Suggested Operators in Cayman

[pjayjarrett]

Staying in Cayman (finally!!!) at the Hyatt for a week in December. I know that Red Sail services the Hyatt, but I am looking for suggestions on dive operators to use. I would like to try and avoid cattle barges if possible - any help is appreciated

 

[Pamdiv]

Staying in Cayman (finally!!!) at the Hyatt for a week in December. I know that Red Sail services the Hyatt, but I am looking for suggestions on dive operators to use. I would like to try and avoid cattle barges if possible - any help is appreciated

7 Mile Watersports just down the street from the Hyatt in the 7 Mile Beach Resort has a nice boat and takes small groups. I haven't been there since there's been a turnover in personnel, so I can't vouch for the service yet. They dive the North Wall for the most part with a weekly trip to Stingray City. You are going to love the Caymans. The diving is some of the best in the Caribbean. Great shore diving also.
Have fun and stay wet!
Pam

 

[diversteve]

I would like to try and avoid cattle barges if possible - any help is appreciated

Stay away from Red Sail then, in addition to the Hyatt, they handle a lot of the cruise ship traffic. So it's potentially bigger cattleboat trips.

Two I like post-Ivan are Wall to Wall Diving and Neptune's. Or for something a little different try IndigoDivers.

http://www.walltowalldiving.com/index.htm
http://www.neptunesdivers.com/index.html
http://www.indigodivers.com/index.shtml

PM CJ's(WtoW) or Caymancase(Neptunes) here.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

There are many operators, so your definition of cattle barge might come into play. Some operators take only small groups on small boats. Some take larger groups on larger boats. I guess we all want to avoid the large groups on small boats, and we all wish we could find small groups on large boats. Your tolerances must be the deciding factor.

While Red Sail does handle cruise ship traffic, they DO NOT put stay-over guests on a boat with cruise ship divers as a matter of course. They have to take the boat down to the harbour to pick up the cruise ship guests, and with widely varying cruise schedules, it's just not practical to combine the two.

In December, the expected winds may blow out some days on the North Wall. Ask your chosen operator about options for diving elsewhere should this happen.

While overall stay-over tourism has been down the past year post-Ivan, many locations report brisk bookings for the coming high season. To be certain of getting your preferred dates, I'd suggest booking with your chosen dive operator soon.

 

[pjayjarrett]

There are many operators, so your definition of cattle barge might come into play. Some operators take only small groups on small boats. Some take larger groups on larger boats. I guess we all want to avoid the large groups on small boats, and we all wish we could find small groups on large boats. Your tolerances must be the deciding factor.

While Red Sail does handle cruise ship traffic, they DO NOT put stay-over guests on a boat with cruise ship divers as a matter of course. They have to take the boat down to the harbour to pick up the cruise ship guests, and with widely varying cruise schedules, it's just not practical to combine the two.

In December, the expected winds may blow out some days on the North Wall. Ask your chosen operator about options for diving elsewhere should this happen.

While overall stay-over tourism has been down the past year post-Ivan, many locations report brisk bookings for the coming high season. To be certain of getting your preferred dates, I'd suggest booking with your chosen dive operator soon.

thanks for the advice, I will check out their schedule and practice for hotel guests as well as some of the other suggestions in the postings

 

[divinginthetropics]

They have a lot of reviews and suggestions for personalized dive operators at the Activity Guide site. Videos and discounts too.

http://www.caymanactivityguide.com/forums

 

[parrotfisch]

Try Cayman Marine Labs. Tom Byrnes is the owner and a Marine Biologt. His boats are six packs and he's a riot! During the surface interval he'll take out a board and dry eraser and give a lesson in marine biology. I'm sure he's still around.

 

[wb416]

Staying in Cayman (finally!!!) at the Hyatt for a week in December. I know that Red Sail services the Hyatt, but I am looking for suggestions on dive operators to use. I would like to try and avoid cattle barges if possible - any help is appreciated

I had good luck with Divers Down in 1999 and 2001. They only handled small groups. But it's been a few years and as with all things, they may have changed or gone under.... YMMV

bob

 

[ScubaCrow]

I dived with Red Sail this summer for two weeks and had a terrific experience with them. The boats were not crowded (5-10 divers), the equipment well maintained, and their people friendly and helpful. Because of an incoming hurricane, they did put cruise ship people on our boat since we only had 5 divers. However, they strictly regulated the cruise divers to shallower depths. Additionally, my group had its own Instructor/Guide to dive 100 ft and we were first in the water. It was a fantastic experience since the instructor was qualified to handle special needs divers, we dove with a paraplegic diver through Trinity Caves.

Overall, Red Sail is extremely safety oriented, professional, and fun. Clive and his gang are a good group.

 

[ianr33]

They have a lot of reviews and suggestions for personalized dive operators at the Activity Guide site. Videos and discounts too.

http://www.caymanactivityguide.com/forums

This has to be one of the LEAST objective sites I have ever come across. Every post seems to be a plug for the site owners friends/business associates.

IMHO it is pretty pathetic and not to be trusted.