Thinking about East End and Ocean Frontiers in October

[newmexicodiver]

Another thing OF has started this year. On days they are not doing a night dive, IF you do a 2 tank in the morning you can do afternoons at $25 a tank (NITROX extra) if there is space available. Just check with the office before you go out in the morning. Actually we checked when we got in at noon and did the afternoon dives as well 1 day.

 

[artemis]

I really liked the East End, the drive and Compass Point. But then I don't want to be in the middle of town when I am on holiday. The diving on the East Coast is really fun and interesting, lots of little caves and swim throughs.

I thought OF were professional and I didn't feel rushed, however the agreed bottom times were quite limited after my previous experiences. If you don't suck your air expect to be told that "other people won't want to wait on the boat for you for too long"...but ....it was a few years ago when I was there.....

 

[diverrex]

What are typical bottom times with OF? My last few trips to other islands I've become used to 60+ minute dives.

 

[artemis]

Well.... when we went over 35-40 mins we were encouraged not to keep the others waiting for us on the next dive. It felt a little like get down, get round and get up on occasions. I guess they had to accommodate everyone on the boat, which is understandable. 60 minutes would have been perfect but like I mentioned previously, this was a few years ago and obviously hasn't been the case for you recently.

 

[newmexicodiver]

I just pulled my log and checked for the 13 - 2 tank dives we did in July with them. First dive (deep dives) I averaged 43 minutes, ranged from 49 minutes to 37 minutes. Max depths ranged from 113 (wife had 118 as she was following something to get a pic and no questions were asked sinceher computer did not have her in Deco) to 91 (we stayed up some at 91 at Babylon since it was the 3rd dive of the day). The second reef dives I averaged 61 minutes and ranged from 73 to 45. Max depths ranged from 73 to 51.
We were generally last or next to last to come up. Nothing was ever said about the times.

 

[bob kopki]

I just spent 2 months diving on Grand Cayman, and have dove there each Summer
for the past 5 years. In Grand Cayman different areas are better suited for
seeing different species of marinelife. The diving is very inconsistent from one area
to another.

If you want to see sharks, your best bet is the East End with either Ocean Frontiers or red Sail. Not much of a chance to see sharks on the West or North wall. The reef
diving on the East End is OK.

Turtles are all over the island, no matter where you dive. We even see turtles while
on the 7 mile beach

Tarpon , eagle rays, and sting rays are plentiful on GCM. Your best bet to see eagle
rays is the North Wall. Tarpon like shady areas, in caves or near overhangs.
There are a lot of tarpon in the Georgetown harbor. Various restaurants feed them
fish scraps as entertainment during dinner, so they are quite huge.

There is very good reef diving on the North coast, following the Mini-wall that runs
from the Cracked Conch Restaurant all the way East to the Great Sound. The reef is very healthy here & fish are plentiful. This is mainly a shore diving area.
This is one of the few areas left on GCM with good reef diving. I've been surprised this
Summer how good the diving was in this area.

I wouldn't recommend diving in the west bay. The reefs are dying here. The North
Wall has beautiful coral, but there are few fish.

So sorry, to see the best of GCM diving, you will have to move around a bit.
But if you put it all together you can have a very good diving experience.

Bob
robertmk24@gmail.com
for Summer 2009 GCM dive photos flickr.com/photos/bob24/

 

[diverrex]

Just booked a trip with OF/Compass Point in October. The 2 for 1 deal was too good to pass up. Hoping for some good East End diving and no hurricanes.

 

[bob kopki]

I just came back from an 8 week dive vacation on GCM. Dove all over, looking for the best
diving.

You don't want to stay in Boddentown, it is a dump.

East End diving, like Everywhere else in GCM is spotty. It is probably your best chance on GCM
to see big stuff, but its not reliable. Reef diving on the East End is ok.

The best reef diving on Grand Cayman is on the North Shore, from the Cracked Conch Rest.
to the Great Sound. The diving there is quite good and reliable. You can shore dive this area
cheaply.

The North Wall is beautiful, but you will see few fish

Forget about diving on the West side, too many dying reefs.

Why don't you go to Little Cayman ? By far the best diving in the CI

What's the rush to dive in October ? serious hurricane risk, if you have not been in a big
hurricane, don't take them lightly. The 2004 hurricane wiped out GCM.
The 2008 hurricane wiped put Cayman Brac.
Rather better to go diving one month later in November, much lower hurricane risk.

Bob

 

[bob kopki]

Why do you think they give 2 for 1 in October ?

No one else will go there due to the Hurricane risk !!

Gcm was wiped out in 2004. Cayman Brac was wiped out in 2008 !!

 

[EastEndDiver]

Boddentown is a dump???? Then why do we at Turtle nest Inn and Condos ( Boddentown) have the HIGHEST occupancy rate and the HIGHEST return rate of any hotel or condo on island? These figures are from the Cayman Island Department of Tourism. Could it be that Boddentown is away from the Hustle and Bustle and Crowds of SMB and where you can actually experience the Caymanian lifestyle as it was?

Huricane Ivan struck on Sept. 11 and Paloma struck on Nov. 8.I believe the last huricane to hit the Cayman islands in October was Mitch in 1998.

Here is a website about Cayman weather,http://cayman.com.ky/about-cayman/island-information/weather-in-cayman.html,one good bit of advise is to purchase Trip Insurance to be certain that you are covered if the unexpected happens .

I have been diving Cayman since the late 70's and enjoy diving anywhere on island.I always do Eden Rock/Devils Grotto when on island even tho the "experts" don't recomend it ,best to do when no cruise ships on island or early if they are.

If you would like any info that I might be able to help with ,I own on island and spend up to 2 months a year there,feel free to Pm me.