided dive. After 2 dives getting my familys weighting and trim issues worked out, we left and didn't return. I'm not upset with Eden rock, they were busy and understaffed. But, I was on vacation and aggravation was something I wanted to avoid.
We then went diving at Turtle Reef with Sun Divers. They now operate the dive op under the Cracked Conch restaurant. These guys ROCK!!!
The improvements they've made make this my favorite place to shore dive on GC! Nice rinse tanks and drying racks and the entry ladder? Well it isn't really a ladder now, think more like stairs down the water. And the customer service couldn't be any better. I mean they really did whatever they could to help us have a good time! For instance, when one of the divers in my group's HP hose started leaking, they loaned him a reg to use, loaned not rented. If we wanted to do a night dive after the shop closed at 5:30, no problem. I'd simply stop in and tell them how many tanks I needed and how much weight needed for all the divers. Come back after dark and there they were, set out for us. When we were done, we'd just put the tank and weights in the area designated and leave. It's also pretty cool that the Macabuca Tiki bar is right there. To get to the entry, you have to walk right through the middle of the bar. At first it was a bit weird to have an audience watch as we went on a night dive, but we got used to it. It was also rather pleasant to enjoy a drink after the dive while our gear hung dripping on the drying racks. If you get the opportunity, dive here, it's about as good as it gets.
We also went to Divetech's new location at LightHouse Point. One time and for only one dive. The site has alot of potential, but the entry sucked. Sucked bad. The ladder drops you down into a channel cut in the ironshore thats about 3' wide and 10' long. Then you grab the rope and pull yourself through the strong surge out. The day we went there were some pretty big waves and it was no fun getting in or out. The dive site is pretty good and they do have an outstanding map. But, between the rough entry and the lack of topside facilities, nobody in my group wanted to dive there again. At least not when Sun Divers was a 1/4 mile away and was such a easy dive.
Boat dives;
We did our boat dives with Neptunes Divers and I really have to agree with their website when they say "we make diving fun", well, they did.
Casey picked up everyone promptly each morning and took us to the boat, where we boarded at Public Beach. We'd then be taken out to our first dive site while the crew set-up our gear for us. Once on site, we'd get a quick briefing and then jump in. The dives were led at just the right pace, kinda slow and easy. No rushing, no constant ok signaling or wanting to know how much air we had. If you've ever dove with a op that does that sorta thing then you know what kinda PITA it can be. None of that with Neptunes. Then we'd climb back on the boat with plenty of assistance if needed. After a SI where the crew switched our tanks for us, we'd go do another shallower dive. These dives were even more fun than the deep dives since we could follow along or do our own thing and just explore. Since I had divers with me that had never done ocean dives, these were really enjoyable to them.
We dove with Neptunes for 4 days, 2 of which we had the boat to ourselves and 2 of which we had a couple of other divers with us. Never crowded in any way, when they say 8 divers max, they mean it. When I requested a dive site, we went. If I or one of my family had a question, it was answered. I really don't think you'll find a more personable but laid-back dive op on the island. I look forward to diving with them again.
Guess that's about it, I can't think of anything else to mention.
We did rent a car from Economy. Rented a Hyundia Trajet minivan, it worked well for hauling around 6 adults and dive gear.
Had dinner at the Lobster Pot and the Wharf.
Lobster Pot was better IMHO. Wife liked the Wharf better, go figure..............
The Island;
Whe we got out of the airport, we found the area in front of the terminal to be under construction. That kinda became the norm, as there are construction projects of various types everywhere you go. We hadn't been to the island in a couple of years, but the changes were everywhere. Traffic on West Bay road was pretty heavy all day, really bad around rush hour, but the new Harqail Bypass that runs parallel to West Bay Rd. does seem to help. The were up to 6 cruise ships visiting on a couple of days. We didn't even attempt to venture downtown when they were there. At the rate the island is building up and catering to cruise ships, it won't be long before loses it's appeal.
The Resorts;
My family ( parents and brothers) stayed at Seven Mile Beach Resort.
Nice condo, all new furniture and kitchen cabinets and appliances. The kitchen was nicely equipped, side by side fridge and combo microwave/oven in stainless steel. Lots of cabinets and really quite well equipped with dishes and utensils. We didn't have any problems cooking meals for six adults.
Mater bedroom had a California King bed, 27" tv and plenty of drawers and closet space. Also had a nice sized master bath.
