Just back - not the best impression - this one is a definite skip it

[EastEndDiver]

Possibly your group leader has never been to GC before?

 

[Damselfish]

Sorry you had a bad experience in one of my favorite dive destinations. You should have ditched your "group leader" - why repeatedly do dives that weren't good?

Cayman is considered expensive, this is no secret. But it's not really more so then other relatively upscale places in the Caribbean. It makes no sense to spend the money to go/stay/eat there, then make a point of doing the worst diving available. There is a bit of nice shore diving on GC, which it sounds like you unfortunately missed. But IMO it's a place meant to boat dive, ideally someplace other than the West end of GC- otherwise you miss all the stuff that people are talking about when they talk about the great diving there.

I've never been ripped off on the exchange rate. One of the things Cayman has going for it, on top of some great diving, is that for better or worse it is very NOT-third-world. So while one should exercise common sense like anywhere, I don't feel I have to be on constant vigilance for ripoffs, crooked ATMs, where I walk, wondering if my rental car will be intact when I return, etc, etc. So while there's areas you feel like you never left Miami, sometimes a dive vacation lacking local color of that sort is a nice change.

 

[KathyV]

... I will never go back as what I saw was that Cayman is extremely overrated, vastly over-hyped, and totally over-priced. There are way too many much better dive destinations that are less expensive and just as easy to get to.

The Caymans are expensive, there's no doubt about that, but they are beautiful and we have come to love the amenities of GC and the wonderful diving of BC and LC.

I have been to the Caymans 5 times and have never been short-changed. The cash registers have a button for "$US" and they give you back the exact change in Caymanian money. Unfortunately the exchange rate is not in our favor. And they often add a gratuity for dining so you have to check the bill carefully to avoid excessive over-tipping.

Eating out 3 times a day is really expensive. We usually stay at a one-bedroom kitchen apartment on GC and cook some meals and then go to an all-inclusive resort on the sister islands or get on a live-aboard.

You definitely didn't have a good vendor, leader, or itinerary. There is good diving off GC although I feel that the sister islands are superior. But you should have had a much better trip as long as the weather was cooperative; perhaps you can complain and ask for a partial refund?

Have you ever tried a live-aboard? We have found that a high quality live-aboard dive boat in a great location is the most economical dive trip. The trip includes your food, lodging, and many, many dives; and they tend to visit the more pristine, less-frequented dive sites. When you figure out the cost-per-dive for a live-aboard vacation versus a land-based dive trip doing boat dives; then the live-aboard is usually a great bargain.

But you won't have all the attractions (dining, beaches, night life, activities) that are often available on a land-based trip and if you are traveling with non-divers then a live-aboard can be very boring for your companions. Bad weather can ruin any dive trip but it can be a miserable experience if you are stuck on a boat!

I am sorry that you had a bad experience on GC; I hope that your next trip is better.

 

[ranchonodinero]

That's a shame. Agree that Eden Rock and the Grotto are pretty beaten down. Sunset House is down the street a bit and same deal with the reef, but the landing craft and mermaid were cool. We were there in July and did mostly shore dives. We enjoyed Turtle reef at Macabuca and Lighthouse point was great too. I've attached a vid from Macabuca. It is a compilation of two dives. We stayed on the East end and found cheap eats there (Kurt's Corner).
Turtle Reef, Grand Cayman 2014 on Vimeo

 

[Lopez116]

With the # of dives you have, I'm surprised you didn't do your homework before going! You are judging the entire island (and country) by the worst of its dive spots. You need to go back and dive the north wall and the east end. The north wall is my favorite and is flat out awe-inspiring!

As far as paying for weights, I never have. Never have gotten screwed on the exchange rates either and I find the people to be very honest and helpful. And, you can drink the water safely straight out of the tap!

 

[caymaniac]

Your story kind of sticks in ones craw, I've never heard of a group of people going to GC and diving just the west side. Why did your leader think that they should have that kind of itinerary? Being on 7 mile is great for a busy experience of GC. You should have rented a car to see the areas of the East side, see Rum Point and most definitely dove the north wall. What dive op did you use on your boat dives? Why would you choose Eden Rock...unless the silversides were in? If you dove the west side did you get to the northern west side near Big Tunnel or Trinity Caves? The west side has been beaten down by bad weather, a little by divers, and the biggest problem IMHO is Island detritus.
Here's some positives about GC, no begging, no worrying about the water or food if it is safe to drink, low crime...lower than Bonaire, Bahamas, and anywhere in Mexico. Excellent diving, in fact I have dove at 3 Bahamas Islands, Cozumel, Bonaire, Turks and Caicos, Aruba, Florida, Florida Keys, St. Maarten and hands down what beats all of them is: Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and the north wall on Grand Cayman, in that order. I would consider Little Cayman one of the best spots in the Caribbean to dive with Turks and Caicos the second after the Caymans.
I hope you don't measure the Caymans by the diving off the west side of GC.


