HenrikBP
Contributor
I'll be upfront about it and warn you that I'll be gushing - so now you know 
My wife and I went to Little Cayman Beach Resort (LCBR) in May this year. I had of course done my research here on Scubaboard.com as well as various travel sites. As you may know, LCBR gets top grades from almost all visitors. But it was new to us, and not everyones experiences and expectations match, so I was exited to finally get to go see for myself.
But let me start with what you're all most interested in - the diving;
In short the diving at Little Cayman is absolutely fantastic, and Reef Divers - the house op at LCBR - runs a great operation.
Dive operation - Reef Divers:
Reef Divers have several (4-5?) large, custom built dive boats, each crewed by 2 staff members, a captain and a dive master.It seems that Reef Divers try to keep you on the same boat and with the same crew for the duration of your stay, and I liked that arrangement. You get to know the staff and they get to know you as well as your gear.
You see, Reef Divers provide what they call "Valet Diving", where you set up your gear the first day, and the crew handles BC, tank switch etc. for the rest of your time there. All you need to do is tuck your weight belt away under a bench at the end of a dive day, and take your suit, fins etc. off the boat, rinse it and hang it in the drying shed.
I know some don't like others to touch their gear, but you can fiddle and check your gear after the crew has mounted the BC and reg on a fresh tank. I'm a bit particular about how I like my gear set up, so I'd tweak and check with each new tank. No problem.
I dove from Reef Fantasea with Captain Ron and DM Sharon and had a blast. Both incredibly friendly and a lot of fun to be around. Due to staff days off I also got to dive with Neil, Benny and Dottie, and all were great to be around, friendly and fun.
The first day of diving starts off with you setting up your gear, and then a very thorough boat/dive briefing. All boats have all the safety gear you'd want; life jackets, radio, oxygen, defibrillator, backboard, general first aid kit, underwater speaker system and alarm for diver recall etc. Each boat also carries a huge tool/save-a-dive kit should it be needed. The staff is well trained in the use of all safety equipment, and there are procedures in place for any and all emergency situations. You are briefed on all these aspects before the first dive.
Briefing also goes over the standard dive procedures:
1) no solo diving
2) always stay with your buddy. Descend, dive and ascend with your buddy
3) dive within NDL and the depth and times set for each dive: first morning dive, no deeper than 110' for no more than 50 minutes. Second morning dive, no deeper than 60' for no longer than 60 minutes. Afternoon dive, 60' for 60 minutes.
4) back on the boat with preferably 500 PSI
5) if you lock out your computer you don't dive until it clears
While this may sound rigid and limiting, I never found it to be so. I actually enjoyed that Reef Divers provide an organized and well planned dive experience, and never found it to be limiting. YMMV
The dive briefing before each dive is outstanding. The crew draws a very detailed map of the area with dimension, depth and directions, location of the mooring in relation to the topography etc. They then give a detailed description of what to expect and what to look for and look out for, as well as suggestions for how the site can be dived depending on currents, conditions and your preference.
The dive is then on, and you bring mask and fins to one of the 2 seats at the stern, sit down, and the crew brings your BC to you and help you into the shoulder straps. You finish gearing up, crew checks that your air is on - you are expected to check air pressure and turn the air on before you head to the stern - and off you go.
You can choose - along with your buddy - to follow the DM for a tour of the site. If so, you'll get a 30-40 minute tour, which ends up in the shallows under the boat. The DM leaves the water and you and your buddy are free to continue to explore as air and time limits allow.
You and your buddy can also choose to do your own thing and wander off on your own. Again, you're expected to stick to the overall plan for air and time limits.
Speaking of the shallows; most moorings are in or near fairly shallow coral flats, which provides some great "safety stops" right on the reef.
The diving:
My experience is limited: St. Croix, Ambergris Caye - Belize, and let's not forget Dutch Springs Quarry in PA but this is the most spectacular diving I've seen so far. While the reef can be a bit "worn" in certain spots, the vast majority seems full of coral and sponge growth with lots of marine life around.
At Great Wall West the contrast between the deeper wall and the hard pan more shallow coral gardens was amazing. The drop-off of the wall will take your breath away. Swim along in ~40' of water and suddenly the reef drops away into the deep dark blue, almost vertically to 6000'.
