Little Cayman, best time of year for diving

[-hh]

During the winter months in the Caymans,the winds are more likely to be from the north, which can prevent you from getting to the better dive sites on the north side. On Little Cayman, the premier dive sites are in the Bloody Bay/Jackson Bay area to the north.

Exactly. This weather is caused by strong winter cold fronts over the USA, which is what delivers what Caymanians refer to as "NorWester" storms. To give you an idea as to how strong these can be, it was a NorWester that broke the #356 wreck in half - - it was NOT a hurricane as you usually hear claimed. If you want an indirect way of gaging the "winter" weather, go data mining on the Cayman Aggressor's website and plot what weeks they don't make the crossing from Grand Cayman over to Little Cayman...its roughly "Now through Easter" as the time of year.

Most of the hotels and dive ops are based on the south side, which has decent diving (at least for a couple of days), but it's hard to get the boats around to the northern sites when it's really blowing from the north. I'd aim for the May/June/July time frame to maximize your chances for good conditions.

I've gone to the Sister Islands in April, May, June, July, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec.

I'd agree with the May-July timeframe, although with a caveat of it being late May and to also be aware of if you're allergic to thimble jellyfish, which IIRC usually hatch in the first half of this timeframe, and also with the caveat that the latter half (July) can be "stinking hot" on shore.

The July trip was probably one of the best for the diving, but it was simply too miserably hot topside to do again...the same low winds that made the water glass meant no relief topside. The April weeks were a northerly blowout, the May & June trips were fine but had thimble jellies (which don't bother me) and the Nov & Dec were fine. The Sept/Oct periods are when I've gone the most (36 weeks worth over the past 19 years; timeshare) and this was originally selected despite the hurricane risk because it is less crowded, flights cheaper, water still warm and air not too hot. Granted, I have had a few hurricane scares, but only 1 in 19 years, not including missing Ivan by dumb luck. This was Lily (2002), and while we lost two dive days from a direct hit from a CAT-I, our first day out diving after the storm, the conditions were already good enough for a run from the Brac to Little Cayman and we ended up having honest 200+ft visibility. Go figure.

Insofar as other time-of-year things, in the Aug/early Sept time period, you can expect some reduced visibility due to the annual coral spawning (~100ft), and algae on the reef will be thickest then, as its been growing all summer but hasn't been scrubbed off yet by a winter storm.

The reality is that any month has its trade-offs.


-hh

 

[vladimir]

Cut and pasted from Undercurrent.org:

Overview of Cayman Islands
Grand Cayman is great for divers seeking familiar surroundings: it's Americanized and crowded, with traffic, Burger Kings, Ramadas, and Hyatts and it's expensive.... There are a seemingly endless number of safe and well-organized dive operations; depth and time limits are generally enforced, with some operations showing leniency to experienced divers (though others charge for special computer dives)....

Avoid prepaying a dive package so that if you're disappointed with cattle boats or site selection you can switch to someone else.... Dive quality is declining due to development, and Seven Mile Beach reefs are beaten up. To beat crowds, endless youths, and Cayman Cowboys, stay on the North side, the East End (for the best diving), or north of Seven Mile Beach.... Brac diving is not up to the best of Cayman, but it's more laid back than Grand Cayman, and Brac outfits make frequent trips to Little Cayman from April to November; rough water often prevents trips at other times.... For Caribbean walls, clear water, and beautiful reefs, Little Cayman is nonpareil; a dozen dive boats a day can visit a two-mile stretch. The water's under 80 in the winter, when days can be cool, and in the low 80s in summer.... The Cayman Islands are in the hurricane belt.

Cayman Islands Seasonal Dive Planner
The Caymans' hottest period is from May to November. During winter, temperatures can drop down to the low 70s. Rainy season starts in May and peaks in October. Rains are normally short and intense. Run-off has little effect on Grand Cayman's water clarity, which averages about 135 feet horizontally on the deeper reefs. Both Little Cayman and Cayman Brac boast even higher visibility averages. Water temperatures vary, from the upper 70s in the winter to low 80s during the summer. Trade winds are out of the northeast in the winter and the southeast during the summer. Northwesterly storms can occur from December through April.

 

[caymaniac]

I've gone to the Sister Islands in April, May, June, July, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec.
I'd agree with the May-July timeframe, although with a caveat of it being late May and to also be aware of if you're allergic to thimble jellyfish, which IIRC usually hatch in the first half of this timeframe, and also with the caveat that the latter half (July) can be "stinking hot" on shore.
Insofar as other time-of-year things, in the Aug/early Sept time period, you can expect some reduced visibility due to the annual coral spawning (~100ft),
The reality is that any month has its trade-offs.


-hh

Hugh, I've been there around 10 times in April and almost always had thimble jellies off both Brac and LC, the exception was last April. Also I've seen coral spawn in April as well, numerous sponges spewing spawn (mini vulcanos) and the little blobs being released here and there in the coral. This only happens at or around a full moon.
You are certainly correct when you say "every month has it's trade offs"
Yet to me the sister Islands are one of the best dive spots in the Caribbean.

 

[-hh]

...I've been there around 10 times in April and almost always had thimble jellies off both Brac and LC, the exception was last April.

I do know that the dates of the Thimbles appearing move around from year to year, plus I'm probably getting forgetful in regards of which year I saw what.

You are certainly correct when you say "every month has it's trade offs"
Yet to me the sister Islands are one of the best dive spots in the Caribbean.

And the trade-off is the hassle of getting there

BTW, there's talk of Cayman Air thinking about buying a Dash-8 (50 seater Turboprop) with the intent to improve airlift, and possibly starting up nonstop MIA-CYB service.


-hh

 

[susan6868]

We were there the second week in July last year (2007) Weather and vis perfect, no rainy days, no jellies, not very humid at all.
It was so perfect we're heading back the first week in July this year.

 

[dcscot]

We ended up booking for the end of this month, so will let you know how it turns out.

 

[edpdiver]

I was there in April and the diving was great. There were some of the strong winds, but not so bad that they kept us from diving the Bloody Bay Wall. I am curious as to how it will be when we head back this June. It sounds like the best time overall, based on the posts so far.

 

[Alex777]

My vote goes to "April through August." Feb. & March are fine, but the water and air temps warm up a bit as the year progresses.

 

[Damselfish]

my favorite is April to June. The last time we were there was Dec 05, and there was a lot of algae, which someone said happened some years and would magically disappear one day. (hmm...here it is...http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cayman-islands/119720-assorted-little-cayman-questions.html) I've heard late Nov-Dec and maybe into winter can be a crapshoot, though we've had good luck then - though someone I know went early December one year and never saw the sun. Then of course, there's hurricane season, which is great if there's no hurricanes. It's all good though, really.

 

[Alex777]

On my web site I have a graph showing the frequency of hurricanes & storms throughout the year:

Hurricanes and Storms