[What You Need to Know]. We did not make it to Stingray city, but did get to the other must do dive in Grand Cayman - the USS Kittiwake, a submarine rescue vessel. This is a must-do dive for people vacationing in Grand Cayman. Cayman Brac is the last of the islands and also much less traveld than Grand Caymen. The amazing strawberry sponges were in abundance there. Grand Cayman is a sophisticated Caribbean island with great nightlife, great resort options, and the wonderful attraction of stingray city, and very good wall diving. There is decent shore diving from their dock. Best Time to Dive in Little Cayman. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. DIVEMASTER AND INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SPECIALTY AND TECHNICAL COURSE KIDS DISABLED DIVERS SAFETY The Cayman Islands boasts state-of-the-art medical facilities including a hyperbaric chamber (located on Grand Cayman) and, in the event of an emergency, quality care can be provided in minutes. Greenhouse is a nice medium-depth reef dive with plenty of grooves and gullies to explore. Grand Cayman has beautiful beaches and probably the most topside activities or restaurants anyone would want. Click the link below to read our article where we explain the difference between Deep Stingray City and Stingray City Sandbar: Macabuca is located in West Bay in Grand Cayman. Its a very easy and fun dive, we saw some angelfish and eagle rays. For us divers, the financial self-sufficiency of the Cayman Islands is only the icing on the cake. The water is about 100 feet deep, and there is a good variety of soft and hard corals. Everything most divers want. The Pedro St. James National Historic Site is a great place for photography, or you can visit Rum Point for a true Caribbean beach experience. We'll whisk you through the security queues (where available). Dive conditions could not have been more perfect, flat seas (the north side is supposed to be more choppy but the day we dived Eagle Ray pass, it was just 2 feet seas, the rest of the dives were on the west side, where the sea was flat both days), warm water (80 degrees for our stay), clear water with awesome 90-100+ feet visibility (great for wide angle photography). It is worth noting however that from June until October is the hurricane season in the Caribbean. The Best Diving in Cayman Islands 2022 - Divein A few great choices are the Sunset House Hotel in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac Beach Resort and the Little Cayman Beach Resort. The Cayman Diving Season The islands are very much a year round diving destination. The dive boat did make the excursion across to Little Cayman's Bloody Bay wall one day which is very achievable from Cayman Brac. Diving in the Cayman Islands - Bluewater Dive Travel 10 Best Dive Sites in Caribbean Islands in 2023 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 . Give the perfect gift for your favorite ocean lover and explorer. The islands' location in the western part of the Caribbean shields them from being hit too hard by the annual hurricane season, which lasts from June to November. Exploring this site requires you to descend to 10 meters (33 feet) deep where you will arrive at the top portion of the reef. knowledge to ensure you know when to dive to enjoy the very best The best time to visit Grand Cayman is March and April. 390 S Church St, George Town KY1-1106, Cayman Islands. It was quite crowded with dive and snorkel boats when we got there, but it was no big deal once we got in the water. I have stayed there several times at a dive resort with on-site dive operation. The wall dive also has several other topographical features including swim-throughs and tunnels. The USS Kittiwake is an ex-US Navy ship that was purposely sunk in Grand Cayman to create a new dive site. Sharks and turtles are frequent visitors as are snappers, groupers, and grunts. Stingray City has very large, friendly stingrays. You can hand-feed wild Southern stingrays. With world class conditions and a robust dive industry, the Cayman Islands is one of the best places to learn how to dive. No crowds. The Cayman Islands has also designated four special areas for protection such as marine park zones, replenishment zones, environmental zones, and no diving zones. Generally, even with up to four dives per day on offer Cayman Islands scuba diving . There are plenty of great dive resorts available, but liveaboard is the best option if you want to dive around all three islands. Diving the Cayman Islands - SCUBA Travel ASK US HERE! With over 40 operators and 365 sites marked with moorings, thrill-seekers from all over take the plunge here. Theres plenty to do if you are not diving. I've stayed at hotels and used independent dive operators and I have stayed at dive resorts with on-site dive operations. In general, the best time to dive in the Cayman Islands is between January and April, when the water temperature is warm and visibility is excellent. There is shopping, bars to hang out in, and live music. Orange Canyon is a popular dive site on the west-side of Grand Cayman. . The Seven Mile Beach area and the main city, Georgetown, are very developed with large hotels and resorts, restaurants, shops, etc. Learn to dive in the Cayman Islands by Living the Dream Divers Having a less touristic crowd, Cayman Brac still has several tourism facilities like Cayman Brac Dive Resorts that are scattered along its narrow coast. Now it has become a beautiful artificial reef and home for colorful sponges, groupers, barracudas and other marine life. Little Cayman, best time of year for diving | Page 2 | ScubaBoard It is possible to go scuba diving in