Thinking about East End and Ocean Frontiers in October

[The Mighty Thor]

Who knew a simple request for info on east end diving could generate such emotions. I'll be happy to report back late October my impressions of east end diving, Boddentown, etc etc. And I've very aware Sept and Oct are prime hurricane months. I've made several trips to the Caribbean during these months and the numbers seem to indicate that at any particular island you may have a 1 in 100 chance of a hurricane hitting the week you are there. I'll take those chances. Now if it hits any of the few weeks prior you may have to cancel, but I'll live with that risk also.

We were nervous about going during this time of year also, but decided to risk it due to the great deals, and the availability of trip insurance. Also, the week before the trip, the weather reports all indicated thunderstorms all day, every day. Well, it rained off and on, an hour on one day, 1/2 hour the next, but for the most part the weather was great. A little overcast on some days, and sunny on others. It was refreshing to get a little rain. The diving was never affected, and we also had plenty of beach time. I would definitely go again this time of year.

This message was not sponsored by the Turtle Nest Inn, wherever that is.

 

[nipi]

BTW, NIPI , it seems obvious that you run a dive operation when you said " we are diving the North all the time at present, due to the winds from the South" those are typical comments from a diveboat captain. Your commercial interest is obvious.

To confirm, I have no commercial, financial or other interest in the Turtle Nest Inn, Seabreeze Condos or any dive operation in Cayman. I do not work in the dive industry.

I do, however, have an interest in correcting inaccurate & misleading posts made by posters about Cayman through this forum.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

My name is Bob . I have been diving in the Grand Cayman since 1983.
For the past 7 years, I have spent 6 weeks or more in Grand Cayman each year.
This Summer, I spent 2 months diving in Grand Cayman. I have NO COMMERCIAL
INTERESTS in Grand Cayman or any other Caribbean Island. I only reply to these
discussions to help other divers better understand what they can expect at a diving location. I hope to receive the same type of honest, straightfoward comments to help plan my own dive vacations....

Wow! And I've only been living here for just over 7 years. I bow to your infinite experience.

I said "Boddentown is a dump". ...

Where is this Boddentown again?

BTW, NIPI , it seems obvious that you run a dive operation when you said " we are diving the North all the time at present, due to the winds from the South" those
are typical comments from a diveboat captain. Your commercial interest is obvious.

Uh... no.

Understand that I wouldn't know nipi from anyone on the street but I have read enough of his/her posts to absolutely know that this is no diveboat captain. Not a dive shop owner either.

No Cayman dive staff is going to do such a large amount of his/her diving as shore diving. For many dive staff, diving is a job and days off are for drying out and offgassing. Not much diving happens on days off.

Just my humble experience in accumulating over 3000 working dives in 4.5 years in Cayman.

I may have overstated when I said GCM was wiped out in 2004. NIPI insists it was not wiped out. But things were so bad that there was no power for nearly a month, tourism was not allowed for 2 months, many roads were covered with sand, 2500+ cars were destroyed, and many homes wound up in the sea.There were lootings and home break-ins in an otherwise safe place. NIPI is nitpicking me. Is this the kind of environment you want to find yourself in, on your vacation ?

Good point. I think I'll look for someplace that doesn't get hit with hurricanes. Have you heard anything about New Orleans as a vacation destination? I've heard it's a fun town.

For those of you who have never been in a big hurricane, don't take it lightly, this is
serious stuff.Winds from Ivan were measured at 170 mph in Gerrgetown.

Serious stuff. If only it were true.
The peak measured wind speed in Grand Cayman was 150mph. This was taken from the only anemometer to survive the storm - albeit in a compromised state. For various reasons detailed in the technical report which examined the available data, that was considered a likely overestimate or true winds speed as the accuracy of the instrumentation was called into question at high wind speeds. The report ascribed a likely peak wind speed of 135mph in the area of that instrument and 145mph peak wind speed for the island as a whole. Wind gusts were likely higher.

Check out the report by Dr Simon Young which he prepared for the UK Department for International Development.

The REALLY GOOD NEWS about GCM diving is that there is VERY GOOD reef diving along the North Coast, From the Cracked Conch Restaurant all the way to the Great
Sound. Just follow the mini wall that runs along this coast. ...

