It's a topic regarding Cayman islands diving that may be of broader interest to others, not just me. Digging out the truth of it can be worthwhile. While solo diving is a practice by a minority of divers, it comes up enough in varied threads on the forum to judge it of legitimate interest. Sunset House's specific mention of shore diving 'with a buddy' brought the topic up here, Kathy V. (probably one of the members here most knowledgable about & interested in diving the Caymans) thought it was a law but wasn't sure, and I've seen the topic come up in the past IIRC, but not with a clear regulatory reference.
In other words, there seems to be this vague, pervasive belief that you can't dive solo in the Cayman Islands, but I've never seen a definitive basis for that belief. Since some people like the option of diving solo, it's worthwhile to consider whether that's an option, or somehow excluded from the entire region.
From Diver Steve's link:
"The Cayman Islands Tourism Association is a non-profit association which represents its membership of just over 250 tourism related private businesses in the Cayman Islands. The various sectors within the Tourism Association include : Hotels, Condo/Villas, Watersports, Restaurants, Transportation, Attractions, Cruise and Allied (all other businesses associated with our tourism product).
It was formed in March 2001 through an amalgamation of the Cayman Tourism Alliance and the Cayman Islands Hotel and Condominium Association. The association is wholly funded by membership subscriptions and fundraising. CITA actively promotes the continuing improvement and development of Cayman's tourism Industry through the exchange of information, government relations, training and education, marketing, and events."
and
"CITA continues to support efforts to enhance our tourism product with both physical assets and initiatives and with human capitol development. This needs to remain a priority for our industry and our country (with other industry's included) in order to maintain competitiveness and increase our market share."
As to your questions, I'd like to know whether this is a regional de facto issue, not just confined to any one dive op. Whether it's a law or policy is worth knowing. If not a law, is everybody doing it, and if so, why?
Richard.
