I have dived all 3 of the Cayman Islands several times, including land-based and liveaboard diving, but the only Cayman island that I have snorkeled and shore-dived is GC. I like all of the islands for same/different reasons and I think that you can have a great dive vacation on any of them. IMO the diving is best off LC, followed by CB, followed by GC. But there is very good diving available off all 3 islands and the opinions and preferences of others will vary.
Grand Cayman has a lot of topside attractions and the seven mile beach. It also has the Kittiwake for those that like wreck dives. It is a great place to go if you are traveling with non-diving friends and family. Or if you just like fine dining, night life, and shopping in a beautiful location (and there's nothing wrong with that!) And there are loads of other things to do and see on GC that are free and inexpensive. I love the fact that it is both trendy and chic but still quaint. You can walk down the sidewalks of Georgetown, past shops with names that belong on Rodeo Drive, but there will be a chicken walking next to you!
We are divers but we love taking advantage of all the fun and non-dive cultural offerings available on GC, too. You really should rent a car on GC because there is so much to enjoy. We are not crazy about all the cruise ships and tourist attractions but we take part in some of them when the cruise ships are not in port.
There are lots of great snorkeling sites and some very nice and inexpensive shore dives on GC. There are also many excellent dive operators and beautiful wall dives. And you really should dive Sting Ray City at least once, but go early before the crowds arrive.
There are also some not so great dives and "just okay" operators on GC (IMO) so you will have to do some research before you book. When we are on GC we like to stay at Turtle Nest Inn in Bodden Town. It is away from the 7MB and Georgetown but not so far away like the East End. We have a rental car and a full kitchen to prepare meals and we can snorkel right out front. Nowadays, when we are on GC we mostly snorkel and do some shore dives and maybe a few boat dives with an operator like Ocean Frontiers or Red Sail or a smaller operation like DNS. You can probably contrive to do 4 or more dives a day on GC but it can get expensive and you will be tired and miss a lot of other cool stuff to do, IMO. An all-inclusive like Cobalt Coast offers a lot of dives, including shore dives at a reasonable cost.
If you want to do a lot of dives in the Caymans then I suggest the Cayman Aggressor liveaboard. Many of the dives you will be doing are accessible by land-based operators but the diving is easy and you can do 4 to 5 a day if you wish with no problems. And if the weather cooperates you will get to dive the best sites off all 3 islands. But if you do decide to take a liveaboard trip, be sure take a few extra days on GC to experience the island.
I love Cayman Brac because it is so small and sleepy and pretty. And I think that the Brac Reef Beach Resort is a great bargain for the Cayman Islands. There are only 2 dive ops on CB and very few places to stay or eat. Both of the dive ops have good reputations and loyal supporters. The topography of the island is interesting and beautiful and the reefs and sealife are excellent. Everything is so nice and easy. One of the things I like best about CB is that almost all of the divers I meet are experienced. It is not the kind of place that attracts newbies. And there is the Tibbetts (Russian Frigate) for people that enjoy an easy wreck dive. We walk and bicycle on CB and usually rent a car for one day to explore the island.
Three dives a day with the chance for an extra night dive twice a week is about all you can expect on CB; but I am okay with that. We stopped worrying about the number of dives a long time ago. Now we just enjoy the opportunity for quality dives in a beautiful location. I also greatly appreciate the valet dive services of Reef Divers. I understand that you can do shore dives on CB but we haven't tried it.
I have never been on CB during high season so I can't say for sure, but I have never found CB to be overly crowded - it is always just a beautiful and easygoing place with good accomodations, excellent service, and great diving. There is not much to do for non-divers except relax and enjoy the resort and nature. When you are out on the reef your dive boat may be the only boat in sight. I love the fact that CB is a part of the "sophisticated and chic Cayman Islands" and yet it is so rural and funky. In my mind it is the kind of place that (well-to-do) loners and crackpots go to "get away from it all" but still enjoy the comforts and support of a first world economy. I wish that I was one of them!
Little Cayman is a very special place. A very, very tiny and beautiful island and there is even less to do topside than on CB! But who cares, it is so gorgeous! The reefs of Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's are among the best of the Caribbean IMO. But because they have the BBW the island does get crowded and it is more expensive and upscale than CB; although I still think that LCBR is a good value and they also use Reef Divers and offer valet dive services.
