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So, I just got my open water certification, and my first dive trip will be to Grand Cayman in a month. My favorite marine animal is the shark, and it would be really awesome if I was able to see one while diving. I was wondering what dive sites had the most shark viewings on the island, and found that Rum Point, the Maze and Hammerhead Hill had the most shark viewings. Any advice on which one would be best to see a shark?
Shark sightings are uncommon here. To give you an idea, in about 2500 dives I have seen a shark (not counting Nurse Sharks) maybe 50 times. The best sites for shark sightings are in the Lighthouse Wall area oustide Ocean Frontiers because that is where the shark dives used to take place.
I've dove in the Caymans since the early 80's, your best chance to see sharkls on dives in the Caymans are at Little Cayman ansd Cayman Brac. If you are making at least two dives a day on either of these islands I guarantee you will have shark sightings, mostly of gray Caribbean reef, but many times I've seen Black tips, once a lemon and once a bull, several hammerhead sightings through the years. Plenty of nurse sharks also can be found at these two islands.
If you are only going to Grand Cayman then your best chance in my view is off the north wall, last time I was there this animal swam very close :
I agree with everyone else. I was just in Grand Cayman last month and was diving for 8 days and didn't see a single shark. If your really into sharks check out Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas...
Agree with the above, the 1 shark we saw was on the North Wall - at least 250' down and going away from us. I couldn't even tell what kind it was even though the water is crystal clear.
Some other (off-topic) options:
If you're not already committed to Grand Cayman you might consider Turks & Caicos. We did a week there last year - on a liveaboard but you can do shore-based dives from Provo. We saw reef sharks down the wall at many dives near West Caicos and almost every dive at French Cay. FC is a little more remote so less visited but dayboats will still run out there from Provo. One dive I filmed 2 reef sharks for at least 15mins. sometimes getting within a few feet while they cruised around followed by a little spotted nurseshark and there were 2 others just staying within visible range. As well as dozens of Stingrays, some big grouper, turtles, barracuda, countless fish - all in a 2 day dive period. Some pictures of what to expect - not my trip report: Saudio's Trip Reports
Provo is similar to Grand Cayman - smaller but just as pricey. Grace Bay is often named the best beach in the world.
Stuart Cove's is a canned shark feed. So it's guaranteed but not exactly natural behavior. One thing you can do is dive some of the sites nearby (with them) during non-feed times as the sharks will still be in the area. Bahama Divers does the Lost Blue Hole dive - besides being interesting they often see sharks there.
UNEXSO on Grand Bahama is another option - again it's a feed but this might be really interesting to see - it's called Tonic Immobility. I read somewhere this was shot nearby - Cristina works there currently afaik. They also do Dolphin dives if that's of interest.
My avatar was shot at Cay Sal Banks in the south Bahamas. On a defunct liveaboard - not sure if anyone goes there now. That was one of 15-18 sharks my buddy counted circling around me at one dive near a blue hole one morning. Later we sat on the bottom and the same sharks passed between us so close that you could gently reach out your hand and touch their backs as they glided by.
We also saw lemon and reef sharks at Bimini on the trip down. The Bimini Shark Lab is there also.
I'm already committed to Grand Cayman, but I'll keep all of the other dive spots in mind. This is going to be the first of many dives for me, so thanks for the advice!!
One point about logistics - Hammerhead Hill is on the north side, the Maze is on the (south) East End. You likely won't find anyone that will do both sites the same day unless you book an all-day around the island trip - several operators offer that. Where are you staying? If along Seven Mile Beach you might consider driving to Ocean Frontiers to dive the Maze with them. Maybe a 35-45min? drive from Georgetown.
My wife and I saw several reef sharks off the east end with OF a few years ago at a site I think they called "Shark Alley". I don't recall any bait being used. My wife had never seen a shark before and was a little anxious. Wouldn't you know it…as soon as she started her descent, a rather large shark swims slowly by her. I watched her eyes and movements and she remained relaxed. Later, she said she was surprised by her calmness, but was so awed by this creature swimming literally a couple of feet from her, that she wasn't at all nervous.
Many years ago Ocean Frontiers offered an 'educational' shark encounter. It was great. They baited them in and we enjoyed watching the beautiful creatures gliding around us. I don't think shark feeding is allowed any longer. Two years ago we spotted a bull shark close to shore at Sunset House, very unusual. Last June the Dive Tech charger spotted three hammer heads while we were there for shore dives. That's about it for sharks around Grand Cayman on our dives.
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