How should we do Grand Cayman?

[scubascaff]

I've finally decided to book Grand Cayman. My question is, what's the best way to experience the island and the diving?

We love to explore, but Compass Point seems like such an easy option. Apparently they rinse your gear every day, offer two tank dives, etc. It's super pricey though, and I don't want to spend the $$ if we are going to want to drive around the island and shore dive on our own time. Plus, their packages don't include the night/wreck dive deals, and I would definitely want to experience those as well, adding another huge chunk of change on the package.

We're not super crazy, 4-5 dives a day type of vacationers. We find ourselves keeping it to 2 dives a day, and then experience the islands in our off time.

Advice? Dive resort or stay at a regular hotel?

 

[EastEndDiver]

Scubascaff PM me if you want ,I own on island and can give you a good rate here depending on time of year:

Cayman Hotels: Turtle Nest Inn, Grand Cayman - Intimate & Affordable Beachfront Alternative.

WE also have an arrangement with :

DNS Diving Grand Caymans - The way to DIVE Grand Cayman

 

[kavatski]

We just got back from eight days in Grand Cayman. Never had stayed at a dive resort before but decided to give it a try - we went with Cobalt Coast, on the tip of the island north of George Town. Overall, we were pleased with our choice.

The cost included a hearty breakfast daily followed by two boat dives, all the shore diving you could handle, and one dive outing to Stingray City. The owners and staff were helpful and friendly and we enjoyed the social atmosphere of staying at a small (18-room) hotel with other divers, and made some new friends.

The on-site dive shop goes with more of a "self-serve" approach to your gear. They transport it via truck to the pier where the dive boat is (unless conditions allow the boat to pick you up at the resort itself), but you do everything else, including rinsing and storing it in the on-site lockers. Personally, I prefer handling my own gear, so I was fine with it, but anyone expecting to be coddled would have been in for a surprise - although the dive staff were great and always willing to help if needed.

We did the morning boat dives (afternoon dives were also offered), and were back at the resort by noon. This gave us the opportunity to go into town (we rented a car) or visit some beaches and come back in the late afternoon and do a shore dive if we felt like it. On our mid-week day off from diving we booked a full-day guided tour of the entire island (for $90 pp, including admission to a couple of sites and lunch), and had a blast.

This was our first visit to Grand Cayman and we agreed it that staying at a dive resort was a good way to get introduced to diving the area.

 

[Davediver]

It will depend on where you stay. The east end is quieter but lacks restaurants and nightlife. Seven Mile Beach has more activity but the traffic can be brutal at rush hour.

If you stay on the SMB side of the island, I recommend Indigo divers. Chris and Kate only take out 6 people on a small but efficient boat. I highly recommend them. I generally stay in a condo on the SMB side because my non-diving family likes the beach (buy groceries at Fosters) and do my boat dives with Indigo and shore dives at Sunset House or by the Turtle Farm. Indigo will also pick you up. I also have a diver buddy who swears by Sunshine Suites.

If you are staying on the east end, one of my dive buddies recommends Compass Pointe and Ocean Encounters.

 

[jjgwarren]

All good recommendations above.
If you are looking for another dive operator - can recommend Tom Byrnes - Cayman Marine Lab. He does a great job.
Cayman Diving Operator | Cayman Marine Lab

We live on island also - down on Seven Mile Beach - we like being in that area - close to so much.

Can recommend 3 places to eat that are reasonable - Sunshine Grill at Sunshine Suites - across from Westin (it use to be the best kept secret but no more).
Sunset Grill & Bar at Sunset House - south of Georgetown - dive hotel and good casual eating.
Kaibo - across the North Sound at Rum Point - nice change of pace.

For nicer meal - we love Calypso at Morgan's Harbor - probably best on the island.

Hope you have a great time!
Jane

 

[diversteve]

You need to give a little consideration to logistics if you plan to "drive around and shoredive" The logistics on GC are quite a bit different than plaeces like Bonaire or Curacao. There's only 2 diveops on the East End and afaik neither lets tanks off property. There are some good shore dives along the north end but they're typically long swims out and tricky entries. Read the description for Babylon for an example. You'd have to get tanks at Eden Rock in Georgetown and then drive all the way back afaik.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there is much (any?) shorediving on the East End.

Every other shoredive is 45mins + driving from the East End, The first one would be Sunset House in South Georgetown, there's a couple other sites in town - Eden Rock, the reef by Fosters etc. and then farther up 7Mile Beach to Lighthouse Point, Turtle Reef and Cobalt Coast in the WestBay/ NW Point area. These last three would be at least an hour drive with no traffic - if there's cruise ship(s) in Georgetown you'll be driving thru that also.