There are several dive ops and places to stay on LC and you will see multiple dive boats out on the wall on an average day (but nothing that compares to the mob that gathers around the Thistlegorm in the Red Sea, so that's okay.) Because it is a more popular dive site you will get some newbies, but that's okay, too. Three dives a day with a couple of extra night dives are usually all you can get on LC, but as I have said, I am fine with that. Again, I understand that there are shore diving options but I haven't tried them.
If you want to go to LC then book early because it fills up fast and you may have trouble getting flights even if you find a place to stay and dive. Sometimes being a little flexible with your dates can be very helpful.
There are things I don't like about all 3 of the Cayman islands. They are expensive and the US dollar is only worth about .80 cents; but there are ways to mitigate the expense somewhat by renting an apartment and cooking some meals, staying in a place away from the 7MB, or staying at an all-inclusive, avoiding the tourist spots and enjoying other fun and beautiful things to do. You can also travel during the low and mid seasons to reduce cost (and crowds) but you will have a greater risk of bad weather.
I also don't care for the fact that the Caymans islands are located in the Caribbean hurricane belt and that the water is colder than I prefer in the winter and spring, but it is what it is!
There are things that I very much like about all 3 of the Cayman islands. They are beautiful, tropical islands that have a first world economy with good communication systems, excellent healthcare facilities, fine roads, and good mosquito abatement programs, and you don't have to worry about eating the food or drinking the water. They have very low rates of Dengue Fever, Chikungunya, and no problems at all with Malaria. But implementing and maintaining that type of infrastructure in the tropics is expensive. But I like that I don't have to be immunized or take preventive tropical medications while I am in the Caymans and they are NOT located on the Mosquito Coast like Honduras and Belize.
The Caymans are also a great place to do a multi-island vacation if you have enough time. We like to enjoy the amenities of GC for a week and then head to CB or LC to "get off the beaten path" and go diving for a week. You get to enjoy the best of both worlds. And it is nice that you may get the chance to dive LC while staying on CB, and vice versa.
Also the crime rate is low on all the Cayman islands and most of the people are friendly and almost everyone speaks English. The Caymans are rather conservative for Caribbean islands. There are no topless or nude beaches and it is hard to find an open store or buy a bottle of liquor on Sundays. Tourism is not their only source of revenue (take a look at all those offshore banks on GC!) so they can be independent and try to hang on to their cultural identity despite the onslaught of tourism. Good for the Caymanians!
I think that almost any Caribbean diver will find lots of things to love about a trip to any of the Cayman Islands. My advice is to enjoy all 3 of them!
Grand Cayman has a lot of topside attractions and the seven mile beach. It also has the Kittiwake for those that like wreck dives. It is a great place to go if you are traveling with non-diving friends and family. Or if you just like fine dining, night life, and shopping in a beautiful location (and there's nothing wrong with that!) And there are loads of other things to do and see on GC that are free and inexpensive. I love the fact that it is both trendy and chic but still quaint. You can walk down the sidewalks of Georgetown, past shops with names that belong on Rodeo Drive, but there will be a chicken walking next to you!
We are divers but we love taking advantage of all the fun and non-dive cultural offerings available on GC, too. You really should rent a car on GC because there is so much to enjoy. We are not crazy about all the cruise ships and tourist attractions but we take part in some of them when the cruise ships are not in port.
There are lots of great snorkeling sites and some very nice and inexpensive shore dives on GC. There are also many excellent dive operators and beautiful wall dives. And you really should dive Sting Ray City at least once, but go early before the crowds arrive.
There are also some not so great dives and "just okay" operators on GC (IMO) so you will have to do some research before you book. When we are on GC we like to stay at Turtle Nest Inn in Bodden Town. It is away from the 7MB and Georgetown but not so far away like the East End. We have a rental car and a full kitchen to prepare meals and we can snorkel right out front. Nowadays, when we are on GC we mostly snorkel and do some shore dives and maybe a few boat dives with an operator like Ocean Frontiers or Red Sail or a smaller operation like DNS. You can probably contrive to do 4 or more dives a day on GC but it can get expensive and you will be tired and miss a lot of other cool stuff to do, IMO. An all-inclusive like Cobalt Coast offers a lot of dives, including shore dives at a reasonable cost.
If you want to do a lot of dives in the Caymans then I suggest the Cayman Aggressor liveaboard. Many of the dives you will be doing are accessible by land-based operators but the diving is easy and you can do 4 to 5 a day if you wish with no problems. And if the weather cooperates you will get to dive the best sites off all 3 islands. But if you do decide to take a liveaboard trip, be sure take a few extra days on GC to experience the island.
