Alucard
Contributor
I spent 3 weeks on island for the first time since COVID hit. The focus wasn't all on diving, as I had a bunch of business tuff to do on island, but I was able to get some diving in. I have 3 more days left on island but the weather forecast isn't great, so I doubt I will be underwater again.
Did 3 shore dives off Turtle Reef (aka Macabuca) toward the start of the trip, which weas great just to get back in the water after a few months and get used to how it felt. They were the usual great dives there. viz was decent, the current came and went a bit, which resulted in a nice "drift dive" after the turn-around on one dive. The usual critters, and lots of fish, which is a good sign, but the corals definitely are taking the toll on the Stony Pillar. I still think that this is the best shore dive off public property on the island - the setups at Sundivers is amazing - I wish more places had a layout and facilities like this place!
Went out on 2 boat trips with Cayman University Divers on the North wall (Creole Cliff and Ray's Bedroom for the first, Roundabout and Black Forest for the second). We dove nitrox EAN 33, and had a max depth of 100 feet at the Roundabout site. We had gone out with Brad a few years ago, so it was good to get out and be with him. He has been on island since for decades, and really knows his stuff. He takes great pains to get you to the best dive sites, and engages the folks on the boat with their preferences, even though he burns a lot of fuel to do it! He has max 6 on his boat, which means it's comfortable - his boat is faster than your average dive boat, which makes it great for exploring the north wall, as you don't spend as much time getting out and back. His surface interval snacks are great during mango season - he has a Julie Mango tree in his garden and eating those on the boat is a real treat! Julie mangoes are very different from most of the mangoes you can buy in the store at home.
We stayed at Paradise Pointe, which is a no-frills place on the shore and handy for all the places a dive boat will leave and for the shore diving sites on the north west part of the island (so Turtle Reef, Cobalt Coast, Lighthouse Point).
The place is hopping with divers. I am guessing that with the pent-up demand post-COVID lockdowns, their summer season may end up quite busy.... most boats right now are full, and I see many going out at 8am on the West side - seeing 7 or 8 boats out there while drinking my morning coffee was not unusual.
In general the island is up and running - everywhere is open and busy. All the usual haunts to eat and drink are still there. Sargassum is bad on the south shore (haven't been out East this trip yet), and pretty much non-existent on the SMB corridor and north side.
Did 3 shore dives off Turtle Reef (aka Macabuca) toward the start of the trip, which weas great just to get back in the water after a few months and get used to how it felt. They were the usual great dives there. viz was decent, the current came and went a bit, which resulted in a nice "drift dive" after the turn-around on one dive. The usual critters, and lots of fish, which is a good sign, but the corals definitely are taking the toll on the Stony Pillar. I still think that this is the best shore dive off public property on the island - the setups at Sundivers is amazing - I wish more places had a layout and facilities like this place!
Went out on 2 boat trips with Cayman University Divers on the North wall (Creole Cliff and Ray's Bedroom for the first, Roundabout and Black Forest for the second). We dove nitrox EAN 33, and had a max depth of 100 feet at the Roundabout site. We had gone out with Brad a few years ago, so it was good to get out and be with him. He has been on island since for decades, and really knows his stuff. He takes great pains to get you to the best dive sites, and engages the folks on the boat with their preferences, even though he burns a lot of fuel to do it! He has max 6 on his boat, which means it's comfortable - his boat is faster than your average dive boat, which makes it great for exploring the north wall, as you don't spend as much time getting out and back. His surface interval snacks are great during mango season - he has a Julie Mango tree in his garden and eating those on the boat is a real treat! Julie mangoes are very different from most of the mangoes you can buy in the store at home.
We stayed at Paradise Pointe, which is a no-frills place on the shore and handy for all the places a dive boat will leave and for the shore diving sites on the north west part of the island (so Turtle Reef, Cobalt Coast, Lighthouse Point).
The place is hopping with divers. I am guessing that with the pent-up demand post-COVID lockdowns, their summer season may end up quite busy.... most boats right now are full, and I see many going out at 8am on the West side - seeing 7 or 8 boats out there while drinking my morning coffee was not unusual.
In general the island is up and running - everywhere is open and busy. All the usual haunts to eat and drink are still there. Sargassum is bad on the south shore (haven't been out East this trip yet), and pretty much non-existent on the SMB corridor and north side.
