Little Cayman Beach Resort trip report

[Queen Triggerfish]

Thanks for the detailed report. I'll be there in a couple of weeks for our first trip to the Caymans and it is nice to read something current.

So with the trip for us so close I thought of a few questions.

1) What are people's experience with how much time they spend with the DM and how much time they nav. on their own?
2) We usually bring a gear bag, but since according to the website, we will be given a bag at the hotel and once we set up our gear prior to dive #1, we won't haul gear for the rest of the week- other than a few items to rinse- so does the boat have a dry spot for a small bag with a few personal items for stuff we'd want to keep dry?
3) How much tipping do you do @ the restaurants and bar? (not trying to stir a tipping debate, just want to hear some POVs)
4) How is the wi-fi? (I'd like to be able to use email and skype to keep in touch with my kids)
Any other advice for first timers?

I think people have answered your questions, but I'll add in my agreement.

I don't think we were ever asked to follow the divemasters, but we were in a group of six, so perhaps they figured we'd be able to take care of ourselves. There is always one dive master in the water leading whomever wants to follow. They do state ahead of time that they will bring the group back to the boat at about 35 minutes, and then people in the group can continue to peruse under the boat. Rarely did anyone ascend with the dive master. They did this so there would be two of them on board to help everyone get up onto the boat. As for me/us, we went with the dm group about half the time. Sometimes we opted to go the other way just to kind of give everyone plenty of space.

I had read the same thing about dive bags, so I left my good one at home and just brought a mesh bag. They did have them in the dive shop though for people to use throughout the week. Also, there were a couple drier areas on the boat, but if you were to bring something that most definitely had to stay dry, you'd want a dry bag I think. I usually brought a small bag with sunscreen, sun glasses, a tank top, maybe my dive log. It usually stayed dry, but got wet a few times based on what else was near it.

I'm not positive what we tipped because someone else in the group took care of that, and I just kept giving money when she asked for it.

The wifi was very good all the time. My room was quite close to the office though, that may have helped although it looked like there were multiple choices "west wing," "east wing," etc.

Someone else mentioned the bugs. I didn't notice any, but bringing along a little bottle of bug spray can never hurt.

Other advice for first timers? This seems like a silly one and I know I already mentioned it, but if you have the two-drinks-a-day package, make sure you take advantage of it even if it means bringing back a non-opened Diet Coke or non-opened beer back to your room to put in your refrigerator. I really liked having the refrigerator.

I forgot to mention that the rooms have safes. Of course, we put our stuff in it on the first day and then realized we had left the door wide open, so never used it again. I know some people really appreciate having a safe though.

Instead of room keys, they will give you black rubber wristbands that have an electronic key thing embedded in them. I liked that feature. They told us not to wear them diving (so I would usually take it off and put it in the small bag I brought on board), but I forgot a couple times and it was fine. They explained that the salt water would cause rapid wear and tear which I'm sure is why they ask you not to wear it diving.

I forgot to mention that there were kayaks and stand-up paddle boards. Prior to my trip I had all intentions of using one during the week, but never did.

Have a great time!

 

[Randallr]

LCBR has a good special on in April. How comfortable is it for a solo traveler? Is it easy enough to get buddied up, and find people to dine with?

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

LCBR has a good special on in April. How comfortable is it for a solo traveler? Is it easy enough to get buddied up, and find people to dine with?

It seemed like it would be pretty easy, relatively speaking compared to other dive resorts I've been to. It appeared as though there were a few solo travelers the week I was there (perhaps all male?), and also quite a few divers whose spouses weren't divers. I also noticed people joining one another for meals.

 

[carriemak]

There have been several times when solo divers/travelers would ask to join our group to dive. They were also welcome to join us for meals, which most did. You shouldn't have an issue being a solo traveler/diver.

 

[keyshunter]

Oh, they were strict about people following computers though. One woman in our group had to sit out for 48 hours because her computer errored her out after not taking a long enough safety stop, and we heard about another woman who that happened to, as well. While it is a bit of a bummer (the woman in our group would have still been very conservative if she were to track her dive using tables, and the rest of our computers were perfectly happy with us)
[/QUOTE]

Just one correction to what was otherwise a very fine report. Although many computers will count down a safety stop, none will go into error mode based upon a skipped safety stop. What will send a computer into error mode is a skipped DECOMPRESSION stop. Although this is usually mentioned in the initial boat briefing, as well as at dive sites at which this has sometimes been a problem (Blacktip Boulevard, for example), it is not unusual for someone to come aboard with a computer in error mode. This WILL trigger a mandatory sit out.

 

[AggieDiver]

Good point. That is one thing the crew is very explicit about in their initial briefing when you get on the boat. Don't go into deco...and if you do go into deco and miss a stop, you will sit out for up to 48 hours or until your computer clears. No exceptions. I have absolutely no problems with that policy, and the kinds of people who do have a problem with a policy like that are the kind I don't really want to be on a boat with.

 

[Doctorfish]

I agree re computer policy. It is important to remember that the nearest chamber is on GC and that you can't easily get there at night from LC as the airstrip is VFR only.

 

[judypots]

My husband and I have been to both the Little Cayman Beach Resort and the Southern Cross Club - LCBR once and Southern Cross twice. They are both great options, and they are very different places. LCBR is bigger and more crowded (not problematically so). They have a lively bar scene at night, if that is your bent. They have up to 18 people on a boat, I believe, and consequently there can be that many people at a dive site, as there were consistently on our trip with them. Not everyone follows the divemaster, so it may not be quite as crowded at the dive site as that sounds. It is basically motel style accommodations, albeit quite comfortable. The resort is built in a sort of horseshoe shape, with most rooms facing the pool and the bar area, with no private outside patio area to sit and relax. There are a few rooms for a bit more money at the ends of the horseshoe that have private patios and lounge chairs. We stayed in one of those and were glad we did. The food was more than plentiful and quite adequate. We liked the divemasters, but I frankly can't remember how good they were at finding and pointing out some of the interesting small stuff.

The Southern Cross Club is much smaller and quieter, and somewhat more expensive. The food is a level higher than LCBR. The dive boats hold a max of 12, but both times we were there there were never more than 9 divers and often less. When there were 8 or more, 2 divemasters were in the water leading 2 groups of no more than 4 or 5. They do a 2 tank dive in the morning and will only do a 3rd dive in the afternoon or at dusk if there at least 4 people wanting to dive. Luckily we were able to manage to get enough folks to do 3 dives per day for the entirety of our stays. The rooms are more spacious than at LCBR and each one as a patio to sit and enjoy the ocean view. The divemasters are great - Mike, especially, is a hoot, and all are great at pointing out the small stuff.

Our personal preference is for the Southern Cross Club, but we wouldn't rule out returning to LCBR and recommend that as well, especially if price is an issue.

 

[scubadiber]

Thanks for the info on the Resort. Planning my next dive trip and our Travel Agent recommended. Nice to hear such good things!

 

[scoop46]

We noticed that the fish counts seemed to be down in Bonaire in early April and have heard that fish counts near the West End of Roatan were also down. Did you hear any reports on how fish counts on Little Cayman have been trending? Thanks.

Mike