At Coconut Walk the coral garden in the shallows had an abundance of hard and soft coral, sponges and lots of critters and juveniles.
Mixing Bowl is exactly that, a little bit of everything; some deeper wall diving with lots of cuts and swim-throughs to explore, as well as shallower reef and sandy patches with huge coral heads,
I did 18 dives during the week and saw nurse sharks, black tip reef shark (I think), lots of groupers, barracuda, lobster, trunkfish, cowfish, trumpetfish, juvenile spotted drum, green moray eel, yellowhead jawfish, sharpnose pufferfish, banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, various cleaners, queen triggerfish, ocean triggerfish, gray angelfish, french angelfish, lionfish, brittlestars, octopus (night dive), squid (a group of about 13), yellow stingray, southern stingray (I think), spotted eagle ray (in the distance), turtles, grunts, squirrelfish, blue tang, various butterfly fish, crabs etc. etc.
The Resort:
LCBR has recently been renovated and looks great. The buildings are nicely decorated and well maintained and located around a central bar and pool area that also has a hot tub. Plenty of chairs and tables and beach chairs for everyone.
The rooms looked great, tastefully decorated and in general very comfortable. Ceiling fan and a very efficient AC made for a very comfortable, non-humid climate indoors. We had a pool-view room, which was spacious and comfortable, even with me scattering dive gear all over at times.
My only complaint about the room was the mattresses; our room had 2 beds said to be Queen size (they weren't) and the mattresses were *much* too soft for our taste and the beds were too small for us to share one (more like Doubles than Queen). So we slept in each our own bed - which was ok - trying to find a firmer spot along the edge of the mattress for a bit of support. I realize mattress firmness is a very personal thing, so this may not be an issue for others. Also, in hindsight, I have no doubt LCBR management would have tried to accommodate us had we brought the issue to their attention.
The restaurant was nice and roomy as well, and there is a screened porch area if you want to eat outside. I'd read a lot of good things about the food at LCBR, and again, it's a taste thing, so I figured it'd probably be ok. Well I was wrong ... the food is not just ok, it's great! Several choices at every meal, and every option well prepared, attractively arranged and just delicious. There always seemed to be plenty of food available as the food trays were quickly replaced when they were getting low. There were 2-3 dessert options at both lunch and dinner, and combined with the delicious food, it was probably a good thing we only stayed for a week
The Beach Nuts bar is a natural gathering point at the resort, and we'd meet up for a post-dive drink and discuss the day's dives, compare notes and share pictures. Mark is the regular bartender and is really good at it. Genuinely nice, and a great entertainer as well - he does magic tricks
The Rest:
We rented a kayak for an afternoon and paddled in the lagoon at the resort. We visited Owen's Island and enjoyed the sandy beach there. On our way there we saw 2 spotted eagle rays in the shallow water.
My wife came along on 2 afternoon boats for snorkeling and enjoyed it. The first time she jumped in she immediately saw an eagle ray cruising around - it then picked up speed and actually jumped out of the water. None of us divers were around to see it, and boy, did she love rubbing it in. The boat crew were kind and thoughtful enough to pick dive spots that had good shallow (~15') snorkeling as well as great diving for both of her snorkeling outings.
The resort also has bikes for rent; $5 for 24 hours, and I believe they include a bike helmet in the rental. It's possible to bike out to a beach within the Bloody Bay marine park, and there is supposedly good snorkeling there.
You can also arrange transportation to the east end of the island for a very pretty beach with good snorkeling as well. The resort van will bring you there and back. I don't know the cost.
There is an on-site gym with basic strength and cardio equipment.
There is a spa across the street for a post-dive massage.
As far as I found out there is at least one local restaurant in "town", the Hungry Iguana. There may be more, but we never ventured out.
Speaking of venturing, Little Cayman is a tiny island with a population of about 150, so don't go there for the nightlife and partying.
Conclusion:
For me LCBR is a winning combination and I will be back - no doubt about it.
When you have 1) a management that cares and puts effort into the resort and into supporting the staff in doing a good job 2) staff interested in doing a good job and making you feel welcome and at home 3) a well organized, safety conscious dive operation that manages to pull it off without making you feel restricted and 4) fantastic dive sites ... well, then you just can't go wrong.
