Randallr
Contributor
I just returned from a happiness-inducing week of diving with Sunset House in Grand Cayman. Thanks to all who advised me, and special props to Diversteve for the specific guidance he offered, which was spot on. This isn't a full trip report (although I'm happy to answer questions), but the bottom line is, the wisdom in Scubaboard on Grand Cayman is very accurate.
I did 13 dives, all on the West Side of the island, and the general consensus of the divers on my boat was that the reefs were "myehh." Coral was pretty bleached, marine life was neither diverse nor abundant. There was a dearth of small stuff, and we saw no pelagics. Topographically, the sites were nice, with interesting swim-throughs and grottos and the like. But other than that, there wasn't much to see. I enjoyed shore diving at the Sunset House Reef more than any of the boat sites. Retrospectively, I should have stuck to my original plan, which was to dive with Sunset for three days, and reserve two days for diving the East Side and North Wall with other outfits. But I got lazy, and didn't rent a car. Also, the weather was iffy; it was miserable one day, pelting rain with high wind, and most divers opted not to go (although those who did said they got some decent diving in). That seemed to obviate the East and North sides.
The mediocrity of the diving was more than compensated for by the ambiance of Sunset House and people it attracted. The other divers were great. Our boat (mostly Americans and Canadians) bonded early, dined together most afternoons and evenings, and generally had a good time talking life, love, and lionfish. My Bar, Sunset House's outdoor bistro, had a perfect atmosphere for wiling away an evening. The food, as others have noted, is good, and the menu is diverse. Although it was nice to dine in town twice (a 10-15 minute walk), My Bar can easily hold you for a week. Rooms also are as noted in other posts - fairly basic, but more than adequate. Mine had a great view of the sea; a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee machine, and was a great place to fall asleep at the end of a three-dive day. (As an FYI, the supermarket in Georgetown, Kirk's, is enormous, and is a short half-hour walk from Sunset House. I wished I'd gone there earlier for staples.)
The dive operation was good - with one qualification that I'll get to. The divemasters were pretty good; they instilled confidence, and to a man and woman had great personalities. One of the divemasters, a lovely young woman named Jacks, defused a tense situation one day; she'd discovered that an older diver who'd said he was diving with a computer had neither a computer nor tables with him. She calmly suggested that she needed to call the shop to get a profile for him, at which point he started attacking her for "riding" him and "giving me a hard time." She apologized, but stood her ground, saying that safety required the divemasters to get a read on his profile, and she made sure someone kept an eye on him for the next dive. Harmony restored.
The qualification, though, is this: These boats were crowded - the most crowded I've experienced outside of Maui cattle boats. We had 15-20 people each time we went out, and you felt the crowds on board, especially on the days when the sea was churning. During the last two days of diving, Sunset House was sending out three boats with nearly 20 people each. This made for long backups getting off and on the boat. It also meant the two divemasters weren't always able to keep an eye on everyone all the time. One young diver got tripled up with my buddy and I for a dive that was to be guided by one of the divemasters. The kid sucked his tank down to 700 PSI barely halfway through the dive - and the divemaster was nowhere to be found. My buddy surfaced with the fellow and they swam back to the boat as I went looking for the divemaster who had strayed. It all worked out, but served as a reminder why I like "concierge diving," with smaller boats and a more propitious ratio of divemasters to divers.
All that said, I would definitely go back. I loved the people I met, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting. The house reef is excellent, and the ease of diving it is significant. And - best for last - Cathy Church's photo operation and school is world class. I bought a camera down there and took lessons with a fantastic teacher named "Tee," and I can't say enough great things about it and him. Very competitive prices, real expertise - and Tee is like the best high school teacher you ever had, a bundle of knowledge and enthusiasm that made him a treasure and a pleasure to dive with. I'd go back in a heartbeat to take more lessons with this Church of Underwater Photography.
Well, I guess I did post a Trip Report, after all!
I'm no photographer, having just acquired the camera and some basic knowledge on this trip. (This was only my second time shooting underwater.) But for those who are interested, here are some of the better shots I got. I was using an Olympus XZ-1, the Olympus PT-050 housing, and the Olympus UFL-1 strobe. (As an FYI, the prices at Cathy Church were competitive with B&H and Adorama in New York. But buying in Grand Cayman, they were tax free and duty free, and the shop threw in a free setup lesson, so this was a great deal and opportunity.)
