Grand Cayman is a beautiful dive destination with many options for accommodations and for diving. Dive N Stay Vacation Packages - Compass Point Dive Resort - Cayman Islands (1st January 2023 - 31st December 2023) We offer pre-set Dive & Stay Vacation Packages for 3, 5 or 7 nights, and can also customize your package for any number of nights and for various group sizes. Cayman Islands Diving | Silver Thatch Water Sports | Breakers Questions about Cayman Island Diving | FAQs | Cayman Turtle Divers Our reviews: We can make the world a little bit better with great in-depth reviews. This is a must do dive. If wall diving is your thing, check out diving in Turks & Caicos. Flamingo tongues can be found on the sea fans, while arrow crabs, bristle worms, and long-spined sea urchins hide in the cracks and grooves. I know there are shore dives that can be done, and we plan to do some of those next time. I quickly learned that if I poked at an area with my stick, the groupers would go right there, a great tool to get them to pose right where i wanted them in my reef scenes. Ive been to Grand Cayman and Little Cayman. View Map. The 5 Best Dive Sites In Grand Cayman - DesertDivers Babylon is located on the North Wall in Grand Cayman. A First Timer's Guide to Grand Cayman Island - AFAR Media This is a must-do dive for people vacationing in Grand Cayman. And when you have the right product, youre a little bit happier which affects the people around you! The seven mile beach area is beautiful for walking and photo opportunities. Cayman Islands Diving - Caribbean Sea - Dive The World You will need little more (and some prefer less) than a 3 mm full length wetsuit. June to October brings higher topside temperatures (up to 33C, 91F). Cactus coral, sea fans, great star coral, and tube sponges blanket the reef and provide refuge for a variety of sea creatures. Turtles munched on big sponges with no worries about divers hanging about. #6 inBest Cheap Destination Wedding Locations, #4 inBest Places to Visit in January 2023. Cheeseburger Reef is located in George Town, Grand Cayman. Red Sail Sports have been Scuba Diving in Cayman for 40 years. I thought it might be too touristy, but it was a lot of fun. 5 of the Best Scuba Diving Sites in the Cayman Islands Its a very easy and fun dive, we saw some angelfish and eagle rays. I have lived in the corporate world for a few years now with very little excitement in my life. But Little Cayman also has good diving including Bloody Bay Wall dive, which means a Caymans Island liveaboard is the best way to experience all the best Cayman's diving. Cayman Islands Scuba Liveaboards - Here's What to Know This does not affect the quality or independence of our editorial content. Scott S. Bateman is a professional journalist who has traveled widely throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Dive Courses | Learning to Dive in Grand Cayman | Cayman Resident Get in touch with our specialists Bloody Bay Wall- Most scuba divers will say this is their favorite dive site in the Cayman Islands. From our 24hr helpline to our expert local guides and selection of handpicked reading lists. The best part about the dive is the . Eden Rock Dive Center. Use Add to ideas + to collect your trip ideas, share with friends or make With regards to transportation, you have to take note that there are no taxis in Little Cayman and the best way to explore the island is by renting a bike. I have traveled to the Cayman islands many times. This is one of the deepest sea-walls in the world. 10 Best Scuba Diving Companies In Grand Cayman (2023) Wakatobi Dive Resort, a private island south of Sulawesi, understands thisand that shooters trek to this country, one of the most biodiverse hotspots on the planet, to capture images of every critter possible. Drift dives are possible here depending on your operator. If you want to go a little more remote, try Little Cayman. Do you love diving in the Caymans? Over 200 permanent boat moorings are installed to avoid damaging corals with the dropping of boat anchors. You need to take a boat to reach this area. At night, this popular Caymans dive site is great for spotting octopus, lobster, and shrimp. Located 133 kilometers (83 miles) northeast of Grand Cayman is its little sister island Little Cayman. Greenhouse is a nice medium-depth reef dive with plenty of grooves and gullies to explore. Our travel experts have highlighted our favourite places to visit each month, Terms & Conditions For deep divers, we highly suggest you explore the elephant-ear sponge laden reef of the Orange Canyon or go cave diving in Bonnies Arch. Cayman Islands Reservations Phone: (345)-947-0000 Our Reservations Office is located on site at the Dive Shop & Resort in the Cayman Islands. Cayman Islands Diving | Sport Diver Devilishly deep drop-offs, wicked wreck dives and some of the coolest coral in the Caribbean have made the Cayman Islands a world-class dive destination. If you don't feel comfortable using my referral links, you can always go directly to their site and bypass me. Click here to learn more. Phone +1 345-949-7111. The wreck of the Captain Keith is unusual it is the only Soviet-made warship that divers can visit in the western hemisphere. The Cayman Islands dollar is issued in units of $100, $50, $25, $10, $5 and $1 with coins of 25 cents, 10, 5 and one cent. We conduct this course from our shore location where the water is ideal for new divers! Choose your design and prove your PADI certified diver status across the world with a recycled plastic card, eCard