The other bedroom had two full sized beds! I believe that pre-Ivan, there were two twin beds instead. It had a good amout of room inside even with the fulls, but it didn't have nearly as much storage space as the master did.
My wife and I stayed next door at the Comfort Suites. Typical room from that chain, King-sized bed, desk and mini-kitchen. Small fridge, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. Not very diver-friendly as it only had a shower, no tub. We rinsed our gear at Seven Mile Watersports, the on-site dive op for Seven Mile Beach Resort. Room included free continental breakfast, but we didn't partake of it as we had our meals with the family. Only complaint we had was the elevators were SLOW, probably would of been faster to take the stairs, but since we were on the 5th floor and on vacation, I didn't try it.
The Shore Diving;
Being that several of my family members were inexperienced with ocean dives, we went to Eden rock for their first saltwater experience. Fairly good dives, but since Eden Rock is right next to the cruise ship terminal, expect to be charged for everything. Charged for tanks, charged for weight by the pound, but don't expect to be waited on promptly. When we we there, there were only two folks working and one of those was giving a guided dive. After 2 dives getting my familys weighting and trim issues worked out, we left and didn't return. I'm not upset with Eden rock, they were busy and understaffed. But, I was on vacation and aggravation was something I wanted to avoid.
We then went diving at Turtle Reef with Sun Divers. They now operate the dive op under the Cracked Conch restaurant. These guys ROCK!!!
The improvements they've made make this my favorite place to shore dive on GC! Nice rinse tanks and drying racks and the entry ladder? Well it isn't really a ladder now, think more like stairs down the water. And the customer service couldn't be any better. I mean they really did whatever they could to help us have a good time! For instance, when one of the divers in my group's HP hose started leaking, they loaned him a reg to use, loaned not rented. If we wanted to do a night dive after the shop closed at 5:30, no problem. I'd simply stop in and tell them how many tanks I needed and how much weight needed for all the divers. Come back after dark and there they were, set out for us. When we were done, we'd just put the tank and weights in the area designated and leave. It's also pretty cool that the Macabuca Tiki bar is right there. To get to the entry, you have to walk right through the middle of the bar. At first it was a bit weird to have an audience watch as we went on a night dive, but we got used to it. It was also rather pleasant to enjoy a drink after the dive while our gear hung dripping on the drying racks. If you get the opportunity, dive here, it's about as good as it gets.
We also went to Divetech's new location at LightHouse Point. One time and for only one dive. The site has alot of potential, but the entry sucked. Sucked bad. The ladder drops you down into a channel cut in the ironshore thats about 3' wide and 10' long. Then you grab the rope and pull yourself through the strong surge out. The day we went there were some pretty big waves and it was no fun getting in or out. The dive site is pretty good and they do have an outstanding map. But, between the rough entry and the lack of topside facilities, nobody in my group wanted to dive there again. At least not when Sun Divers was a 1/4 mile away and was such a easy dive.
Boat dives;
We did our boat dives with Neptunes Divers and I really have to agree with their website when they say "we make diving fun", well, they did.
Casey picked up everyone promptly each morning and took us to the boat, where we boarded at Public Beach. We'd then be taken out to our first dive site while the crew set-up our gear for us. Once on site, we'd get a quick briefing and then jump in. The dives were led at just the right pace, kinda slow and easy. No rushing, no constant ok signaling or wanting to know how much air we had. If you've ever dove with a op that does that sorta thing then you know what kinda PITA it can be. None of that with Neptunes. Then we'd climb back on the boat with plenty of assistance if needed. After a SI where the crew switched our tanks for us, we'd go do another shallower dive. These dives were even more fun than the deep dives since we could follow along or do our own thing and just explore. Since I had divers with me that had never done ocean dives, these were really enjoyable to them.
We dove with Neptunes for 4 days, 2 of which we had the boat to ourselves and 2 of which we had a couple of other divers with us. Never crowded in any way, when they say 8 divers max, they mean it. When I requested a dive site, we went. If I or one of my family had a question, it was answered. I really don't think you'll find a more personable but laid-back dive op on the island. I look forward to diving with them again.
Guess that's about it, I can't think of anything else to mention.
We did rent a car from Economy. Rented a Hyundia Trajet minivan, it worked well for hauling around 6 adults and dive gear.
Had dinner at the Lobster Pot and the Wharf.
Lobster Pot was better IMHO. Wife liked the Wharf better, go figure..............