Cool. Could you tell me where this Great Sound is? I'll have to check it out. Maybe I'll ask my friends in Bodden Town or George Town. If they don't know I'll ask the fishermen when they reach the Barcadere in the North Sound.

 

[Alex777]

My name is Bob .

I have NO COMMERCIAL INTERESTS in Grand Cayman or any other Caribbean Island. I only reply to these discussions to help other divers better understand what they can expect at a diving location. I hope to receive the same type of honest, straightfoward comments to help plan my own dive vacations.

A few days ago I posted on SCUBABOARD, my experiences from my Summer 2009
trip to Grand Cayman. My comments were honest and based on several experiences, but perhaps a bit too pointed. My comments were critiqued by a person named NIPI

Unfortunately, it is obvious that these message boards are being used by people with commercial interests ( either diving Inns or Lodges, or diving operations) to pass along misleading information to prospective new customers, to motivate them to come and give them new business. A sad state of affairs.

Someone with an apparent commercial interest in GCM has challenged one of my reports on this website. I will attempt to clarify several points.

BTW, NIPI , it seems obvious that you run a dive operation when you said " we are diving the North all the time at present, due to the winds from the South" those
are typical comments from a diveboat captain. Your commercial interest is obvious.

Sorry NIPI, this won't help your diveboat business.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/images/smilies/lotsalove.gif

Bob, your comments were not "a bit too pointed"; your opinions of the diving are as valid as anyone else's. I happen to agree with some of them.

However, you are completely off-base when you assume, incorrectly, that Nipi has some commercial motivation for the opinions he advances. You only have to read back through his previous posts to infer that he is a keen local diver with a job outside the dive industry, as Drew said. There are quite a few like him, although most do not bother posting here to try to assist people. Perhaps this thread shows why.

For the record, I have no interest, direct or indirect, in any aspect of the diving industry.

 

[DiveDocMD]

I've been diving the east end of Grand Cayman for nearly 10 years almost always with Ocean Frontiers. I can only say great things about the operator and the diving. Even having been on nearly every dive site from Half Moon bay in the South to the North Wall I always look forward to the next dive. I have done some West Bay dives but as a generality, the East End is less crowded and the diving more spectacular.

I have been fortunate to stay at villas for most of my trips but this last spring break the whole family went and we stayed at The Reef Resort. I have watched OF grow over the years and their condos at Compass Point are top notch. My wife and daughter are not as hard core as my son and myself so The Reef offered a better beach for non diving activites. If you are going to dive, dive, dive then Compass Point would be ideal.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Lowrey

 

[soso]

TurtleNest Inn -- I checked out the website, looks nice. Is it easy to get around w/ the rental car? Do you own your condo or is it a timeshare....I guess I'm interested do you rent out YOUR condo or do you use them to rent out space? Liked what we saw w/ the website and might want to consider this for a very fast upcoming trip we are trying to put together, like this month. How is the weather in Oct. in GC.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Soso I own a condo (They are not timeshares),there are only 10 condos and 9 rooms at the Inn.The rental car is included in the pricing whether you stay in a condo or at the inn,the island is only 23 miles long so it is easy to get around.I do rent mine out,it is in the rental pool.October is a quiet month in Cayman .If you would like more info PM and I will give you my phone number if you would like to call and ask.The only time available at my condo for October is the 23rd through the beginning of November.You would not actually deal with me for reservations,credit card info,car rental , etc...That would be done through the Owners of the Inn.

John

 

[Drew Sailbum]

...How is the weather in Oct. in GC.

Generally October has very nice conditions for diving. Winds are lighter than the annual average which gives us calmer seas typically.

Water Temperature will be at or near its annual maximum in October. Expect 86 degrees and clear visibility.

October is a peak month for rainfall. Typically rains are very intense and brief in duration.

Air temperatures can be quite warm, with highs in the 90s, higher humidity fromt he rain, and comparatively lower winds this can make it feel uncomfortable on some days.

 

[deco_martini]

I just got back from East End/Ocean Frontiers. Great time. Would definitely do it again.

 

[NewEnglandTransplant]

We've stayed at Morritts Tortuga on east end and enjoy the windsurfing along with diving. This is close to Rum Point. Georgetown is less than an hour so we head to 7MB at least once

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