Little Cayman AND Grand Cayman in January?

[sidne]

Sidne,
You needn't fret about being cold on a 110 minute dive with Reef Divers (LCBR). First daily dive is limited to 50 minutes and second and third to 60. Exceed these times by very much and you will undoubtedly hear about it. The 5mm is a good idea, though. In January you'll probably see quite a few divers experienced with the area wearing 5mm or even 7mm. Unless the water is exceptionally warm, I usually wear a 3mm Hyperstretch full and a 3mm hooded vest.

My boyfriend mentioned that the first dives in GC were limited to 45-50 minutes also. Is this due to the depth of the dives in the Caymans? If not, what is the reason?

While I've had a handful of dives to 100+ FSW, I've never been given a time limit shorter than 60 minutes for a dive (or as long as my air would hold out).

I don't mind the limit, just curious as to the reason.

 

[Damselfish]

Cayman in general used to seem much more uptight about time limits and depths than it is now. Especially since the boats there are doing lots of wall diving and not everyone was diving a computer. Any time limits will be operator dependent, but I think now any are mostly about trying to keep a schedule. Maybe there's a touch of residual uptightness in some cases.

Since LCBR is an AI resort with a meal schedule, I think it is mostly about getting people back in time for lunch then back onto the afternoon boat. And maybe not leaving too many people sitting on a rocking boat while someone hangs out under the boat forever. They also do have a bit of a run around to the other side of the island which will take longer if things are rough. I don't like really unreasonable limits, but I don't have a problem with 50/60/60 there.

IIRC, many years back the limits at LCBR were somewhat shorter. They also went through a period where some of the dive staff could be real jerks about enforcing time limits, but that does not seem to be a problem anymore. What I experienced last year was they were pretty laid back if things ran a little late, and friendly reminders if the trend had been running more than a little late.

 

[AggieDiver]

I have been to LCBR every year for the past 4 years. Their usual stated profiles were 110'/45min first dive, 60'/50min second dive, and 60'/60min afternoon dive. My experience has been that those profiles are very flexible if the divers are not jerks about it. I have done several first dives where my dive time was approaching 60 minutes. Of course I wasn't going to 110' and I made sure that we were among the first couple divers into the water and that we either were not the last out, or surfaced within 1-2 mins of the last ones out. Similarly, I have had 70 minute afternoon dives and not been the last out of the water by far. As was stated above, their profiles are generally aimed at getting you back to the resort in time for lunch. So if everybody on the boat is there on time (or preferably 5 minutes early) in the morning, they have the flexibility to be alot more lenient on the profiles. But if the boat is 15 minutes late leaving the dock, you are the last one in the water, you dive for 60 minutes on the first dive, and have the entire boat waiting 10 minutes for you to surface at the end, you will probably hear about it from a DM. Their DMs really are very easy going folks who work their tails off, so if you show them a little respect and play by the rules they need to follow to get the boat back in time for lunch, they are not going to give you trouble about your profiles. You probably won't get away with a 110 minute dive like Bruce, but getting dives of 60-70 minutes is generally not a problem if you are among the first into the water.

---------- Post added October 9th, 2013 at 03:33 PM ----------

Also, I believe the dive profiles are issued as "guidelines" of some sort by the Cayman Watersports Authority. I know the 110' limit on the first dive comes from CWA, but I am not sure how firmly the "guidelines" are enforced or what flexibility the operators have.

 

[BDSC]

I'll let you know Saturday when I'll be doing three dives that day!

 

[zf2nt]

The reason for the time limits is really quite simple. Most divers get out of the water after 30-40 minutes and then start getting cranky while they wait for the people who actually know how to breathe to come up. Invariably, some of them start whining about getting seasick while waiting. In order to try to keep peace, the dive staff lay down a maximum bottom time so that everybody knows what to expect. I used to be a DM at LCBR, and I saw this repeatedly. That's why, even when I could do my fun dives off the boat, I chose to go from shore instead just so I wouldn't have to obey the time limits. So I don't really have any issue with the time limits; I think they're necessary in order to keep peace. But I sure do hate having to live with them!

 

[BDSC]

Since LCBR is an AI resort with a meal schedule, I think it is mostly about getting people back in time for lunch then back onto the afternoon boat.

Bingo!

 

[AggieDiver]

The reason for the time limits is really quite simple. Most divers get out of the water after 30-40 minutes and then start getting cranky while they wait for the people who actually know how to breathe to come up. Invariably, some of them start whining about getting seasick while waiting. In order to try to keep peace, the dive staff lay down a maximum bottom time so that everybody knows what to expect. I used to be a DM at LCBR, and I saw this repeatedly. That's why, even when I could do my fun dives off the boat, I chose to go from shore instead just so I wouldn't have to obey the time limits. So I don't really have any issue with the time limits; I think they're necessary in order to keep peace. But I sure do hate having to live with them!

If we could just arrange people by order of expected dive time and let the folks planning to go long enter first and the air hogs only expecting a 30 minute dive to go in last. It would make life so much easier and allow everybody to be happy. But then people would start lying about their dive times to be the first one in the water, just in case a whale shark was sleeping on the bottom under the boat.

 

[Damselfish]

If we could just arrange people by order of expected dive time and let the folks planning to go long enter first and the air hogs only expecting a 30 minute dive to go in last. It would make life so much easier and allow everybody to be happy. But then people would start lying about their dive times to be the first one in the water, just in case a whale shark was sleeping on the bottom under the boat.

This does happen to some extent on it's own. In particular more experienced divers who realize the game, tend to be better on air, and quicker at gearing up anyway, will do exactly this, including picking a spot on the boat where they can get in easily. I've sometimes heard DMs suggest it too.

 

[caymaniac]

This does happen to some extent on it's own. In particular more experienced divers who realize the game, tend to be better on air, and quicker at gearing up anyway, will do exactly this, including picking a spot on the boat where they can get in easily. I've sometimes heard DMs suggest it too.

My wife and I have taken advantage of this, we make sure to gear up and try to be in line near the first or the first each time, that way we've had plenty of 70 min or more dives. Of course when you are on a liveaboard then who cares!
At the camera table on a liveaboard at sundown:

 

[sidne]

If we could just arrange people by order of expected dive time and let the folks planning to go long enter first and the air hogs only expecting a 30 minute dive to go in last. It would make life so much easier and allow everybody to be happy. But then people would start lying about their dive times to be the first one in the water, just in case a whale shark was sleeping on the bottom under the boat.

But I'm not lying about MY dive times. I'm just lying about my BUDDY's dive times.

Seriously, all of these reasons everyone has mentioned make sense to me. Thanks for the info.

---------- Post added October 11th, 2013 at 01:04 PM ----------

Another question:

My boyfriend would like to dive the Kittiwake on GC. The best time for this is the afternoon before we're planning on flying to LC.

If the Kittiwake dive is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., which flights could we take over to LC? The earliest nonstop flight to LC is 10:00 a.m. Assuming the Kittiwake is over by 4:00 pm, that would be an 18 hour SI, so we should be fine? Or should I book the 4:45 pm flight to be safe?

Someone at my LDS said that the plane doesn't fly high enough for surface interval to be an issue, but my perusal of posts on SB suggests otherwise.

Thanks!