I love Cayman Brac because it is so small and sleepy and pretty. And I think that the Brac Reef Beach Resort is a great bargain for the Cayman Islands. There are only 2 dive ops on CB and very few places to stay or eat. Both of the dive ops have good reputations and loyal supporters. The topography of the island is interesting and beautiful and the reefs and sealife are excellent. Everything is so nice and easy. One of the things I like best about CB is that almost all of the divers I meet are experienced. It is not the kind of place that attracts newbies. And there is the Tibbetts (Russian Frigate) for people that enjoy an easy wreck dive. We walk and bicycle on CB and usually rent a car for one day to explore the island.
Three dives a day with the chance for an extra night dive twice a week is about all you can expect on CB; but I am okay with that. We stopped worrying about the number of dives a long time ago. Now we just enjoy the opportunity for quality dives in a beautiful location. I also greatly appreciate the valet dive services of Reef Divers. I understand that you can do shore dives on CB but we haven't tried it.
I have never been on CB during high season so I can't say for sure, but I have never found CB to be overly crowded - it is always just a beautiful and easygoing place with good accomodations, excellent service, and great diving. There is not much to do for non-divers except relax and enjoy the resort and nature. When you are out on the reef your dive boat may be the only boat in sight. I love the fact that CB is a part of the "sophisticated and chic Cayman Islands" and yet it is so rural and funky. In my mind it is the kind of place that (well-to-do) loners and crackpots go to "get away from it all" but still enjoy the comforts and support of a first world economy. I wish that I was one of them!
Little Cayman is a very special place. A very, very tiny and beautiful island and there is even less to do topside than on CB! But who cares, it is so gorgeous! The reefs of Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's are among the best of the Caribbean IMO. But because they have the BBW the island does get crowded and it is more expensive and upscale than CB; although I still think that LCBR is a good value and they also use Reef Divers and offer valet dive services.
There are several dive ops and places to stay on LC and you will see multiple dive boats out on the wall on an average day (but nothing that compares to the mob that gathers around the Thistlegorm in the Red Sea, so that's okay.) Because it is a more popular dive site you will get some newbies, but that's okay, too. Three dives a day with a couple of extra night dives are usually all you can get on LC, but as I have said, I am fine with that. Again, I understand that there are shore diving options but I haven't tried them.
If you want to go to LC then book early because it fills up fast and you may have trouble getting flights even if you find a place to stay and dive. Sometimes being a little flexible with your dates can be very helpful.
There are things I don't like about all 3 of the Cayman islands. They are expensive and the US dollar is only worth about .80 cents; but there are ways to mitigate the expense somewhat by renting an apartment and cooking some meals, staying in a place away from the 7MB, or staying at an all-inclusive, avoiding the tourist spots and enjoying other fun and beautiful things to do. You can also travel during the low and mid seasons to reduce cost (and crowds) but you will have a greater risk of bad weather.
I also don't care for the fact that the Caymans islands are located in the Caribbean hurricane belt and that the water is colder than I prefer in the winter and spring, but it is what it is!
There are things that I very much like about all 3 of the Cayman islands. They are beautiful, tropical islands that have a first world economy with good communication systems, excellent healthcare facilities, fine roads, and good mosquito abatement programs, and you don't have to worry about eating the food or drinking the water. They have very low rates of Dengue Fever, Chikungunya, and no problems at all with Malaria. But implementing and maintaining that type of infrastructure in the tropics is expensive. But I like that I don't have to be immunized or take preventive tropical medications while I am in the Caymans and they are NOT located on the Mosquito Coast like Honduras and Belize.
The Caymans are also a great place to do a multi-island vacation if you have enough time. We like to enjoy the amenities of GC for a week and then head to CB or LC to "get off the beaten path" and go diving for a week. You get to enjoy the best of both worlds. And it is nice that you may get the chance to dive LC while staying on CB, and vice versa.
Also the crime rate is low on all the Cayman islands and most of the people are friendly and almost everyone speaks English. The Caymans are rather conservative for Caribbean islands. There are no topless or nude beaches and it is hard to find an open store or buy a bottle of liquor on Sundays. Tourism is not their only source of revenue (take a look at all those offshore banks on GC!) so they can be independent and try to hang on to their cultural identity despite the onslaught of tourism. Good for the Caymanians!
I think that almost any Caribbean diver will find lots of things to love about a trip to any of the Cayman Islands. My advice is to enjoy all 3 of them!
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