Little Cayman or Cayman Brac

[flyboy08]

I agree with cheftim....been to all three islands...enjoyed each stay, but the diving is just Meh.......nice writeup!

 

[cheftim]

Although this recommendation goes against my own self interest (i.e., more competition for a scarce resource), I'd recommend giving Little Cayman its own shot before closing the book on the Caymans. Especially since it sounds like you enjoyed the above-water elements of CBBR.

Our travel map is basically identical to yours (2x Coz [and going next week!!!], 3x Little, 2x CoCoView, 1x Grand, 1x Bonaire, and liveboards for Belize and St. Kitts/Saba). I think it makes a ton of sense to put the most weight on the diving since that's ultimately why we all take these trips, but it's also the aspect of a trip that is subject to the most variation from week to week.

Because of that, when we're figuring where to go next, we actually start with what general vibe we want with the trip. Eat/sleep/dive? Then it's a liveaboard. Want more lounging time and room to spread out? Then it's a dive resort like LCBR or CCV. Wanting to be a bit more active and better food prospects? Then Cozumel or Bonaire. We know that it's all ultimately Caribbean diving/critters and so we'll take our random draw from the distribution and see what happens.

My 2¢.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[AggieDiver]

I would tend to agree with RCB. If you have the chance, try going to LC in mid-summer/early fall. I know when I have been there on days when the water is stirred up and the sky is a bit cloudy, it can make everything look totally washed out and dark, with very little color. Then you can dive the same site on a sunny day with clear vis and it looks totally different. Winter is not the best time for sun and clear vis, especially when trying to dive the west and north sides of the island.

 

[tursiops]

Just got back from CBBR, Feb 23. Fifth trip to the Caymans, and my favorite so far. I found Brac more interesting diving than Little, due to the varying topography. Food at CBBR? Wonderful, best beach BBQ I've had in the Caribbean, but I only gained five pounds during the week so maybe the desserts were not as good as LCBR....

Would I go back? Absolutely: value per dollar higher (for me and my group) than LCBR, but most importantly, we could fly there with a real plane (Cayman Airways) from and to Miami...no puddle jumpers and consequent baggage or weight problems.

 

[KristenK]

Reality Check...how blessed and fortunate are we to have these kinds of problems, deciding where to go for our dive trips. And so many great people sharing their experiences and recommendations.

 

[scubadada]

I've been to the Caymans many times and like all three islands. I find the diving different and complimentary. I believe my favorite is Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers on the east end of Grand Cayman. Diving the north, east, and south sides offers tremendous variety and diversity. The sharks on the southeast corner are a treat.

 

[caydiver]

The good news is that unless we have something big around we can always find a place to dive in Grand Cayman. I wouldn’t be happy to plan a dive holiday and have winter wind ruin it. Over the years we have had some awesome dives south which is where we head when the rest is a mess and I really look forward to it.

 

[KathyV]

It is surprising to read about the scarcity of fish life recently experienced while diving Cayman.

We were just there in late October and early November and there were healthy and diverse Caribbean fish populations around both Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. I especially recall that the Oro Verde wreck on GC was teaming with fish of many colors and species, and while on Brac I clearly remember large groups of various fish on the reefs, including friendly groupers hanging around waiting to be petted.

I am no marine biologist but I'm thinking that the cooler water temperatures in January/February may be a contributing factor to the reduced fish populations? I know that isn't very helpful since the winter months are the most popular season for visitors to the tropics, but I can't think of another explanation for such a quick change.

And if you are wondering how you can tell when a grouper wants to be petted, see the photo below!

 

[KathyV]

I just got the Winter 2019 newsletter from the Clearly Cayman resorts and they still have some discounted packages for 1-week trips to CB and LC on selected dates in March in April in case someone is looking for a last minute dive trip; see the links below:

https://www.clearlycayman.com/the-buddy-line-winter-2019/

https://www.caymanbracbeachresort.com/dive-packages/winter-warm-up/

(Hard to miss that photo of Barbie at CBBR Reef Divers wearing her tie-dye seaskin!)

 

[Damselfish]

Color, meh. Everything seemed covered in brownish-green algae. Clearly, our number of trips there show a preference for Cozumel. I missed the colors of Coz.

Little Cayman seems to have a winter algae thing where a lot of stuff is covered at some point, we experienced it once around this time of year. Someone who lives there part of the year said it happens, sometimes worse than others, and then one day it will mysteriously and abruptly all disappear. Perhaps something similar occurs on Brac.

There aren't any plans in our future to go back to the Caymans at present.

It doesn't make sense to write off all 3 islands based on visiting one of them a single time at a certain time of year.[/QUOTE]