Cayman's

[CarolinaGirl]

Anybody been to the Cayman's???? Where to stay, dive,eat etc etc. Anything would help. We are planning a trip soon and need any help possible. Pics would help too thanks to everyone and anyone who answers.

[ianr33]

I have been 6 or 7 times .

What are you looking for? Shallow reefs or 300 foot trimix dives? Budget or the Ritz Carlton?

If you can be a little more specific would be glad to help you.

[ScubaToys Larry]

Grand Cayman? If so, I've been there about 30 times. The thing I like best, is you can do a ton of great dives as shore dives. Devils grotto, Turtle Farm, North wall (if you want to do a huge kick out), Sunset House, Cheeseburger reef. All great dives where you just get a tank for 6 bucks or so, swim out a few hundred yards, and drop down on great reef!

So no "Be at the boat dock at 7:30!" I get up when I feel like it, have breakfast if I want, knock down an extra cup of coffee - then when I feel like diving, drive the rental car over to one of these spots, gear up, and hop in. When I'm done - hang out, go get some lunch, knock out another dive after a bit of shopping.

I love the freedom of diving on my schedule instead of a boat operator. But do book at least one North Wall / Stingray city boat dive. The folks up at DiveTech are great. And they are hooked up with the Cobalt Coast Resort if you want a nice out of the way place on the north side of 7 mile (way up north from there).

Or most stuff is in George Town for shopping and just south of town are some great shore dives. If you want to stay down there - maybe check Sunset House. Should be able to Google both those places, or shoot me a PM if you have any problems finding them and I'll try to look them up.

[Skinsfan1311]

We love Grand Cayman, and the East End in particular.


Last summer, we stayed at the Morritt's, we exchanged into there using our timeshare. The Morritt's has a 1-in-4 rule which, basically, means that we can not exchange back into the resort for 4 years.

Luckily, I met a woman on the dive-boat, that was kind enough to rent us one of her weeks, for next June, at her cost, (~ $1350 for the week) We're actually renting a 2-BR 2-bath ocean-front condo in the new building. Sooo....we get to go back!!!!!

Grand Cayman is very expensive, so I suggest a condo, to take advantage of having a kitchen, especially if staying on the East End, which is a little remote.

If you do stay at the East End, I can highly recommend Ocean Frontiers as the dive-op. Just do a "search" on the web for reviews. They are a first-class operation.

If you have specific questions, or want some pics, shoot me a PM and I'll see what I can do....

Hope this helps!

[DPJ]

My last trip I stayed at the Westin. As Starwood Frequent traveler, I got a great deal. I dove with DiveTechhttp://www.divetech.com/, which is located at Cobalt Coast http://www.cobaltcoast.com/. It seemed like a nice place, with shore diving right off the property and good meal plan. I have dove the Bahama's, BVI's, Belize and Coast Rica, but Grand Cayman is my favorite by far. Food is expensive but ussually very good.

[RECDiver]

Carolinagirl,
There are lots of excellent places to stay on Grand Cayman. It just depends on what you want to spend. My family has been to Sunset House 3 times in the last year. http://www.sunsethouse.com/
Other places have already been mentioned, but decide if you want just boat diving, or boat and shore diving available, meal plans, and how much you want to be pampered.
I have made about 20 trips to the Cayman Islands over the years and just keep going back. I am already looking forward to the next time.

[Greatwhite]

Gotta try the Stingray feeding. We went with Resort Sports LTD. They work alot with the cruise boats, but we had an awesome time. Splurge for the video they make of your dive. Plus, they treat the stingrays like their own pets. These folks really love those critters & it shows.

[diversteve]

If you stay anywhere along Seven Mile Beach, condo or hotel, most of the diveops will pick you up with their van. However there's no shorediving off SMB since the reef is pretty far out. SMB all runs along the main N/S road but some areas are more developed than others. So ask when making reservations if being within walking distance of restaurants etc. is an issue for you.

Cobalt Coast is pretty far north so you'd want a car to drive back down to SMB or Georgetown for anything other than what the resort provides.

Their other location, Turtle Reef, is one of the best shoredives on GC imo.
It's a small diveshop located underneath the Cracked Conch restaurant. I'd guess it took us 20mins. or so to drive there from south SMB. And Cobalt Coast is probably 5-10mins. farther north.

Sunset House is a good option if you're looking for a "dive resort" It's in South Georgetown, has good shorediving, boatdiving, the Cathy Church Photo School is on-site and My Bar is a diver's hangout. You can also walk to downtown from there.

From what I've read they mostly dive the southern sites with their boats due to the long run to the North Wall. Not that they're bad...

Just about everybody is going to pick you up to go to Stingray City since their boats typically are docked in a Marina nearby. Maybe Divetech goes out there directly, I don't remember.

If you are considering the East End, it's really remote. Probably a 45min. drive back to Georgetown for just about anything. There's only a small food store out there so if you are considering a condo, you'd probably want to plan to arrive during the day so you can stop at one of the Georgetown markets before you drive out there. There's a Hurleys - or Fosters, can't remember which - about 2mins from the Airport on the main road towards town.

Most expensive place I've ever stayed in the Caribbean...Also the most amazing water clarity. I could clearly see the Scubapro "S" on the safety stop regulator at Big Tunnels. From 90'....Some diveops warn to watch your depth since you can easily go deeper than you planned since the water is so clear.

[mmf3279]

Carolina Girl, I too am a Carolina Girl (NC) and we are planning a trip to GCI in December. When are you going? We have booked the GC Marriott on Seven Mile beach. (I had Marriott points). Also the flight is pretty cheap from Charlotte, NC $890.00 for two people and its a direct flight via US AIRWAYS.

[justlooking]

www.oceanfrontiers.ky and the Compass point condos, on the east end, great people, great facilities, great dive sites, babylon, snapper hole and more. A little out of the way,which is good if you are not into crowds...