Little Cayman all year round and the water temperature only varies from 21-27 degrees. I like the idea of being able to dive off both islands while staying on one. Lemon Reef is a mini-wall dive site located on the North Wall in Grand Cayman. The Cayman Islands hosts one of the best dives in the World: Bloody Bay Wall on Little Cayman. Best time to dive in Cayman Islands The diving is great year round in the Caribbean, something that is promoted with the dive 365 program. Our Exclusive Dive-only Packages in the Cayman Islands - Ocean Frontiers All levels of divers can enjoy the site as there is plenty to see at shallow depths or at deeper parts. Hop to the other islands by hiring a private boat operator, or better yet, arrange for a liveaboard tour and explore as many Cayman Islands diving sites as you can. Part of the Bloody Bay wall, descending from the mooring here reveals a brightly colored vertical reef packed with sponges, corals, and vertebrate and invertebrate marine life. Boasting strong diving infrastructure, diverse types of diving, incredible walls and wrecks, and great visibility. Live a life others only dream about. Data sourced from the National Climatic Data Center. No diving trip in Grand Cayman would be complete without a dive at the infamous Stingray City. This is one of the best dive sites in Cayman Brac, and is a must-do experience. Cayman Islands Diving | Silver Thatch Water Sports | Breakers Top 12 Beautiful Places to Visit in the Cayman Islands This gives the unique Caymans dive site a blend of steep vertical walls, sloping reefs, and coral-crusted fingers. The ridges are carpeted in a variety of hard and soft coral, barrel and tube sponges, and purple sea fans that house a vast array of miniature sea creatures. This is brought to you by the paradise-features of diving Cayman Islands: three islands where the bounty of nature is amplified as you go underwater.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'scubadivegeek_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',115,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-scubadivegeek_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Who would ever think that at the peak of an undersea mountain range lies a country that has one of the Worlds largest financial centers? // The Best Scuba Diving Experiences On Grand Cayman Web Visit website. When to go Best time Low season Off season Where to go when This British overseas island is home to mystical caves, unscaled escarpments, tropical forests, diverse wildlife and a plethora of other unique experiences. Macro photographers should seek the banded coral shrimp and divers licensed to 30m/98ft will enjoy the gorgonian fans in the cavern at this depth. Theres good diving, with great Walls and of course stingray city, where you can see and feed stingrays. The shore diving was really easy to access with actual ladders or stairs and even showers at some sites. Many divers who have been diving in this area said that this is really an up close and personal experience with stingrays as they are literally touching and surrounding you. The Caymans have one major event that also may impact the best times to go there. Our mission has been to do this with the best crew, using the best equipment while offering the most competing Cayman Islands dive packages. The visibility at Donnas Delight on Little Cayman is typically good and the relaxed and easy diving here is suitable for all levels. Grand Cayman Diving - Scuba Diving in the Cayman Islands You will then follow a sloping reef up to 25 meters (82 feet) deep where the wall starts and drops down up to 900 meters (2,950 feet) deep. Eagle Ray Pass is located along the North Wall in Grand Cayman. And as you might imagine, the coral-encrusted archway makes for a fantastic photo opportunity. Cayman Islands | Maduro Dive | Exclusive Scuba Diving Packages Head to around 30m/98ft for some of the best wall views. Seven Mile Beach 4. The dives are shallow and you can closely observe them swimming around or above you. Because great in-depth gear reviews will help you select the right products for your specific needs, budget, and interests. However, there are large coral canyons that provide exciting swim-throughs for divers. Answer 1 of 11: Does anyone have firsthand experience with any of the dive operators on Little Cayman that they will share? Having done a lot of dives in Florida, one thing we did notice was that there were not as many fishes on the reefs in Grand Cayman as in south Florida, but after looking at my pictures after this trip I did notice many small fishes and critters. The months of January and February are the coldest, with average lows in the low 60s. Its also the historical rainfall patterns. Turtles munched on big sponges with no worries about divers hanging about. Scuba Diving in the Cayman Islands | Explore Cayman Wreck of the Oro Verde is located in Grand Cayman. It is easily possible to visit all 3 of the Cayman Islands in a single dive trip and be able to enjoy the diversity they provide. Scott S. Bateman is a professional journalist who has traveled widely throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Find & Book PADI Adventures App In this article, we review the top 20 scuba dive sites in the Cayman Islands. Don't forget to visit Stingray City before leaving Grand Cayman. . Little Cayman was first discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1503. Stingrays, stingrays, and more stingrays is what draws divers to this Cayman site. It is 330-feet in length, and was sunk in Cayman Brac in 1996. If you want to escape the crowds of cruise ship passengers, the East End is the place to go.