My wife and I spent a wonderful April week SCUBA diving on Little Cayman. Were there hiccups, of course! We always travel with a little gremlin, it makes life interesting.
We arrived in Grand Cayman about one hour before our Saturday flight to Little Cayman. We had to collect our bags, check them into Cayman Airways and go through security for the 30 minute hop to Little Cayman. We were lucky as everything went smoothly and Cayman Airways delayed its flight about 20 minutes. We suggest you allow a longer interval.
If you are traveling from the Western US, you might have to plan an overnight in Miami or Grand Cayman. There were at least a couple fellow guests that took advantage of the opportunity to dive Grand Cayman.
Arriving in Little Cayman we were met by a Little Cayman Beach Resort (LCBR)) van which transported us to the resort. Unfortunately, our checked dive bags didn’t arrive until the next morning; too late for the three Sunday dives. However, the on-site dive shop rented us the needed gear so, we got our 3 Sunday dives. The dive shop offers a complete set of gear should the worst happen. We suggest you hand carry your regs, dive computers, necessary meds and a tooth brush.
To be fair, Cayman Airways uses Twin Otters, which have strict weight and balance requirements. Some passengers arrived with their bags while others got them later Saturday afternoon. As mentioned above, we (and our gremlin companion) got our bags the next morning.
LCBR is first class. The service is excellent, helpful and friendly. The food is high quality. It is served buffet style with a wide variety including something for the vegetarian at each sitting. Fish tacos, Eggs Benedict, BBQ, a variety of salads, meats, fish, potatoes, pasta and a desert table. There were many dishes offered at each meal. The rooms are neat, clean and have AC. And the bar is great too.
There are three dive each day - two morning dives departing the dock at about 8am and one afternoon dive departing about 1pm. As I recall there were a couple of night dives offered but please call LCBR to confirm.
Most all divers use Nitrox, which is an extra charge. The dive shop has an area next to its office dedicated to checking your Nitrox tanks. It is an efficient setup with multiple stations for checking and recording your results. After checking, you move your tanks 10 to 20 feet to another deck area assigned to your boat.
This is full service diving. The crew will move your tanks down the dock to your assigned boat and setup your gear on one of your tanks at your assigned boat station. When it’s time to get wet, you carry your mask and fins to the back of the boat and sit on a small metal box seat. A crew member carries your tank/gear to you, helps you put it on and helps you stand up. After the necessary checks, you take one step into the water. There was a diver in a wheelchair who, with help, sat on the back platform, was geared up by a crew member and then just had to lean forward to enter the water for a private tour. The crew is extremely helpful.
At the end of a dive the process is reversed. You remove your fins, climb up the ladder, pivot and sit on the metal box. A crew member removes your gear, takes it back to your station and switches your gear to a new tank. To think of all the times I trudged down a beach in full gear, then swam out several hundred yards before dropping down for the actual dive - makes me exhausted to recall.
During each dive we followed a crew member guide who showed us the special features of the dive site. Each guided tour lasted 40 to 45 minutes afterward you were free to explore on your own. While diving the sunken Soviet warship off Cayman Brac we were on our own to explore. The dive rules were to return with more than 500psi and less than 60 minutes. I never saw a crew member check or ask for confirmation as they seemed to respect the skills and integrity of our dive group.
As for the fish and coral we saw, there are a number of web sites that describe the local marine life. We saw a lot including a variety of small reef fish, a few groupers, turtles, rays and a couple of sharks. The fish, sea fans, sponges, hard and soft coral appeared healthy and in good condition. We even enjoyed a couple of swim throughs.
In summary, the marine life is in good condition, the accommodations and food are excellent and the dive staff highly professional. We will definitely go back.
We arrived in Grand Cayman about one hour before our Saturday flight to Little Cayman. We had to collect our bags, check them into Cayman Airways and go through security for the 30 minute hop to Little Cayman. We were lucky as everything went smoothly and Cayman Airways delayed its flight about 20 minutes. We suggest you allow a longer interval.
If you are traveling from the Western US, you might have to plan an overnight in Miami or Grand Cayman. There were at least a couple fellow guests that took advantage of the opportunity to dive Grand Cayman.
Arriving in Little Cayman we were met by a Little Cayman Beach Resort (LCBR)) van which transported us to the resort. Unfortunately, our checked dive bags didn’t arrive until the next morning; too late for the three Sunday dives. However, the on-site dive shop rented us the needed gear so, we got our 3 Sunday dives. The dive shop offers a complete set of gear should the worst happen. We suggest you hand carry your regs, dive computers, necessary meds and a tooth brush.
To be fair, Cayman Airways uses Twin Otters, which have strict weight and balance requirements. Some passengers arrived with their bags while others got them later Saturday afternoon. As mentioned above, we (and our gremlin companion) got our bags the next morning.
LCBR is first class. The service is excellent, helpful and friendly. The food is high quality. It is served buffet style with a wide variety including something for the vegetarian at each sitting. Fish tacos, Eggs Benedict, BBQ, a variety of salads, meats, fish, potatoes, pasta and a desert table. There were many dishes offered at each meal. The rooms are neat, clean and have AC. And the bar is great too.
There are three dive each day - two morning dives departing the dock at about 8am and one afternoon dive departing about 1pm. As I recall there were a couple of night dives offered but please call LCBR to confirm.
Most all divers use Nitrox, which is an extra charge. The dive shop has an area next to its office dedicated to checking your Nitrox tanks. It is an efficient setup with multiple stations for checking and recording your results. After checking, you move your tanks 10 to 20 feet to another deck area assigned to your boat.
This is full service diving. The crew will move your tanks down the dock to your assigned boat and setup your gear on one of your tanks at your assigned boat station. When it’s time to get wet, you carry your mask and fins to the back of the boat and sit on a small metal box seat. A crew member carries your tank/gear to you, helps you put it on and helps you stand up. After the necessary checks, you take one step into the water. There was a diver in a wheelchair who, with help, sat on the back platform, was geared up by a crew member and then just had to lean forward to enter the water for a private tour. The crew is extremely helpful.
At the end of a dive the process is reversed. You remove your fins, climb up the ladder, pivot and sit on the metal box. A crew member removes your gear, takes it back to your station and switches your gear to a new tank. To think of all the times I trudged down a beach in full gear, then swam out several hundred yards before dropping down for the actual dive - makes me exhausted to recall.
During each dive we followed a crew member guide who showed us the special features of the dive site. Each guided tour lasted 40 to 45 minutes afterward you were free to explore on your own. While diving the sunken Soviet warship off Cayman Brac we were on our own to explore. The dive rules were to return with more than 500psi and less than 60 minutes. I never saw a crew member check or ask for confirmation as they seemed to respect the skills and integrity of our dive group.
As for the fish and coral we saw, there are a number of web sites that describe the local marine life. We saw a lot including a variety of small reef fish, a few groupers, turtles, rays and a couple of sharks. The fish, sea fans, sponges, hard and soft coral appeared healthy and in good condition. We even enjoyed a couple of swim throughs.
In summary, the marine life is in good condition, the accommodations and food are excellent and the dive staff highly professional. We will definitely go back.
