Where to stay on Little Cayman?

[caymaniac]

JeffMandell once bubbled...
Do you think it's a mistake to spend half the trip diving the GC east end with Ocean Frontiers? Should we spend most of it on Little GC? I've been assuming that there aren't a week's worth of different dives to keep us there.

There's alot to see in G.C., there's always Stingray City which if on G.C. I would encourage you to do once. There's good diving off the North Wall as well as some on the East end, but I've been there and done that...I'm glad I did and I'd go back to do the North Wall a few times as well as some north west sites, but Little Cayman is THE place for good diving, that you won't tire of, unless you don't like wall diving. It's hard to know what another diver thinks is really good, but I'm sure
by majority you will hear L.C. is tops.

Dive safe,
Caymaniac

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

If its all about the diving then its LC hands down. I could spend a week just diving Jacksons Reef and not be bored. Leave the traffic jams, big beaches, cruise ship shopping and the fine dining to the touristas. Go one step beyond the madding crowds. LC all the way.

 

[donacheson]

GearHead once bubbled...



Oh, I understand, you must have been there the night I was singing Neil Diamond's greatest hits.

Could have been. <G>

Apparently I'm an anomaly - beer doesn't loosen my tongue and lubricate my vocal cords.

 

[GearHead]

donacheson once bubbled...


Could have been. <G>

Apparently I'm an anomaly - beer doesn't loosen my tongue and lubricate my vocal cords.

I can't relate, a few beers make me sound AWESOME! At least, that's what I think when I'm singing. The fact that every living creature exits the building at the same time is a complete coincidence, I'm sure.

 

[DocVikingo]

There are basically only 6 places to stay on LC: Little Cayman Beach Resort (motelish for the $$ & IMHO boats can be crowded & Reef Divers overly regimented); Southern Cross Club (laid back beach resort; good, uncrowded dive boats; nice beach; very good food & drink; owner Peter Hillenbrand stays on top of things; my favorite); Sam McCoy's (basic, rustic, isolated on other side of island; caters heavily to fishermen - great if any of you like snook fishing); Pirate's Point (best food as owner Gladys Howard used to own/run a gourmet catering service/cooking school in Texas many years ago); Paradise Villas (basic but quite nice cottages near airport -- this can be you cheapest option; very nice staff; close to northern reefs; eat at nearby Hungry Iguana & shop at island's only only store, also nearby); Conch Club Condos just a bit down from LCBR. These places are gorgeous, spacious & fully equipped from kitchen to livingroom--buy fresh fish from the local peddler & eat in on occasion; secluded; select your own dive op).

If you need a bit more topside action, Cayman Brac may be a good choice. Most CB shops make a trip or two a week (at a premium to the basic cost & weather permitting) over to LC to dive Bloody Bay & Jackson Walls, which are superior to any CB sites, while some of the LC shops (same stipulations), go over the CB to do the MV Keith Tibbets. So, you can do some mix & match. If cost is an issue, then CB may well be a better choice.

The east end of GC has also been mentioned in thsi thread, and I like it a great deal. Was just there for my 3rd time last month. If you rent a car, you'll have access to the heavy topside activity of Georgetown/Seven Mile Beach.

In any event, LC is very quiet & not for non-divers who need any stimulation/entertainment. Once you've seen the red-footed booby preserve, the museum, the only freestanding bar/grill on the island (Hungry Iguana) & sea kayaked to little, uninhabited Owen Island off the Southern Cross Club, you've done it all. Well, if Gladys is around & has some time, she can give you a real ecology tour of the island. Little Cayman Beach Resort is the upscale spot, with very nice new beach front condo units but surprisingly "motelish" regular rooms. Has a nice tennis court. Food is varied & quite good, with dyn-o-mite made-daily desserts. Boats were crowded & diving regimented, though. Also stayed with the Southern Cross Club next door & liked it much better -- both atmosphere & diving considerably more relaxed. Went over to Cayman Brac one day to dive the MV Keith Tibbets (named after the brother of Linton Tibbets, owner of the LCBR & potentate of LC). A 330" Russian frigate built for Cuba in 1984 & sold to CB for $275,000 in 1996 for wreck diving, it has aluminum decking & superstructure & is disintegrating daily. If you're into this sort of thing, better see it soon. LC ops do about 2/week at a premium. Group at LCBR were very well-heeled, well-traveled & well-educated -- can be a bit pretentious. If you do LCBR, get the 'All In Diver's Package' which includes everything, including alcohol (beer is $5+ per pop). Also, look for the 'DocVikingo' sign on the ceiling of the bar.

