$$$ GRAND CAYMAN DIVING $$$

[KathyV]

...I want to feel safe with my surroundings...Yes I know, you can't beat Cozumel's pricing OR Bonaire's diving...I've been to the sister islands of GC by small plane but it's a new world now...

I think the Caymans are comparable (or even better) than many other Caribbean dive destinations. Some of the walls are spectacular, especially around Little Cayman. It is only the abundant shore diving and unique diving culture that makes Bonaire such a special place; but yet there is that persistent "petty theft" problem that makes it a little less special in my opinion.

Cozumel is less expensive and has wonderful diving, but sometimes you get what you pay for, especially since you mentioned safety. My husband and I have both gotten nasty gastrointestinal illnesses when vacationing in Mexico even though we always take precautions, and the risks of mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and chikungunya are much higher there than in the Caymans - where they have good mosquito abatement programs and the food and water are safe to eat and drink.

As far as personal safety, I feel safer in the Caymans then I do nearer to home; the crime rates are low, the people are polite and friendly, and just about everyone speaks English. Of course, you should stay alert and use common sense wherever you go in the world.

I love all 3 of the Cayman islands and it's great that you prefer GC, but I don't understand your "it's a new world now" comment? It will cost me $140 US roundtrip to fly to Brac from GC and back this fall, that is hardly a deal-breaker when you consider the expense of a Cayman vacation; especially if you don't mind the costs of eating out.

Ask your dive op about the shore dive options on GC, I am sure that they can advise you; but stay away from Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto when the cruise ships are around. And I would expect my dive op to avoid Stingray City and most of the West side boat dive sites, including the Kittiwake, during peak cruise periods, too.

We like to rent a car and explore because there is a lot to see and do on GC, but I do recommend bringing a GPS with you. We find it helpful when negotiating the roundabouts and the streets of Georgetown. We bring a Garmin GPS and car-charger with us. Garmin has the best maps of the island IMO.

The link to Tsetudo's snorkeling guide is below; there's very good snorkeling from shore available on Grand Cayman and it is free and easy. We prefer diving in the sister islands so when we are on GC we tend to snorkel, shore dive, and do a few boat dives; but you can find great diving around all of the Cayman islands. Have fun!

http://snorkelblog.tumblr.com/

 

[NYCNaiad]

Thank you everyone for your wealth of info. I'm staying at Comfort, it's already booked so we're not going anywhere else. I think the best advice is to do more shore diving.

It's sounds like you're set on staying at Comfort, but just an FYI I believe that Comfort Suites allows you to easily cancel your reservation with this much advance notice & get all of your money back.

Happy shore diving!

 

[KathyV]

I just checked the prices for Ambassador Divers and they seem consistent and competitive with other Grand Cayman dive ops and they have a good reputation. They offer four, 2-tank dives (8 dives) for $445 US; that works out to $56 US per dive and I think that is the going price - unless you get a better price for staying at Comfort Suites? But a shore dive on Grand Cayman only costs around $18 US dollars per tank so it is a bargain - but less convenient. And although the shore diving is good, it is not in the same league as the North Wall or the East End.

We are going to the Cayman Brac Reef Resort in a few months and I've checked their prices just out of curiosity. You can get 17 dives for $101 US per tank but that includes valet diving, lodging, all meals, 3 drinks per night, airport transfers, and all hotel taxes and service charges - it sounds like a great bargain to me and the diving is good and it is soooo easy. I'm very glad that I am going "Back to the Brac" even though it will cost an extra $140 US per person in airline fees.

But I won't have all the amenities, attractions, restaurants, and shopping of Grand Cayman and I won't be staying on the Seven Mile Beach. I say again that "sometimes you get what you pay for" but this is a good choice for me and husband, especially since we will be spending a week on GC before heading over to CB - so we will enjoy the best of both worlds.

I have no experience with Ambassador Divers so this may be totally unnecessary, but make sure that you don't get stuck on a cattle boat packed with cruise ship divers. I spent a full day (4 dives) crammed in with cruise passengers when we were on Nassau and I don't care to repeat that experience. Since that time, wherever I go to dive (if it is a cruise port) I try to make sure that the stay-over customers will be kept separate from the day-customers.

 

[robint]

this should be moved to the Caymans forum.

 

[Andy Ralph]

First, where is the Caymans forum? Second, I'm going to GC in Dec and will be diving with my 12yo son so I've been checking rates and ratings. Best deal I've found thus far is Living the Dream Divers in 7MB. $450 for 5 days of 2 tank diving. They also happen to be the top rated dive shop on Trip Advisor FWIW.

 

[KathyV]

First, where is the Caymans forum?...

Cayman Islands

 

[howswedeofme]

DNS is a little cheaper at $400 for four two-tank dives or $475 for five two-tanks and they do pick up/drop off along SMB. We dove with them, Ambassador and Dive Tech last trip (January 2016). We liked diving with all three for different reasons. Overall, I thought DNS was a great dive op - they are the most attentive full-service/valet-style dive op I've come across - and would definitely dive with them again on our next trip. I also liked their boat more than Ambassador's boat, but that's personal preference. Their boat leaves the earliest (7:30a) so they can usually get to the "best" spots first on bad weather days when boats are jockeying for the more southern spots along SMB, which is a plus. But they also leave the earliest, so that is sad for my sleeping in. I found the DNS dive instructors in the water to be very helpful with pointing out neat stuff underwater, especially the little critters which I love to see/find but am not so good at finding yet.

 

[Doctorfish]

+1 for DNS. Great dive op providing valet diving, big boats and small groups. They have home baked pastries or cookies and dry towels on board. They also have exceptional DMs and captains and the owner, Dusty Norman, is a class act.

When on GC, DNS is my go to op. Good to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

We boat dive in the AMs, and then shore dive at Turtle Reef or Cobalt in the PMs. It is possible to swim out to the wall from any of the shore based operations if you are interested and have the no decompression time to do so. Babylon, on the east side is a very good shore to wall site as well; but not appropriate for newbies as it is a long swim, weather dependent and you are on your own.

 

[dive ladder]

My family has been diving with Jason at Ambassador Divers for years. We've always found them to have competitive pricing and top notch service.

 

[Doctorfish]

Everyone has their favorites. As an earlier poster said, the dive ops on GC are all competitive.