We're Stuck in a Rut - But It's a Beautiful Rut - Going Back to Cayman!

[flyboy08]

You always promote GC that the Chamber of Commerce should provide you with free accommodations!

Enjoy, I'm sure you will.

 

[Soloist]

Yes, Bodden Town is convenient to all sides of Grand Cayman but the traffic heading to/from George Town, 7MB, and the airport can be bad during rush hours. We usually time our excursions to those areas to avoid the worst traffic; for example to shore dive the West Bay sites north of 7MB.

It's always pretty easy to go east and north from Bodden Town with little traffic, and there are dive ops on the East End like Ocean Frontiers and Red Sail Tortuga that are convenient for boat diving.

In regards to good dive sites around LC, we usually defer to the divemasters and boat captains because they can make the best recommendations for the conditions, and they try to avoid duplicates and make sure that everybody on the boat has a good time.

Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's Bight have the nicest LC reefs IMO. The reefs start shallow and are close to shore so you don't have long boat rides. BBW is a sheer drop to infinity but the Jackson's Bight section of reef has a double-wall construction. There is a smaller, shallow inner wall close to shore separated from the steep wall drop-off by a sandy area.

You will see beautiful corals and sponges and reef life as well as larger animals around LC like turtles, eagle rays, sting rays, and some sharks may also be cruising along the wall. You can either choose to follow the divemaster or go off on your own as a buddy pair.

A very popular feature (that I don't much care for!) are the many swim-throughs and tunnel features of LC's reefs. Some people love them but my ears don't handle sudden depth changes very well so we usually swim over the top and meet the rest of the divers at the other side.

When it is windy and rough the LC dive boats may not be able to get out into Bloody Bay and in those cases they usually dive the south side of the island. It is nice diving but "typical Caribbean reef diving" and not as spectacular as BBW.

I understand that (weather permitting) they have started offering a 3-tank dive excursion with diving and lunch at their neighboring resort on Cayman Brac at no extra charge. The Tibbett's (a Russian Frigate wreck) is the most popular dive destination on Brac and they usually spend the morning dives there.

The two sister resorts have always offered excursions to the other sites, from Brac to LC to dive BBW, and from LC to Brac to dive the Tibbetts, but they were always 2-tank dives and you went back to your home resort for a late lunch. They also used to charge a "fuel surcharge" for the excursion and there was a minimum number of divers required to make the trip.

Now it is a 3-tank dive at no extra charge (unless you are on a 2-tank package) and you stop at the opposite resort and have lunch there; so it gives the guests at each resort a chance to check out the neighboring property and reefs, to help them decide if they might like to stay there in the future.

I hope that you have a great trip and please write a report when you return!

Thanks for your insight! Very helpful.

 

[ian.b]

Can"t beat that feeling Kathy! We just booked our tickets too for our trip in the end of September.

 

[DanSinks]

Wow it's really inspiring hearing about your trip plans, now I want to book something!

 

[AdivingBel]

Been to LCBR multiple times. Headed back this summer. We really enjoy the trip, but we're diving with some real "scoundrels" this time. Gonna be interesting to see how it turns out.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Soloist]

Been to LCBR multiple times. Headed back this summer. We really enjoy the trip, but we're diving with some real "scoundrels" this time. Gonna be interesting to see how it turns out.

Enjoy your trip!!

Scoundrels you say! I would be forever grateful if you would point these dubious characters and unscrupulous miscreants out to me. I am very particular about the company I keep...

 

[AdivingBel]

Scoundrels you say! I would be forever grateful if you would point these dubious characters and unscrupulous miscreants out to me. I am very particular about the company I keep...

You can generally pick them out by their pool wear. It's a pretty big (or small as the case may be) tell.

 

[PatW]

We are in a similar rut. My wife likes the diving on Little Cayman best. I like Cayman Brac diving. I am a bit of a coral nut. The sites at the Brac with the best corals have very good corals. The deep south side walls at the Brac are very good as are the set of walls west of the dock on the north side.

My wife likes the physical foot print of the resort on the Brac better than LCBR which is a bit constrained. You can also stroll along the beach at the Brac pretty much all the way to the west end of the island.

My wife really like the tours of the Brac. Their is quite a bit to see: caves, the Bluff, birds nesting and the Cayman Brac Parrot.

 

[jonhall]

In February we booked 2 weeks in GC for April - 2020!! Something to look forward to I suppose. I will have a hard time reading @KathyV 's great trip reports, but I will eventually get over it - probably in 2020.

 

[KathyV]

We are in a similar rut. My wife likes the diving on Little Cayman best. I like Cayman Brac diving. I am a bit of a coral nut. The sites at the Brac with the best corals have very good corals. The deep south side walls at the Brac are very good as are the set of walls west of the dock on the north side.

My wife likes the physical foot print of the resort on the Brac better than LCBR which is a bit constrained. You can also stroll along the beach at the Brac pretty much all the way to the west end of the island.

My wife really like the tours of the Brac. Their is quite a bit to see: caves, the Bluff, birds nesting and the Cayman Brac Parrot.

We love both the Sister Islands and we tend to alternate. We were on GC and then at CBBR last year, so this year we are going to GC and LCBR.

You've probably already seen the movie "Cayman Went"? I love seeing the scenes of the Brac both above and below water. The movie is streaming online on Vimeo at the link below: