Trip Report Trip report: Grand Cayman and Little Cayman

[Doctorfish]

Nice detailed report and video. I've noticed the nurse sharks on GC getting more "friendly" the last few years. My guess is that it relates to the increase in lionfish hunting. Some of the nurse sharks even have "names". Hook and Amigo for instance.

 

[caydiver]

Great report. I don’t think that one area of GC has better diving than another. Just depends. There are awesome sites all around the island. Ghost Mountain is one I really like but there are so many others I can’t narrow down a best. We are not supposed to drop anchor unless it is sandy bottom so that was surprising and with so many moorings available seems a bit unnecessary.

 

[Doctorfish]

I agree with caydiver. I've had some great dives all 4 sides of the island. I have my preferences, but like it all. I tend to slightly prefer N and E, but have had some amazing dives W and S.

 

[flyboy08]

Nice detailed report and video. I've noticed the nurse sharks on GC getting more "friendly" the last few years. My guess is that it relates to the increase in lionfish hunting. Some of the nurse sharks even have "names". Hook and Amigo for instance.

This is sad because Nurse sharks will begin to harass divers looking for food...if they haven’t already?

 

[Alucard]

Thank you very much for this detailed report - some great info, there!

Just a comment about the diving below 50 feet on Grand Cayman - I haven't dove the east end yet, but I have to say that the dive sites off West Bay and the North side have a lot of coral and life all the way down to 110 feet. In most places the coral is relatively healthy, too, with lots of juveniles in the sheltered areas. I can't say the same for some of the more south-western dive sites, where I find the coral quite beaten-up and the fish far less plentiful.

 

[caydiver]

No one is supposed to be feeding anything to the sharks including lion fish so hopefully that situation will not develop. There is one particular nurse shark who was totally entangled in fishing lines. One of our guys went back down when the guests were back on the boat to cut him free. That was a few years ago and that shark still comes back to say hello from time to time.

 

[Jake]

Thank you very much for this detailed report - some great info, there!

Just a comment about the diving below 50 feet on Grand Cayman - I haven't dove the east end yet, but I have to say that the dive sites off West Bay and the North side have a lot of coral and life all the way down to 110 feet. In most places the coral is relatively healthy, too, with lots of juveniles in the sheltered areas. I can't say the same for some of the more south-western dive sites, where I find the coral quite beaten-up and the fish far less plentiful.

I'm a layman, but my impression was that the coral was very healthy everywhere we went on the east end, including past 100 feet. Compared to somewhere like Cozumel or Little Cayman though, fish were relatively sparse once you got a little deeper.

 

[Alucard]

Maybe there is a difference between the East End and West Bay sites, then. Haven't done both to be able to compare.

 

[Doctorfish]

I've dive both east and west recently and IMO, both are healthy with lots of fish.
You are potentially more likely to see reef sharks at east end and some of the walls seem more dramatic, but both are excellent.
Having said that, I was diving north in early December with DNS and we saw 2 hammerheads, a reef shark, 2 nurse sharks, turtles and 4-5 eagle rays over 5 days of diving. These were some of the best dives I've ever experienced on GC.

 

[Kimela]

@Doctorfish, we dove with Sunset Divers on the other end of GC but are going to be staying and diving at the East End in July. Are there any noticeable currents/surge there? Thanks!