Cay Sal Bank Liveaboards

[Knavey]

Dove on the Rorqual many years ago at Cay Sal. Anyone know if any liveaboards go in that direction anymore?

 

[Wookie]

Dove on the Rorqual many years ago at Cay Sal. Anyone know if any liveaboards go in that direction anymore?

I believe I was the last person to run a liveaboard to Cay Sal.

That was in 2015.

 

[Knavey]

That's sad. I remember that trip fondly. Lots of great dive sites down there. Seems like someone could make money off that itinerary but I guess not if someone is not doing it.

Seems too far for a day trip. Was surfing and saw a lot of people talking about it, and how difficult it was if you didn't have a large boat.

 

[Wookie]

That's sad. I remember that trip fondly. Lots of great dive sites down there. Seems like someone could make money off that itinerary but I guess not if someone is not doing it.

Seems too far for a day trip. Was surfing and saw a lot of people talking about it, and how difficult it was if you didn't have a large boat.

It’s the marine patrols. If you go to Cay Sal you must check in. And check out. Not having correct paperwork will resort in an escort to Nassau. So if you’re running from Key West, you have a 180 mile run (14 hours or so) to Bimini, 80 miles to Cat Sal, running around Cay Sal (most of the moorings put in by Sea Fever 25 years ago are still usable), 80 miles back to Bimini, and then back to wherever you are going against the current. Makes for a 3 day dive trip instead of a 5 day trip, for way more money because of the excessive amount of fuel burned.

It’s just a hard part of the ocean to get to. I agree that the diving is fantastic.

 

[Knavey]

Funny you bring up moorings. I was thinking about them and wondered how long they would last. I remember tying up to them and the discussion with the Rorqual crew that they shared it with at least one other outfit. I remember the trip from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini. When you have 7 days...it makes a huge difference. Too bad they can't have a satellite office in the US where you can check in and make the trip, but I suppose politics gets in the way of something like that.

Wookie, you have done it enough times...do you have numbers for a couple of them? I have been updating a computer dive log, and found most of the dives I made but a couple I do not have on a map.

Our itinerary
Hawksbill Reef - Got it
Spotted Sands Reef - 3 dives - no data
Last Chance Reef - 2 dives - Got it
The Playground - 2 dives (including my longest dive ever) - Got it
Big Hole - 2 dives - Got it
Silversides - 2 dives - Got it
Lady's Secret - 2 dives - no data
Big Hole/Silver Sides Hole - 2 dives (including my deepest dive ever) - no data unless its same dive site as Silversides
Elbow Cay - 1 dive - no data
Water Cay - 2 dives - Got it
Thumbnail Reef - 2 dives- no data
The Strip - 2 dives - Got it.

Remember having a blast. Just trying to fill out my map with some GPS coords if you know any of them.

 

[Wookie]

Every dive operator uses different names for the same sites.

I have most every site there.

They have different names.

 

[Doug Cutler]

Wookie,
Would you be willing to share some of those lats and lons for some of those sites?
I would love to run my boat over there the next time I take it to Bimini.
Thanks,
Doug

 

[Wookie]

Wookie,
Would you be willing to share some of those lats and lons for some of those sites?
I would love to run my boat over there the next time I take it to Bimini.
Thanks,
Doug

Happy to