Little Cayman Trip Report April 14-21 2012

[yaml]

Dan,

I will put up a much more comprehensive report along with some pictures within the next few days, but I will just say that this was our 4th trip to LCBR, and everything about the trip was just as good as it was the last 3 times. We had Clive (he's back at LCBR after a stint in Fiji for those who knew him) as our boat captain for most of the week, had Sharon for a day, and had Ed and Nick alternating out as DM. All 4 were really professional and great to dive with. As far as the diving, I just can't say enough good things about it...we had nearly flat conditions (see the picture of my wife on the boat in the "picture of the day" thread for an idea of how flat) for almost the entire week. The vis was generally in the 150'+ range every day except one when we had a little current washing out the vis in the shallows at Mixing Bowl. We saw everything from 6-7 ft reef sharks, turtles, stingrays (southern and several yellow), down to lots of nudis, jawfish, blennies galore, juvenile trunkfish, etc. The corals, fans, sponges, etc. seemed very healthy as they were in 2010 and 2011, and there are dozens of grouper of various species including many friendly ones on nearly every site, showing the results of protecting the spawing aggregation at the end of the island. We didn't see nearly as many lionfish as we did in 2010, so the staff culling expeditions that all of the resorts are participating in have been effective.

As for the resort, I will walk you through all of what to expect in the full report, but let me just say that with people like Clive handling porter duties, Claudia manning the dining room, Anthony and Joanna as chefs, Emma at the front desk, and Jason managing the place, there is no need to worry about things slipping there. They all take such joy in what they are doing and are genuinely happy to see you come back again. I watched both Anthony and Joanna have dozens of conversations with guests about what was in the dishes they had prepared for us, and they went out of their way to accomodate some specific food allergies and requests for some folks while we were there. Emma gladly switched our room from one with 2 doubles to one with a king and got my wife a different pillow when the first one was too firm.

It is just a really effortless place to go diving...everything is so well managed and so conveniently set up that you just can't help but have a good time. Oh...and I forgot Lara at the spa...if you like massages, go get one from her. She did a great job, and my only regret was that I waited until friday to get one.

Anyway, I will make a separate post for the full trip report, but I just wanted to let you know that I would absolutely recommend the place to anybody without reservation (except non-divers...not much for them to do). I listened to at least a dozen other folks at various times during the week, and all of them were just raving about the experiences they were having, from the food, to the diving, to the operation of the resort, so I know my opinion is not an isolated one.

Oh, and for the first time this trip, there were no dive shop groups. But there were plenty of friendly folks on the boat and we shared meals and beach/bar conversations with several other couples, so you definitely won't feel isolated or like a stranger.

we are headed down last week of april and first week of may; looking to stay and eat at LCBR and dive with Conch Club - only because we "hear" that , on average, their boat load is somewhat smaller and they leave and return a little earlier; would appreciate your comments; actually, we have a small group that likes to keep it small and are planning to charter Matt's boat for the week; thanks

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

We just returned from LCBR a couple of weeks ago and with out doubt this is our favorite Caribbean resort for many of the same reasons listed by folks in pervious posts. Top of my list is the people, both guests and staff.

For those interested in a small group trip in October 2013, we are booking now and a $200 deposit per person will hold a space. Info is available on our website. The package is with morning dives only but we get an afternoon package of 5 additional dives for $175, a very good deal at $35 a dive.

If you have any questions about LCBR, feel free to contact me off SB.

LCBR Website info Liquid Diving Adventures | Group Bookings-Resorts

Also on Facebook Liquid Diving Adventures | Facebook

 

[scubadada]

we are headed down last week of april and first week of may; looking to stay and eat at LCBR and dive with Conch Club - only because we "hear" that , on average, their boat load is somewhat smaller and they leave and return a little earlier; would appreciate your comments; actually, we have a small group that likes to keep it small and are planning to charter Matt's boat for the week; thanks

Can't imagine why you would stay and eat at LCBR but dive with another operator. Reef Divers is a great operation. We dived 3 dives per day as well as 2 night dives.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

I would agree with scubadada.... I have found Reef Divers excellent on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. A couple of weeks ago the LCBR boats were running pretty full but that may have been by diver's choice as there was a large group and they wanted to eat, drink, and dive together. At the same time we had 10 on our boat and it was a perfect group of laid back divers, several who will be with us in Oct 2013 LCBR trip.

 

[swim deep]

we are headed down last week of april and first week of may; looking to stay and eat at LCBR and dive with Conch Club - only because we "hear" that , on average, their boat load is somewhat smaller and they leave and return a little earlier; would appreciate your comments; actually, we have a small group that likes to keep it small and are planning to charter Matt's boat for the week; thanks

One big thing about the LCBR experience is that they have everything laid out to make diving easy. Eat breakfast, then walk along the walkways to the boat. All your gear is already there, ready to go. They return and you have a little rest, recharge or change out your batteries, eat lunch, and step on your boat to dive some more. Right by the dock there are camera tanks and rinse tanks to wash your wet suit, and whatever, and a big covered shed with hangers to let them dry overnight. You don't rush around to get back to your boat on time, or have to gobble your meals and run. The meal schedule is timed to fit the dive boats. It's so comfortable. No stress.

