One full day on Grand Cayman - how would you spend it?

[nwflyboy]

No, not hopping off a cruise ship. We're headed to Little Cayman for a week, leaving tomorrow night. Many thanks to everyone here for answering all my (previous) dumb questions. Now, a couple for the last part of our trip...

We're staying at LCBR for a week, diving like crazy. Then, we hop on the Twin Otter and go to Grand Cayman for two nights and a full day before finally heading for home. We have never been to the Caymans before.

While we're on Grand Cayman we're staying at Sunshine Suites. We will have a rental car. And one full day (not counting the evening we arrive from Little Cayman, nor the morning before our 1 pm departure).

I'm pretty sure we want to dive Stingray City - we're gonna be there, and you kind of have to do it. I'm assuming we want to dive it rather than snorkel. Ideally we would like to go there with a small group, preferably early in the day, before the buses unload. I'd like to get some photos and video footage (have the gear). Suggestions for a good dive op for that?

Beyond that, I'm not sure what we'll want to do. While I'm sure the diving is good there, we will have just finished 18 dives in a week on Little Cayman, so we might be ready to just relax topside for half a day, maybe sightsee, or ??? Or maybe we will want to log another dive - not sure.

Our flight home leaves just before 1 pm the following day, so I assume we should be OK to fly as long as we're done diving by noon.

Suggestions?

Thanks again!

 

[Roombaguy]

Ok, here is what I would do:

Assuming your Stingray city dive is in the AM, then you have all afternoon and then the next morning. After dive, quick sushi lunch at Yoshi's (right next to your hotel) or at Chicken Chicken (down the street, towards town) In the afternoon, I would drive the "east end loop" and then all the way to Rum Point to spend a few hours. Evening dinner at Grand Old house or Calypso Grill. The morning before the flight, I would go for a walk on Seven Mile beach and then leave for the airport around 1030-11ish.

Hope this helps

M.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Most operations offer Stingray City as a one tank afternoon dive.

Sometimes ops will offer SRC as the second dive of a two tank morning trip, particularly smaller ops which can be more flexible. But weather may complicate getting in the first dive on the North Wall so you may find it impossible to get a two tank that includes SRC.

Stingray City is not used for most snorkeling trips. Most snorkeling trips go to the Stingray Sandbar which is a separate site about two miles east of Stingray City. Diving is not permitted at the Stingray Sandbar. Stingray City is not often crowded. Stingray Sandbar can pack 'em in like sardines on any given day.

For one free day I would second the Rum Point suggestion. If it is of interest you might consider combining that with a few hours at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park which is in North Side on the way to Rum Point.

You might eat lunch at Rum Point or if you are still making the drive around East End at the right time then you can't beat a lunch at Vivine's Kitchen in Gun Bay. She offers better Cayman style food at a better price with a great view.

Save any venturing into downtown George Town for after any cruise ships leave for the day. Check the cruise ship schedules at www.caymanport.com to see how crowded town might be.

 

[diversteve]

If you're leaving LC at night, I assume that entire day is a no-dive day? If so, then the clock re-starts the next morning as you've now been out of the water 24hrs+. So you should be able to dive SRC the next afternoon and still be within the 18hr. window to fly out the following day at 1PM. It's only 14' so I'm not even sure that it counts as a dive but I guess it does. There's some affiliation between Sunshine Suites and Divers Down - they do SRC in the afternoon.

If you did want to dive that morning, you could drive up to Turtle Reef and shoredive there first. It's not particularly deep - 40-50' - unless you go out to the wall. I think it's one of the better shoredives there. Or go to Sunset House in south Georgetown and shore dive the Amphitrite Mermaid, the other "have to do it" dive. There's the Cathy Church school/photo gallery there and My Bar is a divers bar/grill right on the water. An early lunch and you could be back at the marina in time to dive SRC that afternoon. Our boat left about 1:30 and we were easily back by 3:30. Careful driving through Georgetown if the cruisers have landed, you're driving on the wrong side of the road and they don't look the other direction b4 stepping off the curb. And there's a lot of them...

 

[knotical]

We enjoyed the turtle farm.

 

[bracscued]

Try to visit Hell.