Greetings, Wife and I are traveling to Grand Cayman Dec 16 -24 and looking for recommendation for a dive shop to use. It is our first trip to the island. We prefer smaller boats(capacity) but really just looking for a great few days diving(4). We are both easy going and
Who would you recommend we dive with? [have heard dive tech and neptune are good choices
They are but Divetech will mostly require a short drive to either of their facilities. Many of the other operators - Neptune's included - will pick you up along SMB. With a car that's not as big a deal for you. Others I recommend are Ambassador, Wall to Wall, Indigo. All are 6-8 divers max per trip - most on boats designed for upwards of twice that many. DNS diving also gets good reviews but IDK them. Book early you're going to be there in the height of high season. Giles at Wall to Wall is pretty easy going - not sure if he dives as much as he used to now. Casey at Neptune's is another of my favorites.
What are the can't miss dive sites? [kittiwake is on my list]
Ghost Mountain, Turtle Reef (shore dive) Eagle Ray Pass, Orange Canyon, Trinity Caves, Big Tunnels, Hammerhead Hill. Aquarium is one of the better shallow 2nd dives. And Stingray City - the dive not the Sandbar snorkel - is the other signature Cayman dive. Babylon from the East End.
www.idivecayman.com lists a couple hundred of the better sites with videos. In winter sometimes the north is blown out so if the operator you're with goes south, we really liked Blackie's Hole - not so much for the swimthru but the surrounding area. Saw an orange sponge there big enough to get inside. (we didn't)
Any other suggestions for activities? [we will be renting a car and do not mind striking out on our own for an adventure]
Suggestions for the less crowded side of the island? (Beaches -diving etc)
There's some good shore diving if you drive around to find it. Turtle Reef, both Divetech locations - Cobalt Coast and Lighthouse Pt. We enjoyed an afternoon diving at Sunset House also - the mermaid statue, a decent reef dive, My Bar for lunch and Cathy Church's photo gallery/store on-site. Do dive Turtle Reef also - head to the left and there's a cave filled with Tarpon. They don't move much so you can get in between them if you move slow. It's pretty cool. Also we've seen Eagle Rays go flying over in that area.
Also maybe book a day with Ocean Frontiers to dive Babylon. It's a little too far east for most of the west side operators but is arguably one of the best dives. OF is based at Compass Point on the East End so any of their dives are different (some would say better) than the west side. Allow 45mins. to an hour to drive out there from Seven Mile Beach. Even if conditions don't allow diving Babylon - it's on the exposed north side in winter - they'll find good dives nearby or go south - those sites see a lot less traffic than any others.
Any things to avoid/gotchas?
Georgetown Daily when the cruise ships are in port. After about 4PM it's worth a look though - shops will still be open but most of the cruisers are tendering out to their ships. If you did want to dive Eden Rock/Devils Grotto - that's when I'd go. Eden Rock Dive is open till 5PM or later.
Every shore dive site I mentioned has an on-site operator and it's expected you rent anks from them while on their property. Most have improvements such as dive ladders over the ironshore, balls marking attractions etc. so I would anyway.
We have a Cayman Islands sub-forum so I've moved this thread there.