How has shore diving changed in Grand Cayman?

txteachers · June 25th, 2009, 08:46 AM

I originally asked about tanks for shore diving and got a comment about the changes in shore diving in Grand Cayman in the last 8 years, which was about how long it has been since we were in GC.

I know in Bonaire it is easy to know where the dive sites are by their lovely yellow rock signs! But last time in GC, there were a couple of sites that we needed insider information in order to know exactly where to park and which path to walk down to get to the entry point.

I do have the book, The Dive Sites of the Cayman Islands, but it was published in 2001

! And I've seen a couple links for shore diving, BUT I'd love to hear from those of you who frequently shore dive in GC for any advice or suggestions!

Alex777 · June 25th, 2009, 11:11 AM

It has changed in a negative way, because legal shore access to sites is declining. The dive site is still there, of course, but you can only get to it by boat or by trespassing. Some examples are:

Spanish Bay Reef: undergoing development
Sea View: has disappeared & been replaced with condos
Parrot's Landing: undergoing development
Bonnie's Arch: condos seem abandoned; no one to get permission from
Caribbean Court (Armchair): owners no longer welcome divers

There have been 1 or 2 gains as well, e.g., Lighthouse Point is now very accessible.

nipi · June 25th, 2009, 01:31 PM

txt - Alex is right about the above sites but, having done 95+% of my dives here over the last 16 years as shore dives, my view is that there has been a small almost negligible detrimental effect. You can still access all the sites listed above just with a longer surface swim. I am struggling to think of any shore diving sites that now cannot be accessed due to development. Which "insider" sites did you do last time?

billinwilliamston · June 25th, 2009, 02:42 PM

Babylon now has houses where there used to be empty lots. Access to a couple of sites via Barefoot Beach closed up a couple of years ago (at least for the timid) when they started scheming to build the Mandarin.

It could just be a matter of perspective. Like the Steven Wright line "everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time", everything is a shore dive if you have the time (and don't mind the swim).

nipi · June 25th, 2009, 05:35 PM

The best access for Babylon has always been the track 2 lots past the new yellow house not where the new houses are.

The marked site at Barefoot Beach is easily accessed down the western boundary or there's an old road a v. short distance west from their wall which almost goes to the beach (this is the old road which went through the whole area parallel to the shore before it was developed). From there Annchor Point is slightly to the east, but the wall straight out is equally good. Also v. good snorkelling within the fringing reef here - saw an octopus & a goldspotted eel here last Sunday - also there's a sulphur vent of some sort in the shallows here.

jerrycsr · June 30th, 2009, 04:17 PM

T

Quote:

he best access for Babylon has always been the track 2 lots past the new yellow house not where the new houses are.

Where do you park your car exactly? Could you give a description?

Thanks.

nipi · July 10th, 2009, 12:39 PM

The track is only about 50 ft long - plenty of room to aprk on the side of the road.

Alucard · July 20th, 2009, 05:38 PM

Bonnie's Arch is still active - actually looked at a property there last time I was there back at the end of 2008. I don't know the situation with permission, though.

Alucard · August 1st, 2009, 10:41 PM

OK, I checked out Bonnie's Arch this week and there is a sign saying no entry for the public and no diving for the public either, so if you want to shore dive that site you would have to find another entry point.

bob kopki · August 28th, 2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txteachers

I originally asked about tanks for shore diving and got a comment about the changes in shore diving in Grand Cayman in the last 8 years, which was about how long it has been since we were in GC.

I know in Bonaire it is easy to know where the dive sites are by their lovely yellow rock signs! But last time in GC, there were a couple of sites that we needed insider information in order to know exactly where to park and which path to walk down to get to the entry point.

I do have the book, The Dive Sites of the Cayman Islands, but it was published in 2001

! And I've seen a couple links for shore diving, BUT I'd love to hear from those of you who frequently shore dive in GC for any advice or suggestions!

I just came back from 2 months of diving in GCM.

The GOOD NEWS is there is very good shore diving on the North Coast. Sundivers ( at the Cracked Conch) has a very easy entry into the Turtle Reef area. This area is very healthy & alive. I dove there 17 times and see new critters every time. highly recommended. this is where
many of the people who live on island do their diving.

There is also very good diving along the mini wall near the Cobalt Coast Resort, especially East of Cobalt Coast. This is not as easy to get to as Turtle Reef ( requires more swimming), but well worth it. Divetech does their second AM dive along this miniwall, and some of the sites I have
dove with them are very beautiful & alive.

I used to dive at Spanish Bay reef and miss it since it closed.

I have also dove some of the shore diving sites closer to Georgetown ( Sunset House, Eden Rock,
etc. but prefer the ones in the North because the reefs are much more alive & the fish life is more numerous & varied. Lets put it this way, I have a friend who is an instructor for Cathy Church. On his days off, he dives at Turtle Reef.