A huge thanks to LCBR and to Ron, Sharon and Mark in particular.
Henrik
My wife and I went to Little Cayman Beach Resort (LCBR) in May this year. I had of course done my research here on Scubaboard.com as well as various travel sites. As you may know, LCBR gets top grades from almost all visitors. But it was new to us, and not everyones experiences and expectations match, so I was exited to finally get to go see for myself.
But let me start with what you're all most interested in - the diving;
In short the diving at Little Cayman is absolutely fantastic, and Reef Divers - the house op at LCBR - runs a great operation.
Dive operation - Reef Divers:
Reef Divers have several (4-5?) large, custom built dive boats, each crewed by 2 staff members, a captain and a dive master.It seems that Reef Divers try to keep you on the same boat and with the same crew for the duration of your stay, and I liked that arrangement. You get to know the staff and they get to know you as well as your gear.
You see, Reef Divers provide what they call "Valet Diving", where you set up your gear the first day, and the crew handles BC, tank switch etc. for the rest of your time there. All you need to do is tuck your weight belt away under a bench at the end of a dive day, and take your suit, fins etc. off the boat, rinse it and hang it in the drying shed.
I know some don't like others to touch their gear, but you can fiddle and check your gear after the crew has mounted the BC and reg on a fresh tank. I'm a bit particular about how I like my gear set up, so I'd tweak and check with each new tank. No problem.
I dove from Reef Fantasea with Captain Ron and DM Sharon and had a blast. Both incredibly friendly and a lot of fun to be around. Due to staff days off I also got to dive with Neil, Benny and Dottie, and all were great to be around, friendly and fun.
The first day of diving starts off with you setting up your gear, and then a very thorough boat/dive briefing. All boats have all the safety gear you'd want; life jackets, radio, oxygen, defibrillator, backboard, general first aid kit, underwater speaker system and alarm for diver recall etc. Each boat also carries a huge tool/save-a-dive kit should it be needed. The staff is well trained in the use of all safety equipment, and there are procedures in place for any and all emergency situations. You are briefed on all these aspects before the first dive.
Briefing also goes over the standard dive procedures:
1) no solo diving
2) always stay with your buddy. Descend, dive and ascend with your buddy
3) dive within NDL and the depth and times set for each dive: first morning dive, no deeper than 110' for no more than 50 minutes. Second morning dive, no deeper than 60' for no longer than 60 minutes. Afternoon dive, 60' for 60 minutes.
4) back on the boat with preferably 500 PSI
5) if you lock out your computer you don't dive until it clears
While this may sound rigid and limiting, I never found it to be so. I actually enjoyed that Reef Divers provide an organized and well planned dive experience, and never found it to be limiting. YMMV
The dive briefing before each dive is outstanding. The crew draws a very detailed map of the area with dimension, depth and directions, location of the mooring in relation to the topography etc. They then give a detailed description of what to expect and what to look for and look out for, as well as suggestions for how the site can be dived depending on currents, conditions and your preference.
The dive is then on, and you bring mask and fins to one of the 2 seats at the stern, sit down, and the crew brings your BC to you and help you into the shoulder straps. You finish gearing up, crew checks that your air is on - you are expected to check air pressure and turn the air on before you head to the stern - and off you go.
You can choose - along with your buddy - to follow the DM for a tour of the site. If so, you'll get a 30-40 minute tour, which ends up in the shallows under the boat. The DM leaves the water and you and your buddy are free to continue to explore as air and time limits allow.
You and your buddy can also choose to do your own thing and wander off on your own. Again, you're expected to stick to the overall plan for air and time limits.
Speaking of the shallows; most moorings are in or near fairly shallow coral flats, which provides some great "safety stops" right on the reef.
The diving:
My experience is limited: St. Croix, Ambergris Caye - Belize, and let's not forget Dutch Springs Quarry in PA
but this is the most spectacular diving I've seen so far. While the reef can be a bit "worn" in certain spots, the vast majority seems full of coral and sponge growth with lots of marine life around.At Great Wall West the contrast between the deeper wall and the hard pan more shallow coral gardens was amazing. The drop-off of the wall will take your breath away. Swim along in ~40' of water and suddenly the reef drops away into the deep dark blue, almost vertically to 6000'.
At Coconut Walk the coral garden in the shallows had an abundance of hard and soft coral, sponges and lots of critters and juveniles.