All the sites I mentioned in the previous paragraph own the property to the waterline so you pay a tank rental fee to dive there. Most don't allow someone else's tanks on their property. And none allow you to rent tanks for offsite diving except Eden Rock. We wanted to shoredive Smith's Cove (just south of Sunset House) but didn't get there. Sunset no longer llets tanks off-property. Divers Direct (store) in West Bay may rent tanks also.

I second the recommendation for Sunset Grill & Bar - great food, mostly divers and great sunsets. It's a decent shoredive also. The Cathy Church Photo Gallery/School is there also.

Since you don't seem set on Compass Point, you might look for something mid-7MB. It puts you a couple miles from town, there's a lot of nearby restaurants and nightlife and a couple miles south of (IMO) the best shoredive sites - the three along NW Point. The NW Point area is pretty isolated also, a few restaurants and a couple condo complexes. Cobalt Coast is basically in a residential area with not much nearby.

hth,

 

[divejay]

I've finally decided to book Grand Cayman. My question is, what's the best way to experience the island and the diving?

We love to explore, but Compass Point seems like such an easy option. Apparently they rinse your gear every day, offer two tank dives, etc. It's super pricey though, and I don't want to spend the $$ if we are going to want to drive around the island and shore dive on our own time. Plus, their packages don't include the night/wreck dive deals, and I would definitely want to experience those as well, adding another huge chunk of change on the package.

We're not super crazy, 4-5 dives a day type of vacationers. We find ourselves keeping it to 2 dives a day, and then experience the islands in our off time.

Advice? Dive resort or stay at a regular hotel?

The best shore diving on Grand Cayman is all located in West Bay at Cobalt Coast Resort and Lighthouse Point. The reefs in the Cobalt Coast area were voted by DOE & NOAA as the healthiest reefs in all the Cayman Islands. If you are on a tight budget Cobalt Coast has affordable villas across the street from ocean resort with a full kitchen. Cobalt is only 5 minutes to SMB and 10 minutes to Georgetown. There are also deserted beaches to explore in this area for miles in both directions.

Divetech's boat trips includes free dive computers rental for long bottoms times and free shore diving the rest of the day and night. As part of their guided night dives is a new Black Light adventure, very cool. They also run afternoon trips to Stingray City and the USS Kittiwake artificial reef which is just minutes from their 2 full service dive shops.

 

[War Eagle Diver]

We stayed at Compass Point and dove with Ocean Frontiers in April and had an absolute blast. They are top notch professionals in every way and you cannot go wrong staying with them. The full service, not having to touch your gear once you arrive is fantastic. I dropped mine off the day I got there and picked it up the day I left.

They are definitely a little out of the way being on the East End but I personally loved it that way. SMB, while beautiful, felt like Florida to me. We definitely spent some time over there seeing and doing but for me, going back to East End at night felt like island living. It is completely a personal preference. As for restaurants, yes there are not nearly as many on the East End but there are some and the ones we ate at were very, very good.

If you would like to know anything specific feel free to send me a personal message.

Hope this helps a bit

 

[bubbasbaitshop]

We stayed over by the golf course due to a great deal on our stay. I dove with deep blue divers and they are out of the lobster pot. Great service and would dive with them again. They also picked me up at the hotel.

Sent from my I897 using Tapatalk

 

[--tom--]

I've finally decided to book Grand Cayman. My question is, what's the best way to experience the island and the diving?

We love to explore, but Compass Point seems like such an easy option. Apparently they rinse your gear every day, offer two tank dives, etc. It's super pricey though, and I don't want to spend the $$ if we are going to want to drive around the island and shore dive on our own time. Plus, their packages don't include the night/wreck dive deals, and I would definitely want to experience those as well, adding another huge chunk of change on the package.

Advice? Dive resort or stay at a regular hotel?

So just to make sure you are comparing apples to apples, I am somewhat of a (ahem) frugal traveler. I didn't find that Compass Point and Ocean Frontier outlandishly priced. First of all, the rooms are condos--I found the restaurants quite expensive with good (not great) food. I found the option of making breakfast & lunch quite appealing, especially since an hour after the dive I was out exploring (botanic gardens, butterfly farm, turtle farm, rum point).
The resort includes a rental car in the price. No matter where you stay, if you want to explore the island, you have got to have transportation.
Two-dive boat trips every day included in the price, and once I got there, there was definitely some creative flexibility if there was wiggle room (if they are sold out, there isn't much you can do). I really liked the condition of the dive sites on the east end better than the west side.

All that said--Cayman is a great place to vacation; no matter what, you will have a great time.