Trip Report Trip report - Southern Cross Club, Little Cayman, June 2019

[KathyV]

Also to note...the food & drink prices at the local stores were crazy high! If staying at one of the condos, you really need to be aware of just how much food & drink will end up costing you overall. Anyone who has been there already will obviously know this but for the first timers trying to weigh options, it's good to know.

We bought some beers & Prosecco to keep in our mini fridge and drink on the patio & our little section of the beach, and while still cheaper than buying at SCC, it was still stupid expensive.

And the availability of fresh foods may be limited on the Sister Islands of Brac and Little Cayman. You certainly won't starve but a lot of the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy come in on a weekly supply barge, and if the weather is rough the barge won't make the trip.

That's one of the reasons we like to stay at an all-inclusive resort in the Sister Islands. On Grand Cayman there are loads of supermarkets and restaurants, but on Brac and Little your choices are limited. Plus paying for an AI in advance helps you understand your costs better, because food and liquor are expensive.

 

[tkaelin]

Thanks for posting and glad you had a nice trip.

 

[AggieDiver]

Thanks for the report! Glad you enjoyed it. Who is running the dive operation down there now? Is Ed still one of their DMs? He is very involved in the iguana protection project down there and was cool to talk to about the local wildlife when he worked at LCBR.

 

[KathyV]

...Now for the bad!
The Sargassum weed influx was pretty bad. A lot of it came into the sound and the beach was packed with it. It didn't affect diving on Bloody Bay Wall but the south side was pretty bad. Don't plan on swimming at the beach! You can, however, kayak over to Owen Island and enjoy the great beach there. Since the pool is so nice, it wasn't that big of a bummer for us. It made us chuckle a bit because at Bohio, the beach was so spectacular but the pool looked like it had a red tide. At SCC, the beach had the red tide but the pool was perfect! Figures! LOL! But...this is abviously not the fault of SCC...

Here's a couple of recent articles about the sargassum situation in Cayman:

https://caymannewsservice.com/2019/06/plan-tackle-sargassum/

https://cnslocallife.com/2019/06/keep-beaches-clear-sargassum/

 

[SSC-uba]

Hi @diversmith

How did you decide to go to SCC as opposed to LCBR or Pirates Point?

I've been to both SCC and Pirates Point. Both great places, but VERY different vibes.

Accomodations:
SCC is incredibly relaxing and quiet, with a beautiful beach and great service. the bungalows are spread out nicely so you can have plenty of privacy without having to walk forever to get to the dive boat or dinner. Pirates Point is like staying at your social Aunt's house for a family reunion. Everyone is very friendly and while it is not as 'luxurious' as SCC, the food is great and accommodations are just fine. Dinners are more communal and there is generally a more social and less of a relaxation vibe when compared to SCC. SCC has a great bartender, whereas Pirates Point is self service. This again reinforced the different vibe that each place is going for. There were also more young kids at Pirates Point, but that may have been a coincidence.

Diving Operations:
Both dive operations were good with great staff. At SCC, you can roll out of bed in the morning and walk right onto the boat, and the boat was never crowded. Dive boat is prepared in advance, and leaves promptly at 8am if I remember correctly.
Diving at Pirates Point starts later and they are more on 'island time'. Somewhere around 9:30am (going from memory here), everyone piles into a couple of vans and drives down the road (maybe a 5min drive) to the dock. Then you hang around while the boat gets loaded up. boat might leave around 10am or so (more 'or so' than on the dot). Boat was a lot more crowded that at SCC so things were a little less organized and a tad hectic. Because of the later start, we weren't able to dive our first choice sites a couple of times since someone else was already anchored there.

Can't go wrong at either place, but the one negative about both places is the sand flies! Those creatures can be nasty if there's no wind.

 

[KathyV]

Went to Little Cayman for 10 nights at SCC June 1 thru 11... ow for the bad! The Sargassum weed influx was pretty bad. A lot of it came into the sound and the beach was packed with it. It didn't affect diving on Bloody Bay Wall but the south side was pretty bad. Don't plan on swimming at the beach! You can, however, kayak over to Owen Island and enjoy the great beach there. Since the pool is so nice, it wasn't that big of a bummer for us. It made us chuckle a bit because at Bohio, the beach was so spectacular but the pool looked like it had a red tide. At SCC, the beach had the red tide but the pool was perfect! Figures! LOL! But...this is abviously not the fault of SCC....

Thanks again for the report on LC and the SCC; so sorry that you were hit so hard by the Sargassum weed, that's really a shame!

I've just posted an update with pics about the current status of the sargassum problem on Grand Cayman, see the link below. I hope that they are right and things really are getting better, and I truly hope that the situation will be much improved when we travel to GC and LC later this year!

https://www.scubaboard.com/community/posts/8677796/

 

[diversmith]

Thanks for the report! Glad you enjoyed it. Who is running the dive operation down there now? Is Ed still one of their DMs? He is very involved in the iguana protection project down there and was cool to talk to about the local wildlife when he worked at LCBR.

The lead guy is Mike. He's been there for many years now. Good guy & very knowledgeable. Didn't meet any Eds. All of the staff, dive & others, were all really great.

 

[wildbill9]

Thanks for the trip report! We love SCC and it fits us. Looked at LCBR and we always figured we were worth a few bucks more. Drinks are expensive so we took our own. After we ask for extra ice in a pitcher the 2nd time they gave us a new ice chest full of ice. Jen the manager was great. And the out door showers were sublime....never used inside unit. Can't wait to return.