I hope you are not a troll...:cool2:

 

[BUDMANOK]

I hope you don't measure the Caymans by the diving off the west side of GC.

While not as good as the north wall (which is outstanding IMO) there are some very good dives on the west side. Trinity caves. Orange Canyon . Dolphin Point. La Mesa. Eagle Ray pass.

I can't believe a person would go to GC and stay and only dive the cruise ship sites that have been beat to pieces. We are going to CB later this year and I have been researching dive sites for months.


Boat diving is $100 per day with $20 tip included.

I was short changed one time at a gas station on the island but it was my last day there so I let it go.

 

[Kharon]

The quotes from posts I put in red, my answers in black.

You saw the worst of a good island. I don't think you could have figured out a worse way to do GC. Definitely fire the group leader, or mutiny.

It makes no sense to spend the money to go/stay/eat there, then make a point of doing the worst diving available.

Couldn’t agree more.

With the # of dives you have, I'm surprised you didn't do your homework before going! You are judging the entire island (and country) by the worst of its dive spots.

I actually did. Unfortunately I had no say or input into where we dove and no way to break off and go my own way (no solo on GC and everyone else in the group was OK with the crap dives).

Since a group leader was mentioned, what sort of group? Was this a US based LDS group trip and leader?

It was a trip with my scuba club and the “leaders” had been there 12-14 times which is why the president/trip organizer turned it totally over to them. Not only did they take us to s**t sites but you had to play follow the leader. And I mean follow. I got castigated by the "leader" and his wife for not following them into the third sterile tunnel at Devil’s Grotto after having people turn around in the first and force me to back out and running into a huge traffic jam in the second. The guy even had red stripes painted on his fins so we could be sure he was the leader.

You need to go back and dive the north wall and the east end.

Not in this lifetime. Aside from the expense, the restrictions on divers are beyond what I can deal with. Too many other places I want to experience (from now on I'll do that on my own terms).

While not as good as the north wall (which is outstanding IMO) there are some very good dives on the west side. Trinity caves. Orange Canyon . Dolphin Point. La Mesa. Eagle Ray pass.

Exactly. Of all the west side sites listed by Ambasador Divers, and a bunch of other sources we went to exactly none. Of all the other sites on the island - ditto.

I have also NEVER been charged for using a shops weights! you got screwed all the way around by them. Who was it?

Eden Rock, Cobalt Coast, Fosters.

I'm writing this trip off as a learning experience. My reasons for a trip (diving the best sites possible and getting in as many dives as possible) is diametrically opposed to my scuba clubs reasons for trips (socializing - good diving isn't a priority, great diving less so). Something I didn't know about, but do now.

And no, I'm not a troll.

 

[caymaniac]

I'm writing this trip off as a learning experience. My reasons for a trip (diving the best sites possible and getting in as many dives as possible) is diametrically opposed to my scuba clubs reasons for trips (socializing - good diving isn't a priority, great diving less so). Something I didn't know about, but do now.

And no, I'm not a troll.

Well I'm glad you are not a troll, I feel bad for those in your club you bow to the scuba Nazi's. It's good to chalk it up to experience.

If you are looking for great diving then you need to go beyond the Caribbean to the Pacific. I've been to a few places like the Coral Sea off both Australia and Papua New Guinea, speaking of Papua, try New Britain, it is an amazing place with amazing diving. I dove with Walindi and also went on Star Dancer for a week, fantastic, there's no better place for warm water reef diving.
We also took a liveaboard out of Port Douglas Australia and were amazed at the great diving, especially near Lizard Island. We went out to North Horn, Shark Reef and Cod Hole but the diving near Lizard Island was nearly as good as New Britain.
I hope you are encouraged by others on this board not to accept your last dive trip as something that is a normal thing divers go for, it sounds as if you had a terrible time, I'm sorry for you but that doesn't mean I wouldn't suggest not going back to Cayman, especially Little Cayman. For those of us that live in the US, the Caribbean is so much closer and so much less expensive than Pacific travel, I don't make enough income to constantly travel there. And the Caribbean does have some great spots, the Caribbean does not have the diversity of the Pacific.

Near Trinity Caves, west side of Grand Cayman

Off the Brac

New Britain

 

[diver 85]

OP, with leaders like you had-----"It was a trip with my scuba club and the “leaders” had been there 12-14 times which is why the president/trip organizer turned it totally over to them. Not only did they take us to s**t sites but you had to play follow the leader. And I mean follow. I got castigated by the "leader" and his wife for not following them into the third sterile tunnel at Devil’s Grotto after having people turn around in the first and force me to back out and running into a huge traffic jam in the second. The guy even had red stripes painted on his fins so we could be sure he was the leader."---you need to find new ones......