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Just got back from a week in Grand Cayman. We stayed at the hyatt, which was great. Although the Hyatt is apparently winding down operations and selling off their rooms (all suites) as condos. Red Sail is based at the Hyatt and I did about 8 tanks with them. I've dove with them before in Aruba and was generally happy with their service. But I've seen quite a few negative posts on this board about them and I want to share my experience -- Red Sail Cayman gets an A+. (Note: I'm not affiliated with them in any way, etc.). The boats were super clean, pretty new, and spacious. Granted, they were "cattle boats" that hold a bunch of people. But there was plenty of room to walk around and plenty of covered space for those who like shade. On one of the trips, there was a flying bridge that you could go up to. One small complaint -- the tank holders aren't right behind the bench/seats; there's a grouping of tank holders next to each bench, so you can't "guard" your gear that well. Not that I'm afraid of theft, but I don't want some yahoo e.g. stepping on my regulator or bumping a tank into my computer transmitter.... There was a huge marine head on ever boat; it was very clean, although there isn't a holding tank so it empties into the ocean when you flush! (Not at a beach or a dive site). Huge swim platform, two nice ladders. Tag lines on bow and stern. The boat has an emergency reg at 15' -- nice touch. Two fresh water showers. Multiple coolers with ice cold water. Ice chest for your own drinks. The crew passes orange slices between dives. Separate buckets for regs and cameras. Separate camera and dry tables.... That about covers amenities. I was truly impressed with the crew -- all brits/south-africans, extremely friendly AND professional. I've been diving with around 10 operators and these guys gave the best briefing I've ever heard: Detailed intro to the boat; the captain let the divers pick the dive sites for the day (e.g. if you dove X site, he wouldn't go there again if possible; if you had a request and the rest of the divers were on board, you got to pick the site); thorough orientation to the site with diagrams on a dry erase board; excellent safety instructions -- for example, they told you that if there was a medical emergency, they would sound the recall alert (banging weights against the swim platform at 1 second intervals); they even had a contingency plan -- if someone needed medical attention, the boat would leave right away and the rest of the staff would stay with the divers on the mooring buoy until another red sail boat arrived (incidentally, this happened this past week, but I wasn't on the dive). The best thing about the crew was that they weren't afraid to set ground rules for the divers (too many other crew members seem to shy away from any confrontation which might lesson a tip). E.g. no wetsuits in the dunk buckets for obvious reasons, no masks w/ spit/chemicals in the buckets; they enforced the no deco limits for computer divers and those diving tables; I saw a crew member yell (underwater) at some divers who went below 100'; no gloves; etc. They were overly helpful with gear and went out of their way to even help me line up some photos. These guys were terrific!
Other small complaints: I suspect that this type of operation attracts poorly trained divers; the crew ought to pair people in buddy teams even during "guided" tours (i.e. the first, deeper dive each day was guided; the second was optional); I wish that the crew "enforced" a buddy check.
So there you have it, fair and balanced. There are certainly a number of "pros" to diving with red sail -- amenities like no other, great briefings, safety, etc. The only "con" (in general) is the number of divers and (possibly) a lower experience level (i.e. cruise divers). All in all, I can't wait to dive with them again.
Other small complaints: I suspect that this type of operation attracts poorly trained divers; the crew ought to pair people in buddy teams even during "guided" tours (i.e. the first, deeper dive each day was guided; the second was optional); I wish that the crew "enforced" a buddy check.
So there you have it, fair and balanced. There are certainly a number of "pros" to diving with red sail -- amenities like no other, great briefings, safety, etc. The only "con" (in general) is the number of divers and (possibly) a lower experience level (i.e. cruise divers). All in all, I can't wait to dive with them again.
