Hi mlove,
Bringing out the old Cayman Islands shotgun & blasting away, eh, Mike? Hopefully, the following few pieces will assist with your decision making process.
Don't rule out Grand Cayman just because of worries about the rush hour trafic jams, plethora of international fast food franchises & Cayman Cowboys characteristic of the 7 Mile Beach environs. There's still peace & excellent diving to be had there. I'm a big fan of the quiet far east end. The following appeared in my "Dive Workshop" column of the June 2000 issue of "Rodale's Scuba Diving" magazine. In case you do not have access to that issue, here is an edited/updated version from my files:
"Cayman Diving Lodge (http://www.caymandivelodge.com/), located on the water in the remote east end, tends to be frequented by serious divers. There is little to do here but dive and enjoy the 17 mile stretch of thin & sometimes rocky beach, although the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is well worth a visit. They are especially proud of the blue iguanas they are reintroducing. One of the grounds keepers will probably be more than happy to stop raking organic detritus for a bit & show you around (a small tip is appropriate). The "Blow Holes" are also out that way & worth a glance. The resort will do the airport honors, but rent a vehicle if you want to tour the island or regularly head into Seven Mile Beach or George Town for some action.
CDL's accommodations are motelish, but the 12 recently refurbished rooms are fully serviceable & have all amenities needed to be comfortable, but no TV or phone. The best rooms are beach front, although the areas in front are communal, so if you're on honeymoon or like privacy get one of the two on the upper level. Economy rooms are farther from the water & can be a bit snug.
All meals are included and are essentially all you can eat. Hot breakfasts are made to order, as well as cereal, pastries, toast & fruit. Lunch is buffet style, and dinner is family style, usually a single entree like a tasty meat, fish or pasta, accompanied by a green salad, fruit salad & homemade baked dessert. There is a small honor bar; don't expect a full range of Jimmy Buffett "boat drinks." It has been my experience that divers here are not big into alcohol. If you want to eat out in the area, the Lighthouse has super desserts. On the very eastern tip is Portofino, a pricey place with some good dishes, especially pasta. Their Sunday brunch is not to be missed.
The young staff is laid back, accommodating & skilled. [UPDATE: There has been extensive recent staff turn over & I believe that Mickey is the only one left of the old crew. He is a gem of a DM & a GC Adonis. I hear the new staff are somewhat more mature & very competent.] Dive briefings are quite thorough, and DM's extend substantial diver freedom once you have demonstrated your competence. There are two boats. A 48' Pro which usually takes the AM divers (no more than 16) -- twin ladder entry, while a 45' Garcia is typically taken for the PM dives when the group is smaller--swim up entry & and center tank rack. On my dives, they never had more than 6 people in the PM, including the DM & Captain, both of whom usually dove (that should tell you something). [UPDATE: The Garcia has recently been extensively refitted & is now used for daily two tanks trips for non-resident guests.] These craft are built for diving & and are diver friendly. Large O2 canister, large first aid kit, radio, all desired safety features on both.
Look for air temps in the mid-80's in summer, mid-70's in winter. Viz is best in the summer months, where is can be 150'+, and rarely is less than 80'. Marine life is quite prolific, and you can see much of Paul Humann's "Reef Fish" guide here in a week--I saw my first chain moray at Chub Hole. Several 5' foot Caribbean reef sharks allowed a close approach at Jack McKennedy's Canyon. At Grouper Grotto, the canyons held trains of large tarpon, who let you swim right up if done very slowly. Decent stands of staghorn & elkhorn coral. Babylon Wall off the NE was better than much of what I've seen at Bloody Bay & Jackson Walls on Little Cayman--fabulous groves of black coral & deep water gorgonians.
