Question: We arrive in the early afternoon. Would like to do an equipment/buoyancy check shore dive that afternoon. Will this be an option for the day of arrival?
As far as I know, there is no easy option for doing an equipment check shore dive at CBBR but you should contact Reef Divers directly and ask them about it, see the link below. There are many shore diving options on CB but not right at the resort.
The other 2 Tibbett's resorts that are partnered with Reef Divers do have options for equipment check dives. There is shore diving right in front of the Cobalt Coast resort on Grand Cayman and there is a "dive well" in the middle of the pier at Little Cayman Beach Resort for teaching purposes, but I don't know what they do at Cayman Brac for training, maybe they use the pool?
Have you already made your air reservations? If not, then you might consider adding a little time on Grand Cayman at the beginning of your trip. That's what we like to do and we always include some shore diving at spots like Turtle Reef to do our equipment checks and enjoy a lovely dive.
And if we discover any concerns about our equipment then Grand Cayman is a great place to be because there are many scuba supply shops and dive ops - although I am sure that Reef Divers on CB will be able to help with problems and they can definitely rent equipment.
When we were younger we used to rush to get away from work and out of town and arrive sleep-deprived at the vacation destination. Then we would hustle to get on the liveaboard the day we arrived, or run right out to catch the afternoon boat, or do a shore dive before we were even fully unpacked.
But sometimes, and not infrequently, one of us would get a head cold and then an ear infection because we arrived tired and had spent time breathing the airplane atmosphere - but mostly because we were so tired and run-down. And that has threatened and sometimes even limited our dive vacations. And it really stinks to be stuck on a livaboard when you are unwell.
No matter how we tried we somehow never managed to leave town for vacation feeling relaxed and well-rested. Maybe after we retire we will figure it out, but until then I predict that getting away from work and packed and traveling to our vacation destination will continue to be an exhausting challenge.
Now we make sure we have time to relax and rest on shore at the beginning of our trip and then ease into some dives before getting into a daily schedule of diving. It's fun and it helps to ensure we will both be healthy for diving. Just my opinion!
If you do have the option to add on some time on GC then you should book accommodations and flights soon, because you are traveling in the high-season and places fill up quickly!
Reef Divers Cayman Brac