Cayman Options for Junior Diver

[heydn62]

The 40 ft. limit probably rules out a boat dive at the wall. I'll probably set up a guided shore dive from Eden Rock for my 11 yr old son and I, but wanted to see if anyone had any other advice or suggestions before I made firm plans. We will be there in October on a cruise stop. This will be our 1st "fun" dive. Only planning to carry Mask, fins, and snorkle, so we'll need to rent equipment. The cruise ship excursion is not an option as they have a minimum age of 12.

Thanks.

[DLXM Cayman]

yes boat dives won't be possible in 40 ft. so you will need to stick to a shore dive. The two options if your timing is tight are Eden Rock (or Devil's Grotto which is the next door site and accessible form the same dive shop and is better than Eden Rock) or Sunset House. If you choose Sunset House just keep an eye on your depth as it is easy to drift down as you approach the wall. The Mermaid at Sunset House is in about 55 ft of water but you could swim over it and still get a good view if the conditions are right.

[ianr33]

Stingray City is in only 12 feet of water. If you could fit it into your schedule your son would have a blast.

I dont care for Devils Grotto/Eden Rock but Sunset House is nice. These are both very suitable for beginners with easy entries from a ladder. You might consider going without guide.

[heydn62]

Originally Posted by DLXM Cayman

yes boat dives won't be possible in 40 ft. so you will need to stick to a shore dive. The two options if your timing is tight are Eden Rock (or Devil's Grotto which is the next door site and accessible form the same dive shop and is better than Eden Rock) or Sunset House. If you choose Sunset House just keep an eye on your depth as it is easy to drift down as you approach the wall. The Mermaid at Sunset House is in about 55 ft of water but you could swim over it and still get a good view if the conditions are right.

I've looked at both Eden Rock and Sunset House. Will probably do sunset house as I'm guessing it will be less crowded (>10,000 cruise ship passengers in port that day!)since it's a bit further from the docks. Owner of local PADI shop tells me we could hire a dive master and go deeper, but I think we'll probably stick with a shore dive.

Originally Posted by ianr33

Stingray City is in only 12 feet of water. If you could fit it into your schedule your son would have a blast.

I dont care for Devils Grotto/Eden Rock but Sunset House is nice. These are both very suitable for beginners with easy entries from a ladder. You might consider going without guide.

We've done the stingray snorkle before, so I think we'll skip that. Since this is our first dive since getting certified in April, I'd feel more comfortable with a guide. We may do a refill and go on our own after lunch.

Thanks to you both for the input.

[mselizann]

Have fun- a cool place to have lunch in Georgetown before heading back is Paradise- everything on the water is a little pricey, but the view is worth it. When are you going?

[pir8]

I've stayed at Sunset House twice so I musta liked it.

[heydn62]

Originally Posted by mselizann

Have fun- a cool place to have lunch in Georgetown before heading back is Paradise- everything on the water is a little pricey, but the view is worth it. When are you going?

Thanks, we'll look for it. We'll be there for a few hours the 2nd week of October.

My son liked Hammerheads when we were there before. Also outdoors on the water. Also pricey (is there anywhere in the Cayman's that's not?).

[heydn62]

Went to Sunset House while on our cruise last week. Couldn't immediately get a taxi, so we started walking and ended up walking the whole way. It was about a mile - much of it without a sidewalk, and fairly heavy traffic. It's doable, but I wish we'd waited for a taxi. We didn't carry full gear, but each had a bag for mask/fins/snorkle and a second bag with wetsuits and change of clothes.

Once we got there, found out the dive operations manager was ill, and our request for a guided dive had been lost in the shuffle, despite an e-mail confirmation. They offerred to try to find someone for us if we were willing to wait, but with limited time because of the cruise, we decided to go out on our own.

We hadn't been on a dive since our certification in April, so it took us a bit to gear up and make sure we were good to go before entering the water. Their sea pool was a great place for us to start as it is probably 7-8 ft. My son would have been happy just staying in there, but we eventually swam through the opening into the sea and explored a bit around there. Our maximum depth was 12 ft and our dive time was about an hour. We left for lunch and could have gone back afterwards and used their equipment paying only for a tank refill, but we were afraid it would be cutting it too close with the cruise ship schedule.

Despite the problems, I wouldn't hesitate to go back. It was a fun dive and there was a lot we didn't get to see.

[pir8]

Glad to hear it at least worked out for you and your son.