More Cayman questions

[WarmWaterDiver]

We stayed at Cobalt Coast for the first week of December last year (2003). Winds were from the north and east, and the first named tropical storm in recorded history in the Caribbean that late in the year formed (but it was north of Grand Cayman). Cobalt Coast could have been billed as a "surf resort" most of that week - the wave tops were crashing OVER the pier / dock! At Turtle Reff, the dive ladder had been taken out for fear of damage from the surge! Weather is never a guarantee, but it might be wise to do a little checking for the historical sea conditions for the time of the year you plan to go.

Weather was calm enough on 2 days to shore dive there and at Turtle Reef. We always love the Turtle Reef dives, and the 2 days we were able to do shore diving luckily were the 2 days our tech instructor had flown down for us to do our tech checkout dives. Not a lot of places you could swim out for a shore dive to 150' in 82 degree F water and see 5 or 6 turtles on each dive!

 

[Jean-o]

Thanks again for all the info! Cobalt Coast looks really great, but I think I read that they don't have a beach. That is a requirement of my dive buddy! I think we have settled on The Reef, but we may try to get some shore diving in at Spanish Bay and Cobalt Coast. They got lots of good reviews. Also, I'd like to visit Turtle Farm while in that area. A friend of mine at work just got back from a cruise which stopped in Cayman, and she said that Turtle Farm was great!
Drew, we are going to try to use a couple of dive ops for comparison, so I may see you at Tortuga!
I'll post a trip report and let you all know how things went!
Have fun!
Jean-o

 

[Hiro32]

I searched this board, but I couldn't find the exact answer I'm looking for...
We've never been to Caribbean, and wondering when the best season for scuba diving in Grand Cayman is.

Also, when do harricanes/tropical storms tend to come to this area?

 

[Drew Sailbum]

I searched this board, but I couldn't find the exact answer I'm looking for...
We've never been to Caribbean, and wondering when the best season for scuba diving in Grand Cayman is.

Also, when do harricanes/tropical storms tend to come to this area?

Best diving is probably summer time. Calmest winds, and clearest visibility come during that time.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Ths part of the Caribbean is more likely to see those storms later in the season rather than earlier. September is peak month for it around here.

Hurricane strikes are rare in Cayman. Since 1932, only two hurricanes have had their eyes pass over one of the Cayman Islands. But a hurricane can still be some distance off and still mess things up pretty bad.

Get travel insurance, and book for July. It will be hot and probably not very windy with amazing visibility.

 

[Hiro32]

Wow, great information!
Thank you, Drew

 

[zf2nt]

Best diving is probably summer time. Calmest winds, and clearest visibility come during that time.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Ths part of the Caribbean is more likely to see those storms later in the season rather than earlier. September is peak month for it around here.

Hurricane strikes are rare in Cayman. Since 1932, only two hurricanes have had their eyes pass over one of the Cayman Islands. But a hurricane can still be some distance off and still mess things up pretty bad.

Get travel insurance, and book for July. It will be hot and probably not very windy with amazing visibility.

I'll second that...and I live here. Absolutely the worst time of year is October. That's the peak of hurricane season for the western Caribbean, and even if you're not in danger of a strike the weather may very likely be windy and rainy. (As somebody else mentioned, the eastern Caribbean peak probability is about a month earlier.) Personally, my favorite time of year is January - April, but there is always a chance of strong winds then.

Don't worry about the heat in July-August. It's really quite pleasant because of the tradewinds. However, the sun is quite strong that time of year and can do serious damage to you.

 

[AggieDiver]

If you aren't dead set on Grand Cayman, there are specials going on with Little Cayman Beach Resort and Brac Reef Beach Resort for September and October. Both include 7 nights, 6 days 2 tank diving, all meals, and airfare from Miami of Ft. Lauderdale (air from other places can be aranged as well with some upcharge). The Brac pkg is 1395 and the LC pkg is 1495pp. We did the same special on the Brac back in 2001, and we are booked on LC this year. As described above, this is the peak time of year for hurricanes, but we just buy insurance and hope for the best. If we get blown out, we will just collect on the insurance and go another time.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

I'll second that...and I live here. Absolutely the worst time of year is October. That's the peak of hurricane season for the western Caribbean, <snip>

I did go through and read your personal website. You did have quite the introduction to hurricanes back when you were starting your grand construction project! Anyone wanting a pretty good read on what sort of damage a hurricane can cause when it misses an island should give your page visit.