Scuba Diving

[SmittyCo]

We'll be in port in November.....both my husband and I are scuba certified. Anyone have suggestions for a good dive master? Thanks!

[drew sailbum]

Do you prefer boat diving or shore diving?

 

There are lots of boat operators. Not as many shore sites with dive operators on location.

[SmittyCo]

Either one works....

[diverjen]

I will be watching this thread as well for suggestions on dive operators in Grand Cayman. It's a place I have always wanted to visit. We haven't chosen a cruise yet, but all options have a cayman stop. Any operators do a combo sting ray city and a dive?

[drew sailbum]

We let this one linger, so without specific recommendations I'll give a general rundown. Others might chime in with their preferences.

 

General

Diving in Cayman is in warm clear water. Water is warmest around October topping out at about 87°F and coolest in February dropping to about 79°F. A 3mm shorty wetsuit is sufficient for most divers in the cooler water months. If you get cold particularly easily and will be visiting during those months then bring your own full length 3mm or even 5mm suit. Rental wetsuits are usually shorties. Visibility is usually 80-100ft, occasionally much more.

 

Shore Diving

Pros:

• Can be done on your schedule.
• Available within walking distance of port
• Cheaper than boat diving

 

Within walking distance -

Eden Rock and Abanks Watersports are within easy walk from the port. Just turn right as you exit the tender pier terminal and you'll see these locations just past the Hard Rock Cafe. Easy shallow dive with some swim throughs. Coral is a bit beat up compared to sites further from the harbour.

 

Don Fosters has a location just a few minutes walk past Eden Rock. Starts as a shallow dive with the coral fingers running out towards the deep Cayman Wall.

 

Divers Down and Cayman Diving College share a small building just north of the cruise tender terminal. Turn left and go for a short walk. This is the site to shore dive the wreck of the Cali.

 

 

Beyond walking distance -

Sunset House is nearly a mile south of George Town and too far to carry dive gear. They have a small wreck of a WWII landing craft and an underwater statue of a mermaid. The Atlantis submarine sometimes cruises this area and putting on a show for your fellow tourist can be fun. The Cayman Wall is an easy swim from shore.

 

Moving to a different part of the island, DiveTech has locations at Lighthouse Point and at Cobalt Coast resort - both in the district of West Bay. You will need a taxi or bus to drop you off and pick you up. The coral is generally healthier than sites in George Town. The North Wall is a bit of a swim out and it starts getting deeper closer to shore in these areas.

 

Also in West Bay you'll find SunDivers (no link found) in the lower level of the Cracked Conch Restaurant and an easy walk from the Cayman Turtle Farm and Dolphin Discovery sites. This could make for an easy please-the-crowd stop for a group with great diving and great topside activities together with a nice restaurant for lunch.

 

Most, if not all, dive shops offering shore diving also offer boat diving though fitting that to your cruise schedules might be tricky.

[drew sailbum]

Boat Diving

Pros:

• Possible to reach a greater variety of sites
  
• May offer pick up service from the tender pier
  
• Often have an in water guide

 

There are dozens of dive operators in Cayman and everyone seems to have a favorite. The cruise lines use Don Fosters for their ship sponsored tours.

 

A far from comprehensive listing of dive boat operators includes:

 

Ambassador Divers

Deep Blue Divers

DiveTech

Happy Fish

InDepth Watersports

Living the Dream

Neptunes Divers

Off the Wall

Peter Milburn's Dive Cayman Ltd.

Seasports Diving

Wall to Wall Diving

 

 

On some websites you might see reviews of a few other dive companies including Ocean Frontiers and Tortuga Divers. Those two operators are on the far end of the island and their dive schedules don't conform to the cruise schedules. If you want to dive East End then come back to visit for a stay over vacation sometime.

[Caymandiver1]

Take a look at the different dive sites and operators on this site. It's very informative.

 

http://idiveglobal.com/locations/category/dive-locations/scuba-diving/

[Kathi6]

Just walk right as you exit the ship and go to Eden Rock....nice shore dive....walk a little further to Don Foster's and you can either shore dive or go on their boat if there is time. I would contact them first to see if the times work.

[SmittyCo]

Awesome! Thank you so much! Dh likes to collect hard cafe shirts, so walking to Eden Rock (was my plan anyways) will, ummmm ROCK! hehe. Thanks for your help.....

[SmittyCo]

Drew Sailbum, if you have suggestions for Cozumel and Jamaica, please help!

 

C: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1681339&highlight=scuba+dive

 

J: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1681338&highlight=scuba+dive

[divinmule]

Sounds like ya got a good plan. But I'll give ya another vote for Sunset House. Love diving their House Reef but I haven't dove the others so I can't honestly tell you which is the best.

 

We enjoyed spending the day there. We walked down (yes with all our own gear) had two great dives and then a wonderful lunch. Still had time to walk back and get a beer near the port.

 

While we did walk...I agree with the previious poster...it is a bit of a walk...wasn't to bad when the gear was dry...but then again we walk quite a bit at home. :D But maybe a taxi back when the gear was wet would be a smart idea.:rolleyes:

 

Have fun

[Capt_BJ]

Sunset House is one mile south of town .... from the tender landing area, less than that. more like 4/5 mile looking at Google Maps.

 

http://sunsethouse.com/location_sunset.php