Mixing Bowl is exactly that, a little bit of everything; some deeper wall diving with lots of cuts and swim-throughs to explore, as well as shallower reef and sandy patches with huge coral heads,
I did 18 dives during the week and saw nurse sharks, black tip reef shark (I think), lots of groupers, barracuda, lobster, trunkfish, cowfish, trumpetfish, juvenile spotted drum, green moray eel, yellowhead jawfish, sharpnose pufferfish, banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, various cleaners, queen triggerfish, ocean triggerfish, gray angelfish, french angelfish, lionfish, brittlestars, octopus (night dive), squid (a group of about 13), yellow stingray, southern stingray (I think), spotted eagle ray (in the distance), turtles, grunts, squirrelfish, blue tang, various butterfly fish, crabs etc. etc.
The Resort:
LCBR has recently been renovated and looks great. The buildings are nicely decorated and well maintained and located around a central bar and pool area that also has a hot tub. Plenty of chairs and tables and beach chairs for everyone.
The rooms looked great, tastefully decorated and in general very comfortable. Ceiling fan and a very efficient AC made for a very comfortable, non-humid climate indoors. We had a pool-view room, which was spacious and comfortable, even with me scattering dive gear all over at times.
My only complaint about the room was the mattresses; our room had 2 beds said to be Queen size (they weren't) and the mattresses were *much* too soft for our taste and the beds were too small for us to share one (more like Doubles than Queen). So we slept in each our own bed - which was ok - trying to find a firmer spot along the edge of the mattress for a bit of support. I realize mattress firmness is a very personal thing, so this may not be an issue for others. Also, in hindsight, I have no doubt LCBR management would have tried to accommodate us had we brought the issue to their attention.
The restaurant was nice and roomy as well, and there is a screened porch area if you want to eat outside. I'd read a lot of good things about the food at LCBR, and again, it's a taste thing, so I figured it'd probably be ok. Well I was wrong ... the food is not just ok, it's great! Several choices at every meal, and every option well prepared, attractively arranged and just delicious. There always seemed to be plenty of food available as the food trays were quickly replaced when they were getting low. There were 2-3 dessert options at both lunch and dinner, and combined with the delicious food, it was probably a good thing we only stayed for a week
The Beach Nuts bar is a natural gathering point at the resort, and we'd meet up for a post-dive drink and discuss the day's dives, compare notes and share pictures. Mark is the regular bartender and is really good at it. Genuinely nice, and a great entertainer as well - he does magic tricks
The Rest:
We rented a kayak for an afternoon and paddled in the lagoon at the resort. We visited Owen's Island and enjoyed the sandy beach there. On our way there we saw 2 spotted eagle rays in the shallow water.
My wife came along on 2 afternoon boats for snorkeling and enjoyed it. The first time she jumped in she immediately saw an eagle ray cruising around - it then picked up speed and actually jumped out of the water. None of us divers were around to see it, and boy, did she love rubbing it in
. The boat crew were kind and thoughtful enough to pick dive spots that had good shallow (~15') snorkeling as well as great diving for both of her snorkeling outings.The resort also has bikes for rent; $5 for 24 hours, and I believe they include a bike helmet in the rental. It's possible to bike out to a beach within the Bloody Bay marine park, and there is supposedly good snorkeling there.
You can also arrange transportation to the east end of the island for a very pretty beach with good snorkeling as well. The resort van will bring you there and back. I don't know the cost.
There is an on-site gym with basic strength and cardio equipment.
There is a spa across the street for a post-dive massage.
As far as I found out there is at least one local restaurant in "town", the Hungry Iguana. There may be more, but we never ventured out.
Speaking of venturing, Little Cayman is a tiny island with a population of about 150, so don't go there for the nightlife and partying.
Conclusion:
For me LCBR is a winning combination and I will be back - no doubt about it.
When you have 1) a management that cares and puts effort into the resort and into supporting the staff in doing a good job 2) staff interested in doing a good job and making you feel welcome and at home 3) a well organized, safety conscious dive operation that manages to pull it off without making you feel restricted and 4) fantastic dive sites ... well, then you just can't go wrong.
A huge thanks to LCBR and to Ron, Sharon and Mark in particular.
Henrik
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