or both. Family Traveller Excellence Awards 2019 Winner. You need to protect your fingers from the eager snappers though. The Best Diving in Cayman Islands 2022 - Divein Enjoy the comfort of an airport lounge with free drinks and snacks, even if you're flying economy. Black groupers, sergeant majors, yellowtail snapper, and moray eels are just a few of the species you can expect to see. Top 12 Beautiful Places to Visit in the Cayman Islands Kittiwake- Though this wreck has been sunken rather recently and has not developed much coral yet, it is still a fantastic dive site for all levels. Under its 1986 declaration covering an area of hectares (23 acres) are dive sites that are popular to tourists and divers alike. Despite the name, you arent guaranteed to see tarpon here. Penetration is encouraged but to get the most out of the experience, take a torch. Diving Season: The best time to dive Cuba's Jardines de la Reina is during the dry season, from November to late April, as this time has the most ideal visibility and sea conditions. Seahorses - While the Cayman Islands are best known for their stunning coral reefs and diverse marine life, don't forget about the amazing small critters that call these waters home . Macro photographers should keep an eye out for the neck and decorator crabs who make their homes here. Usually you will see at least a few tarpon at this spot. Seven Mile Beach 4. Before she was decommissioned in 1994, the USS Kittiwake was a Navy Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel. The top is at 15m/50ft but the bottom is around 90m/200ft so diver ought to watch their depth gauges carefully as they circle the mountain. I would like to mention 2 points though, one that it is a bit expensive, both the accommodations and the diving, and secondly, it looks like they allow open water divers to do the deeper wall dives, where you can be as deep as 100 feet, just an FYI, in case youre not comfortable at that depth. It is an amazing sight, and a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Devilishly deep drop-offs, wicked wreck dives and some of the coolest coral in the Caribbean have made the Cayman Islands a world-class dive destination. Situated on a wide beach on the island's West End, the property offers 40 air-conditioned rooms (renovated in late 2015 and featuring soothing Caribbean . Sidetrip: Visit Little Caymans Booby Pond Nature Reserve. There is a separate fee to dive this wreck that goes towards conservation, and you also get a nice yellow diver medallion to keep. June to October brings . For diving, the reefs are easy to reach from many dive operators and offer a diversity of schooling fish, sponges, turtles, rays, and even sharks. PADI Dive Resorts for all budgets, in the best dive locations around the world. Babylon- Grand Cayman Island is surrounded by a wall, but what makes the Babylon site special is the pinnacle with a canyon cutting the north wall. If you are into grottos or swim-throughs, then you must head out to the west side of Grand Cayman and explore the three long tunnel swim-throughs of the Trinity Caves. Get forecasts each morning for every major island. "High Season" at the hotels is mid-December to mid-April, so rates will be higher then. These Florida Keys resorts are ideal for family getaways and romantic retreats. Cayman Islands Travel Guide - Cayman Islands Travel Tips & Attractions We did see some nurse sharks, sea turtles and a few rays. They pickup from the Westin, Ritz and Kimpton Seafire beaches for their West Dives, which is one of their standout features. Best Time to Visit The Cayman Islands are mostly sunny and warm year-round, but it may be best to visit between March and June when the hotel rates drop. But the main reason for diving here are the sharks, especially hammerheads. On top of being generally warm, the waters are clear with underwater visibility running from 18 30 meters (60 100 feet). Tarpon Alley is part of the North Wall with depths between 15 to 25 meters (50-80ft). // Best and Worst Times to Visit Grand Cayman - Caribeez.com I have stayed there several times at a dive resort with on-site dive operation. Fiji: Dive the Soft Coral Capital of the World. You will find Nassau gropers, triggerfish, and other unique marine life at the Bloody Bay Wall. Located south-east of the Gulf of Mexico and close to Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, diving in the Caymans offers classic Carribean underwater scenes and the chance to spot both large and small marine life. However, the Cayman Islands can be impacted by hurricanes primarily between June and November. Find & Book Liveaboards Choose from a selection of more than 250 vessels and 18,000 trips worldwide. While the gazebo itself is actually an arch, this small dive site never fails to please. This is a fun dive spot that you can access from shore. Take your camera and get a snap with one of the abandoned bicycles that have also found a home here. 11 Dive Resorts in the Cayman Islands | PADI Travel The primary reason why scuba divers frequently visit the Cayman Islands is to do a different kind of investment: definitely not monetary, but instead fun, enjoyment and great underwater adventures. From full scuba certification courses to one-day experiences for those who've never breathed off a regulator, the Cayman Islands qualify as an scuba diving shrine. 6. The North Wall is one of the most visited diving sites and plunges to a depth of 6000 feet (1800 meters). Cayman Islands, as well as our suggestions for the best places to