LC sites you will want to see include: Divers Delight; Pirates Point Reef-lots of finger reefs large number fish small number of crab & spotted eel; Great Wall West (part of the Bloody Bay Wall dive sites - Bloody Bay and Jackson's Wall are areas consisting of multiple dive sites) Tremendous vertical wall. Large turtles & some spotted eagle rays; Lea Leas Lookout; Grundy's Garden; Joy's Joy-an excellent wall dive with some Kool swim throughs; Mixing Bowl; Randy's Gazebo - IMHO opinion best chimney in the Caymans. It's just big enough for one. Watch for the lovely & semi-rare Florida coralimorphs at the exit; Sara's Set-multilevel coral reefs with sand trenches in between; Barracuda's Bight-shallow wall dive; Bus Stop; Nancy's Cup of Tea. Ben & Jerry, a couple of friendly Nassau Grouper, are often about. Light up a small morsel for them on your night dive & you'll realize that Hoover is strictly minor league.

If you need a bit more topside action, Cayman Brac may be a good choice. Most CB shops make a trip or two a week (at a premium to the basic cost & weather permitting) over to LC to dive Bloody Bay & Jackson Walls, which are superior to any CB sites, while some of the LC shops (same stipulations), go over the CB to do the MV Keith Tibbets. So, you can do some mix & match. If cost is an issue, then CB may well be a better choice.

This should get you started.

DocVikingo

 

[zippy]

I agree with LCBR. Reef Divers is a great dive operation, and the resort is very nice. Been there 4 times in the past few years, and have truly enjoyed every trip.

 

[DocVikingo]

As a LCBR regular, how do you find LCBR/Reef Divers compared to the other resorts/ops on LC?

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[JeffMandell]

Doc,
What a great post. You've really given me a great range of info, all of which is exactly what I need. I shall try to book Southern Cross for most of the time, and still leave a few days for the east end of GC.
This board is new to me, but my experiences here have been great. A terrific community, generously taking the time to help each other.
Many thanks, to you and to the others who've posted to this thread.
Jeff

 

[sapphire]

I met Ben 6 years ago when diving on Little Cayman. He was so fun, following us around like a little puppy dog, waiting for us to chase a squirrelfish into a crevice for him! I have many fond memories & photos of him!

When researching diving on Little Cayman, I ran across this article, excerpted from the following website:

Farewell to Ben

Those who knew him will agree that he was the most extraordinary grouper that ever lived in the Cayman Islands.

He was everybody's friend, loved interacting with divers, sometimes escorting them for entire dives. He enjoyed being stroked gently on his forehead and jaw, but more than anything else, he adored being led into a squirrel fish pursuit, just for the fun of it.
He had appeared on the Travel Channel and was even featured in a Cayman-o-War exclusive interview.

But Ben is gone.

He never came back from the last grouper spawning aggregation that took place last February.

Why would he not come back? Most likely because he was finally caught by fishermen.

The fishermen were allowed this year an unlimited number of catches per boat, no restrictions, while diving was prohibited!!!

Thousands of groupers were slaughtered in just a few weeks, and while most resorts refused to buy grouper for their restaurant, there were a few who did, justifying the shameful massacre.

Finally, when the season was over, it was decided that next year there would be a total ban on fishing grouper, and every other year thereafter a limited number of catches would be allowed per boat, per day.

Let's hope this law will be enforced since groupers are thought to travel hundred of miles to spawn, and the over-fishing in Little Cayman might affect much more than our own reefs.

We'll miss you, Ben.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The staff at Paradise Divers
http://www.paradise-divers.com/english_fra.htm

sapphire

 

[sapphire]

Southern Cross Club (laid back beach resort; good, uncrowded dive boats; nice beach; very good food & drink; owner Peter Hildebrand stays on top of things; my favorite);

On slight correction - the owner's name is Peter Hillenbrand. He took our group on an island ecology tour (he is very into birds!) one afternoon when the diving was blown out on Bloody Bay Wall. He is a great guy and cares very deeply for Little Cayman and its future. If you ever meet him, ask him to tell you about the April Fools' Day joke the island played on him!

sapphire