JustinLoos1985
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Hi, I’ve been to Grand Cayman many times. However, I’ve never stayed on the east side of the country. My next trip in October I am. Any shore diving recommendations on the east side?
Shore Diving East Side (Grand Cayman)
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Capt Jim Wyatt
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Decades ago I lived in Bodden Town - we did shore dives often - the wall is a relatively short swim, much shorter than the west side of the island.
Catito
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We stay at Compass Point and use Ocean Frontiers. No shore diving but great boat diving.
Alucard
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Hmm, maybe I am missing something then, because when I am in Bodden Town I look out and see the barrier about 50 yards off shore - presumably the mini wall is further out than that - on the west side (at Macabuca, for example) the mini wall is about 20 yards out.
Where do you go in Bodden Town that has a closer mini wall?
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scubaman1965
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I have been going to Grand Cayman for about 25 years now. I haven't heard of any east side shore diving. Maybe you can reach some spots from the North or South (weather depending of course), but when I've stayed on the east side we drove all the way to the west side to do our shore dives. Typically we would make that drive only once or twice per trip. These days you can hit pretty bad traffic in rush hour. Our west side shore dives were night dives to avoid most of the traffic. The west side has a number of options: Sunset house (just OK IMO), Don Fosters (very nice), and Macabuca (my favorite). Call in advance to ensure tank availability/hours.
When we stay on the east side we typically go with Ocean frontiers. Basic lodging at a fairly reasonable price. But no shore dives. Once I hit my 50s I just started staying on the west side. I have found some nice places up by Macabuca through VRBO that are fairly reasonable compared to hotel lodging. And there is just way more stuff on the west side. I now enjoy diving right of the property I rent.
When we stay on the east side we typically go with Ocean frontiers. Basic lodging at a fairly reasonable price. But no shore dives. Once I hit my 50s I just started staying on the west side. I have found some nice places up by Macabuca through VRBO that are fairly reasonable compared to hotel lodging. And there is just way more stuff on the west side. I now enjoy diving right of the property I rent.
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JustinLoos1985
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Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it!
Damselfish
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Your best shore diving options are around the west end of the island, mostly the well known places at shops or resorts with tanks and facilities on site. There are some less well known spots at rentals that aren’t public access. Over the years I’ve heard of places people would shore dive around the rest of the island. These places tend to be challenging entries, long swims, and/or on private property. (More and more that have been built out or restricted over time.)
The other trick to shore diving on the East End is getting tank rentals. There is a shop in 7 mile beach area you could rent tanks to take off-site, but the resorts (including Ocean Frontiers on the East End) usually would not. I have no idea of the current situation.
And the final issue is, traffic on Cayman majorly sucks now. Trips that were fine years ago are now a long commute. So AM boat dives from the east end then driving to the west for a shore diving afternoon or evening is less practical anymore. Same with renting tanks from the west end and driving back east. So if anything its an activity for locals that are very familiar with the area and have their own tanks, but not so practical for visitors. If you want to shore dive on Grand just staying on the west end probably makes more sense.
The other trick to shore diving on the East End is getting tank rentals. There is a shop in 7 mile beach area you could rent tanks to take off-site, but the resorts (including Ocean Frontiers on the East End) usually would not. I have no idea of the current situation.
And the final issue is, traffic on Cayman majorly sucks now. Trips that were fine years ago are now a long commute. So AM boat dives from the east end then driving to the west for a shore diving afternoon or evening is less practical anymore. Same with renting tanks from the west end and driving back east. So if anything its an activity for locals that are very familiar with the area and have their own tanks, but not so practical for visitors. If you want to shore dive on Grand just staying on the west end probably makes more sense.
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