All photo critiques are welcome I'm a newbie who wants to learn!
I did 13 dives, all on the West Side of the island, and the general consensus of the divers on my boat was that the reefs were "myehh." Coral was pretty bleached, marine life was neither diverse nor abundant. There was a dearth of small stuff, and we saw no pelagics. Topographically, the sites were nice, with interesting swim-throughs and grottos and the like. But other than that, there wasn't much to see. I enjoyed shore diving at the Sunset House Reef more than any of the boat sites. Retrospectively, I should have stuck to my original plan, which was to dive with Sunset for three days, and reserve two days for diving the East Side and North Wall with other outfits. But I got lazy, and didn't rent a car. Also, the weather was iffy; it was miserable one day, pelting rain with high wind, and most divers opted not to go (although those who did said they got some decent diving in). That seemed to obviate the East and North sides.
The mediocrity of the diving was more than compensated for by the ambiance of Sunset House and people it attracted. The other divers were great. Our boat (mostly Americans and Canadians) bonded early, dined together most afternoons and evenings, and generally had a good time talking life, love, and lionfish. My Bar, Sunset House's outdoor bistro, had a perfect atmosphere for wiling away an evening. The food, as others have noted, is good, and the menu is diverse. Although it was nice to dine in town twice (a 10-15 minute walk), My Bar can easily hold you for a week. Rooms also are as noted in other posts - fairly basic, but more than adequate. Mine had a great view of the sea; a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee machine, and was a great place to fall asleep at the end of a three-dive day. (As an FYI, the supermarket in Georgetown, Kirk's, is enormous, and is a short half-hour walk from Sunset House. I wished I'd gone there earlier for staples.)
The dive operation was good - with one qualification that I'll get to. The divemasters were pretty good; they instilled confidence, and to a man and woman had great personalities. One of the divemasters, a lovely young woman named Jacks, defused a tense situation one day; she'd discovered that an older diver who'd said he was diving with a computer had neither a computer nor tables with him. She calmly suggested that she needed to call the shop to get a profile for him, at which point he started attacking her for "riding" him and "giving me a hard time." She apologized, but stood her ground, saying that safety required the divemasters to get a read on his profile, and she made sure someone kept an eye on him for the next dive. Harmony restored.
The qualification, though, is this: These boats were crowded - the most crowded I've experienced outside of Maui cattle boats. We had 15-20 people each time we went out, and you felt the crowds on board, especially on the days when the sea was churning. During the last two days of diving, Sunset House was sending out three boats with nearly 20 people each. This made for long backups getting off and on the boat. It also meant the two divemasters weren't always able to keep an eye on everyone all the time. One young diver got tripled up with my buddy and I for a dive that was to be guided by one of the divemasters. The kid sucked his tank down to 700 PSI barely halfway through the dive - and the divemaster was nowhere to be found. My buddy surfaced with the fellow and they swam back to the boat as I went looking for the divemaster who had strayed. It all worked out, but served as a reminder why I like "concierge diving," with smaller boats and a more propitious ratio of divemasters to divers.
All that said, I would definitely go back. I loved the people I met, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting. The house reef is excellent, and the ease of diving it is significant. And - best for last - Cathy Church's photo operation and school is world class. I bought a camera down there and took lessons with a fantastic teacher named "Tee," and I can't say enough great things about it and him. Very competitive prices, real expertise - and Tee is like the best high school teacher you ever had, a bundle of knowledge and enthusiasm that made him a treasure and a pleasure to dive with. I'd go back in a heartbeat to take more lessons with this Church of Underwater Photography.
Well, I guess I did post a Trip Report, after all!
I'm no photographer, having just acquired the camera and some basic knowledge on this trip. (This was only my second time shooting underwater.) But for those who are interested, here are some of the better shots I got. I was using an Olympus XZ-1, the Olympus PT-050 housing, and the Olympus UFL-1 strobe. (As an FYI, the prices at Cathy Church were competitive with B&H and Adorama in New York. But buying in Grand Cayman, they were tax free and duty free, and the shop threw in a free setup lesson, so this was a great deal and opportunity.)
All photo critiques are welcome I'm a newbie who wants to learn!