For a big splurge dinner in town, Lantana's is exceptional. Good food in an atmospheric setting can be had at Casa Havana or Ferdinand's, both in the Westin (http://www.sunfinder.com/grand_cayman/westin_casuarina.htm). The Wharf has good food & a tarpon feed around 9PM. The barish Lone Star has an all-you-can-eat Caribbean lobster night on Tuesday, and a happy hour special on "shooters" which is a real bargain by Cayman standards. Good food, big quantities & decent prices at "Eats Crocodile Rock Cafe" & "Big Daddy's Restaurant & Sports Bar." Also, there is the full range of fast food franchises.
For the dedicated diver who wants little else than solitude during dives, CDL is highly recommended."
As regards Little Cayman, I've stayed at all resorts there except for the Conch Club Condos (http://www.conchclub.com/), which I did nonetheless visit.
Here is my last trip report:
"There are basically only 6 places to stay on LC: Little Cayman Beach Resort (most upscale & $$ - new beachfront condos are dynamite; boats can be crowded & regimented); Southern Cross Club (laid back beach resort with good, uncrowded dive boats; my favorite); Sam McCoy's (isolated on other side of island; a bit run down & caters heavily to fishermen - great if any of you like Snook fishing. Is the closest resort to the primier dive sites like Bloody Bay & Jackson Walls. Also, best shore diving on an island with very limited shore diving); Pirate's Point (best food as owner Gladys Howard used to own/run a gourmet catering service/cooking school in Texas many years ago. Definitely make reservatiosn if she's in the kitchen. She's also very ecologically active--ask her to give you an island tour if she's not too busy); Paradise Villas (basic but quite nice cottages near airport -- this can be you cheapest option; eat at nearby Hungry Iguana); and the Conch Club Condos.
LC is very quiet & not for non-divers who need any stimulation/entertainment. Once you've seen the red-footed booby preserve, the museum, the only freestanding bar/grill on the island (Hungry Iguana) & sea kayaked to little, uninhabited Owen Island off the Southern Cross Club, you've done it all. Little Cayman Beach Resort is the upscale spot, with very nice new beach front condo units but surprisingly "motelish" regular rooms. Has a nice tennis court. Boats were crowded & diving regimented, though. Also stayed with the Southern Cross Club next door & liked it much better -- both atmosphere & diving considerably more relaxed. Went over to Cayman Brac one day to dive the MV Keith Tibbets (named after the brother of Linton Tibbets, owner of the LCBR & potentate of LC). A 330" Russian frigate built for Cuba in 1984 & sold to CB for $275,000 in 1996 for wreck diving, it has aluminum decking & superstructure & is disintegrating daily. If you're into this sort of thing, better see it soon. LC ops do about 2/week at a small premium. Group at LCBR were very well-heeled, well-traveled & well-educated -- can be a bit pretentious. If you do LCBR, get the "All In Diver's Package" which includes everything, including alcohol (beer is $4+ per pop).
LC sites you will want to see include: Divers Delight; Pirates Point Reef-lots of finger reefs large number fish small number of crab & spotted eel; Great Wall West (part of the Bloody Bay Wall dive sites - Bloody Bay and Jackson's Wall are areas consisting of multiple dive sites) Tremendous vertical wall. Large turtles & some spotted eagle rays; Lea Leas Lookout; Grundy's Garden; Joy's Joy-an excellent wall dive with some Kool swim throughs; Mixing Bowl; Randy's Gazebo - IMHO opinion best chimney in the Caymans. It's just big enough for one. Watch for the lovely & semi-rare Florida coralimorphs at the exit; Sara's Set-multilevel coral reefs with sand trenches in between; Barracuda's Bight-shallow wall dive; Bus Stop; Nancy's Cup of Tea. Ben & Jerry, a couple of friendly Nassau Grouper, are often about. Light up a small morsel for them on your night dive (Blue Tang a favorite) & you'll realize that Hoover is strictly minor league."
Cayman Brac is my least favorite of the Caymans & I know much less about it than the other 2. I'll leave coverage of it to the more knowledgeable on the board.
Let me know if you have other questions.
DocVikingo
Hope this gets you started.
DocVikingo
