Thank you for the info thats not a bad drive. We have done that in Hawaii. Now in Cozumel we stay at the villa and they pick us up which is very convenient. But we love the villa atmosphere and Turtle Nest Inn seems to be the closest we can get to that same atmosphere. We do want to do Stingray city because we missed it the last time we were there so that is a must for one of our dives. Do you know if that is a two tank or a one tank dive? And are the dives in GC drift dives or anchor dives? How is the current there?
Where to stay in Grand Cayman?
- Thread starter chickmama
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Thank you for the info thats not a bad drive. We have done that in Hawaii. Now in Cozumel we stay at the villa and they pick us up which is very convenient. But we love the villa atmosphere and Turtle Nest Inn seems to be the closest we can get to that same atmosphere. We do want to do Stingray city because we missed it the last time we were there so that is a must for one of our dives. Do you know if that is a two tank or a one tank dive? And are the dives in GC drift dives or anchor dives? How is the current there?
EastEndDiver
Contributor
Stingray city is a one tank dive,also if you dive an operator who takes you to the north wall sometimes the surface interval is done at stingray city and you will have an opportunity to snorkel there.I have done both and actually prefer to snorkel stingray city rather than dive it.
The dives are anchor dives ,depending on where you dive the current can be low to none or be ripping.Any good operation will make you aware of the current during the briefing.As far as I am concerned all the operations are pretty much good operations on GC.
The dives are anchor dives ,depending on where you dive the current can be low to none or be ripping.Any good operation will make you aware of the current during the briefing.As far as I am concerned all the operations are pretty much good operations on GC.
Thanks I have been doing some research and I think we are going to dive with Peter Milburns. He only takes 6 people out so he said it is very possible the 4 of us would have the whole boat. Which suites us fine. We have also made our reservations with Turtle Nest Inn. I appreciate the advice everyone has given me. Its been a great help. Thanks so very much. Kathy
diver-x_Boston
Registered
We just got back last week from Grand Cayman and we stayed in a condo at Coconut Bay, right next to Turtle Reef, arguably the best shore diving on the island. The location was great! This was our 4th trip to GC and we don't bother to get on a boat there anymore. The shore diving is just as good and much cheaper too!
We dived at Sunset House but were very disappointed at the viz (30-40 feet max). We have dived there before with much better conditions so we're hoping this was a temporary, weather related condition.
Another fun shore dive is Eden Rock, though the coral is in terrible shape due to over-use, the caves & swim-thoughs are really fun, and there are places there where there are more fish than water! Tarpon galore as well.
I enjoyed the Dive Tech location at Lighthouse Point very much. We were surprised to find they've moved out of Turtle Reef, and are now just down the street, currently with just a kiosk, but with plans to build a small condo "resort" with a full dive shop. Dive Tech is also at Cobalt Coast, which is another great place to dive. They have a pretty good deal for shore diving and lunch for only $20/head. When you consider the diving costs $15 for tanks & weight that means lunch is only $5. Believe me with prices in Cayman, you can't even buy groceries that cheap to make your own lunch!
And then there is Sun Divers at Turtle Reef, downstairs from the Cracked Conch restaurant. This is a really fabulous place to dive. The mini-wall is so pretty and the deep wall is great too. Since we were staying right next door, Sun Divers let us take some tanks to our place for a night dive. We drifted from our place and exited at Sun Divers. I highly recommend that dive!
Well, it looks like you've already made reservations. I've heard nothing but good things about Turtle Nest, but it is a little bit out of the way for the shore diving in George Town and West Bay. If your reservations are still flexible, I highly recommend staying at Coconut Bay, though you are on your own for diving since there is no operation right there. But like I said, Sun Divers is right next door, and Dive Tech is in two locations, both less than 10 minutes away. We stayed in this unit (2 BR, 2 full baths): Coconut Bay Getaway, Cayman Island Condo Rental which we found at ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner and we were able to negotiate the asking price down quite a bit. There are other units available, with more rooms, surprisingly for only $3000/month. If you can find another group or family to take 2 week shifts, you'd be getting an amazing deal!
Have fun!
We dived at Sunset House but were very disappointed at the viz (30-40 feet max). We have dived there before with much better conditions so we're hoping this was a temporary, weather related condition.
Another fun shore dive is Eden Rock, though the coral is in terrible shape due to over-use, the caves & swim-thoughs are really fun, and there are places there where there are more fish than water! Tarpon galore as well.
I enjoyed the Dive Tech location at Lighthouse Point very much. We were surprised to find they've moved out of Turtle Reef, and are now just down the street, currently with just a kiosk, but with plans to build a small condo "resort" with a full dive shop. Dive Tech is also at Cobalt Coast, which is another great place to dive. They have a pretty good deal for shore diving and lunch for only $20/head. When you consider the diving costs $15 for tanks & weight that means lunch is only $5. Believe me with prices in Cayman, you can't even buy groceries that cheap to make your own lunch!
And then there is Sun Divers at Turtle Reef, downstairs from the Cracked Conch restaurant. This is a really fabulous place to dive. The mini-wall is so pretty and the deep wall is great too. Since we were staying right next door, Sun Divers let us take some tanks to our place for a night dive. We drifted from our place and exited at Sun Divers. I highly recommend that dive!
Well, it looks like you've already made reservations. I've heard nothing but good things about Turtle Nest, but it is a little bit out of the way for the shore diving in George Town and West Bay. If your reservations are still flexible, I highly recommend staying at Coconut Bay, though you are on your own for diving since there is no operation right there. But like I said, Sun Divers is right next door, and Dive Tech is in two locations, both less than 10 minutes away. We stayed in this unit (2 BR, 2 full baths): Coconut Bay Getaway, Cayman Island Condo Rental which we found at ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner and we were able to negotiate the asking price down quite a bit. There are other units available, with more rooms, surprisingly for only $3000/month. If you can find another group or family to take 2 week shifts, you'd be getting an amazing deal!
Have fun!
<< we're hoping this was a temporary, weather related condition. >>
It is.
Coconut Bay would be a great place to stay on a dive vacation. Just offshore, reachable with an easy swim, is Hepp's Pipeline - essentially an extension of the Turtle Reef dive site. Farther out but still swimable is Hepp's Wall - a great site for turtles, etc.
It is.
Coconut Bay would be a great place to stay on a dive vacation. Just offshore, reachable with an easy swim, is Hepp's Pipeline - essentially an extension of the Turtle Reef dive site. Farther out but still swimable is Hepp's Wall - a great site for turtles, etc.
As you know Peter runs a small boat and normally dives North Wall, West Wall, or South. He is know for getting and early start to get his choice of dive sites. Based upon chosen site he may give you directions to meet the boat at the nearest suitable launch site.
From Turtle Nest Inn you will be heading towards George Town for your morning dive. Traffic is getting somewhat better with some new road works. There is still more work to go, but expect improvements over the 45 minutes of gridlock that came with any early drive into town. Hopefully traffic will be flowing much more smoothly by the time of your trip in June.
Thanks everyone for your input. I will print out all the info for shore dives. My husband and I have our own dive bear but my son and dil do not. We dont want to be renting dive gear on our non dive days but maybe we can all share and take turns. Thanks for the info. Kathy
Similar threads
