Grand Cayman

[spikey]

I am making my first trip to Grand Cayman in July, and I'm looking at the Seaview Hotel/Bob Soto for my dive/hotel package. Does anyone have any experience with the Seaview? Is the shore diving good? Any feedback would be welcome.

Thanks!

Spikey

 

[scubabear]

Yo Spikey,
Great choice first time out! Seaview is an older hotel but well
kept, and the in house restaraunt is pretty good. Bob Soto's
runs well organized trips,very safe. Depending on the season
the boats may be a little crowded, but most rides are short and
usally the seas are calm, so no big deal.

The house reef at Seaview is decent and great for night dives.
Within walking distance ( to the right ) is Sunset House with it's
easy shore access, new mermaid ststue, and small landingcraft
wreck just offshore. Rent tanks from sunset divers and hit the
reef. A short walk to the left of Seaview puts you at Parrots
Landing, this has another interesting shore dive.

Downtown is less than a mile from Seaview. This area is away
from the hustle and bustle of seven mile beach, but close enough
if you're driving or cabbing. Have a great trip and let us know
how it went!!!

 

[Bob3]

If you're into shore diving in Grand Cayman, you may want to check out:
http://comdive.com/gc.htm

 

[spikey]

Thank you so much for the info--it really helps! The Seaview it is, and I will post info/photos from the trip when I return.

Dive on!

Spikey

 

[bridgenet]

You'll have a blast! My wife and I stayed at Treasure Island last summer and dove with Bob Soto. They were a good group. Spent alot of time at the Seaview as it was Cayman country week and they had concerts at the hotel, was awesome! Four rows back from groups like "SheDaisy" was like a private concert. Had a number of lunches at the Seaview on our walks through town. Easy walk to town... There is a little italian restaurant, forget the name, right on the water up the street a bit from Hard Rock cafe, was awesome, check it out! Doesn't look like much from the outside but when get inside real nice!

Enjoy the Caymans, our favorite so far!

 

[Bubblez]

If you are interested in shore diving in cayman, check out these great dive sites. There are maps and photos so you can locate them.


Guide to Cayman Shore Diving

 

[Jelly]

>There is a little italian restaurant, forget the name, right on the >water up the street a bit from Hard Rock cafe, was awesome, >check it out! Doesn't look like much from the outside but when >get inside real nice!

Ahh, that would be the Cafe Casanova, Bellissima! that place is one of the gems in Cayman, good food, good sized portions, not outrageously expensive and the best atmosphere of any italian restaurant on island, if not anyehere I've been.

All three thumbs up for Casanova

 

[bridgenet]

My wife and I were there last August, that italian restaurant was the best!!! What a surprise when you walk inside versus what it lookslike on the outside

 

[blawler1]

I just got back from GC the end of June. We got to do several really nice shore dives for cheap.

Eden Rock/Devil's grotto on the south side of downtown George Town in front of the Eden Rock dive shop is an excellent shore dive. With the two sites together, you can spend an entire day here. (We did 3 dives including a night dive) Boths sites have a max. depth of around 45' and tons of swim throughs that are filled with silver sides and tarpon. We got nitrox tanks and weights for about $10 apiece per dive.

Also, the wreck of the Cali in front of Don Foster's dive shop downtown a little north of Eden Rock is a fun dive. It is fairly shallow at about 25' to 30' max. The wreck is scattered around in pieces so there are no penetration dives possible. Additionally, there are coral heads on the southern edge of the wreck where tarpon often hang out. The only thing about this site is that because there is boat traffic in the area, Foster's insists you drag a dive torpedo with you. Foster's will rent you tanks and weights for $8 a dive.

Another good shore dive that we did not get to do is in front of Dive Tech on the north tip of West Bay between the Turtle Farm and the Cracked Conch. This is supposed to be a "mini" wall down to about 60'. You'll probably need a rental car to get to this one if you are staying on seven mile beach. I don't know what Dive Tech charges for tanks, but I'm sure its in line with the other operators.

As far as I'm concerned, the shore diving in GC was second only to Bonaire.

Have fun