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Well I am not too shy to admit it, I have 9 dives under my belt - 7 at a quarry and 2 ocean dives with Sandals (hearing a thud from the group )
But I am not too worried about shortened bottom times, and I am staying at the Westin. So as long as Red Sail is deemed a safe and reliable operation (which from reviews it seems to be) then I think it hits the spot for me.
My first time on Cayman I had maybe 20 dives total. The first dive with just about anybody on Cayman is typically deeper on the Wall so 35 minutes will be ok. But then the 2nd dive is likely to be shallower. At a site like Aquarium where there's masses of fish and invertebrates hiding in the coral in under 40' do you want to come up earlier? Personally I pay big money to get to a dive location so I like to maximize the time I get.
And if you're concerned about the convenience, most of the other diveops that will pick you up at the Westin are 10mins. or less away. Except Fosters, they're downtown. But if you're going to dive with a cattleboat, it might as well be Red Sail, Fosters has the cruise contract so they're not a better option imo. Your call...
Back to the regularly scheduled thread:
1) What side of the road do they drive on in GC?
The other side. It's easy till you come to the rotaries (there's only two) Andy's rents cars with either side drive, we rented a LH drive and only had a problem at the Burger King drive-thru...lol. Remember to look the other way before crossing also, I almost got nailed leaving a restaurant that fronted on SMB - not paying attention...
2) Easy to find places to fill up with gas if need be?
It's Seven Mile Beach - actually 5.3 miles long - so unless you drive out to the East End you likely won't need gas. We didn't put 100 miles on the car all week. There's a least a couple of gas stations near the airport as well as other places on the island.
3) parking easy to find at the shopping areas, restaurants, etc? It is vacation after all, I do not want to drive around for 15 minutes finding parking!
It is everywhere except when the cruise ships dock in Georgetown (daily) Traffic through there becomes difficult with thousands trying to walk on the narrow sidewalks - plus some of them were oblivious to the fact that we were bearing down on them in a 2500lb. automobile. Some of the restaurants downtown have small parking lots - Hard Rock's for example is about 15-20 cars total. Just go after 6PM when the last boat leaves - although don't plan to shop as they roll up the sidewalks when that happens...
Last edited by diversteve; September 18th, 2008 at 07:21 PM.
Reason: changed Soto's to Fosters...
We drive on the left side of the road and recommend you do the same while you are here. Rental cars are available with steering wheel on the right or left.
There are gas stations spread throughout the island. Current gas price is a little over US$5 per US gallon.
Parking is a mess in George Town during the day on weekdays. Cruise ship traffic only makes a bad situation worse.
<snip>sidewalks - plus some of them were oblivious to the fact that we were bearing down on them in a 2500lb. automobile.<snip>..
Wow, you get the expensive cars,eh? I don't think my last 3 rental cars on GCM totaled 2500lb.
You do have to be extra cautious when driving in GT. The cruise ship people, just like drivers, are used to looking for traffic in a particular direction. Since they're almost all from the U.S., even if they are looking, they're looking the wrong way.
Except Soto's, they're downtown. But if you're going to dive with a cattleboat, it might as well be Red Sail, Soto's has the cruise contract so they're not a better option imo.
Bob Soto's dive op does not exist any more. Perhaps you are thinking of Don Foster's?
For what it is worth, we always get a Jeep rental from Cayman Auto rentals. Others we know really love Andy's, and use the Cayman Activity Guide discount coupon.
When you drive, assign your significant other / navigator to frequently remind you to "Drive Left!". It is invaluable advice!
A benefit of renting a vehicle is that you can explore the island. There is so much more to Grand Cayman that SMB / George Town, so if you take a couple of days and drive about the island, you'll be enriched by it.
and after returning home, your significant other/navigator may need to remind you to "Drive Right!"
Least that's the way it works for us....
Funny you should mention that. A few years ago, after two weeks on Grand Cayman, I was driving my police car down a major (fortunately empty) road in my jurisdiction at about 0300. Suddenly it occured to me that I was driving on the left side of the road!
Almost had to pull myself over! I blamed it on residual effects of mudslides...
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Originally Posted by scubazlot
Well I am not too shy to admit it, I have 9 dives under my belt - 7 at a quarry and 2 ocean dives with Sandals (hearing a thud from the group)
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