Even when the boat was full, we didn't feel crowded or rushed in any way. There is little or no current, the divers can (and do) spread out when they hit the water. The underwater sights are spectacular in any direction, no matter if you go with your guide, or swim away from the group with your buddy. The divers on our boat were all very very experienced, courteous, and friendly. The boat was comfortable and well equipped.

If you go out with a boat that leaves and returns earlier, and you need to travel off site to catch the boat, your meal times might not match up as well. You might not have much time to relax. I don't think a boat that leaves early would make the dive better. It just requires an earlier alarm clock. The good dive sites far outnumber the boats in LC. The underwater wildlife will be there, waiting to greet you no matter if you are the first to jump in, or the last. The most astounding thing was that the critters in Little Cayman don't seem to fear us. Some even follow along begging to be petted.

You can relax and leave the rush of the world behind if you stay and dive with LCBR and Reef Divers.

 

[carriemak]

I agree with Swim Deep. LCBR and Reef Divers is one of the best in the Caribbean if not the best! You won't be disappointed!

 

[Kryssa]

Can someone share a little bit about the flights to Little Cayman? Do most from the US fly to Grand Cayman and then take a smaller plane? Are there any baggage concerns with a smaller plane? We'd be leaving from SFO. Thanks!

 

[keyshunter]

Kryssa,
Everyone must fly to Grand (except for the once weekly flight from Mia to Cayman Brac) to clear customs and immigration. The small planes are Twin Otters, with 17 passenger max capacity. Cargo space is limited. If you don't take tons of baggage, you will be fine. But, if you do, some of the "stuff" may arrive a day later. Then you can join the group of people who want to get away from it all, take it all with them, and then complain mightily about its being delayed.

 

[yaml]

One big thing about the LCBR experience is that they have everything laid out to make diving easy. Eat breakfast, then walk along the walkways to the boat. All your gear is already there, ready to go. They return and you have a little rest, recharge or change out your batteries, eat lunch, and step on your boat to dive some more. Right by the dock there are camera tanks and rinse tanks to wash your wet suit, and whatever, and a big covered shed with hangers to let them dry overnight. You don't rush around to get back to your boat on time, or have to gobble your meals and run. The meal schedule is timed to fit the dive boats. It's so comfortable. No stress.

Even when the boat was full, we didn't feel crowded or rushed in any way. There is little or no current, the divers can (and do) spread out when they hit the water. The underwater sights are spectacular in any direction, no matter if you go with your guide, or swim away from the group with your buddy. The divers on our boat were all very very experienced, courteous, and friendly. The boat was comfortable and well equipped.

If you go out with a boat that leaves and returns earlier, and you need to travel off site to catch the boat, your meal times might not match up as well. You might not have much time to relax. I don't think a boat that leaves early would make the dive better. It just requires an earlier alarm clock. The good dive sites far outnumber the boats in LC. The underwater wildlife will be there, waiting to greet you no matter if you are the first to jump in, or the last. The most astounding thing was that the critters in Little Cayman don't seem to fear us. Some even follow along begging to be petted.

You can relax and leave the rush of the world behind if you stay and dive with LCBR and Reef Divers.

conch club boat is at the same dock as the boats for LCBR so i'm guessing there won't be need for rushing around; meals are at LCBR so also not a problem; guess we like the idea of possibly having the entire boat to ourselves - we will see; thanks for the input - for some reason, we have never made it to little cayman; been going everywhere else since 1974 ; really looking forward to it; thanks again

 

[AggieDiver]

What he means about meal times is that the kitchen and dining area are not open all the time. They have hours slotted for each meal that are designed to matchup with the Reef Divers boat schedule. For example, I don't think the LCBR dining room opens for Breakfast until 7am. If the Conch Club boats leave at 7:30, you don't get much time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Similarly, with lunch, the dining room is open from about 1200 to 130, so if Conch Club comes back early and wants to head back out at 1230, you are going to end up sitting around for a while and then have to rush your way through a meal before jumping back on the boat. You can eat lunch at the bar of course, but then you are not getting the benefit of your meal package if lunch was included.

I am not sure who put the notion in your head that Reef Divers' boats are packed like cattle barges and Conch Club's are always empty, but that has never ever been my experience at LCBR. I think what you are going to find is that if you were to look from shore at each boat as it left, if they didn't have the name on the boat, you would never know which one was a RD boat and which was CC. It just seems like you are making things unnecessarily harder on yourself because somebody has convinced you that RD's boats are overcrowded or that there is some advantage to leaving the dock earlier. Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but I would just caution you not to overthink things here. RD and LCBR have a terrific reputation for a reason. I am sure you will be happy diving with CC, but it just might not be as convenient as it could be for you.