Help with dive site names c. 1979

[diversteve]

There's Soto's Central off Georgetown
Soto's Central | Snorkeling,Scuba Diving in George Town | iDive Cayman

 

[Doctorfish]

I can't remember a De Soto site but Caribbean Club and Holiday would have been west side sites off shore of Caribbean Club Condo and the old Holiday Inn which was situated where the Ritz is now. The boats virtually always did a wall dive first and then moved shallow for a second reef dive. In those days, there was a lot of anchoring happening so sites often were guessed at based on the adjacent features on shore. Bob Soto's boat, Holiday Diver, looked like a landing craft and had a drop down ramp instead of a bow, allowing divers on and off at the beach. The alternative was to meet at the dock at Lobster Pot where Soto's had their shop.Holiday Diver was slow and not very seaworthy so we didn't venture far from 7MB. We used to stay at the Royal Palms or the Beach Club, both of which are long gone.

Ah, memories.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

@tkaelin, I thought that might be the case re;Holiday Reef. I googled Caribbean Wall, but only came up with the resort. Thanks for that info. As, for the Soto sites, I saw those and wondered the same thing. Gotta say, it has been fun reading through the old dives even if I can't place some of them in my memories.

We are going to be at Cobalt Coast. I'm going with Kalipso Dive Shop out of Smithfield. I first hooked up with them this past January for a trip to Bonaire and had a blast! Great group. My non diving, but snorkeling, wife is going this time. I think GC will be a good compromise in that regard.

@diversteve, that is a possibility. Based on the dives we did other days, there was no pattern to our diving. We did Armchair Reef the same day as that dive, and we were staying at Sunset house. Thanks for the input.

 

[Doctorfish]

Snorkeling in the shallows at Cobalt is not too shabby. In May, on the way out to the miniwall we saw squid, and a loggerhead among other creatures. The soft corals on the hard pan are in good shape.
If Cobalt is blown out for snorkeling and shore diving, head over to Turtle Reef or Lighthouse Point at the northwest end of the island. They are more protected. Call the shop there before you go.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Snorkeling in the shallows at Cobalt is not too shabby. In May, on the way out to the miniwall we saw squid, and a loggerhead among other creatures. The soft corals on the hard pan are in good shape.
If Cobalt is blown out for snorkeling and shore diving, head over to Turtle Reef or Lighthouse Point at the northwest end of the island. They are more protected. Call the shop there before you go.

Thanks for the info! Always good to have inside info and a backup plan.

 

[tkaelin]

Bob Soto's boat, Holiday Diver, looked like a landing craft and had a drop down ramp instead of a bow, allowing divers on and off at the beach.

Remember that scow well. Here is a fuzzy old pic.

 

[Doctorfish]

Great old pic.

That boat's lack of sea worthiness is the reason that so many of the sites dived in the 70s were so close to the lobster pot dock. Going further would have been a risk. Having said that, Bob Soto, Ron Kipp, Olin Miller, Peter Milburn and others were real pioneers. They turned Grand Cayman into the premier Caribbean dive destination.

 

[cgills]

Great old pic.

That boat's lack of sea worthiness is the reason that so many of the sites dived in the 70s were so close to the lobster pot dock. Going further would have been a risk. Having said that, Bob Soto, Ron Kipp, Olin Miller, Peter Milburn and others were real pioneers. They turned Grand Cayman into the premier Caribbean dive destination.

Arthle Evans who ran Quabo Divers, initially out of a small shed on the grounds of the Coral Caymanian, was another of those early pioneers..
If you dived Tarpon Alley in those days, you were diving a site south of Georgetown.