kristen8416
Contributor
Hello! I'm new to the site and looking for suggestions for an upcoming trip to Grand Cayman. I have scoured the site and gathered what I could already.
My husband and I dive together, mostly in Key Largo so far with some in Jupiter and Pompano. Almost all of our dives have been ocean dives other than our initial check out dives when we started. We try to do a trip every 3-4 months. We've really enjoyed the Keys but are looking to venture out somewhere new. We are a little bit of creatures of habit.
I travel for a living so I rack up lots of Marriott points and Delta miles. The downside is this limits where I can go. I'm looking for destination that utilizes both. It just saves more money for diving. :cool2: We really don't care much about the nightlife. We just want to dive, eat great local food, and enjoy the scenery. We aren't much for sitting around the pool. We also prefer to be on boats with more competent divers if certain places attract more of one than the other.
Enough about us, on to my point. Sorry to rattle on, I am a girl. We are looking at Grand Cayman, staying at the Marriott on SMB (it's free). I'm trying to figure out who to dive with. Based on my research it seems most operators are good. But I've read a lot about the East side being so much better than the West Side. Since it's a dive trip, I want the best diving. Unfortunately, I'm staying on the West Side. It looks like a 45 minute drive to get there. We can rent a car.
So, my questions are...
1. Who would you recommend diving with?
2. Is it worth it to drive from the West to East every day to dive? I would prefer to choose one operation to reduce cost and I find staying with one operation is nice because you get to know them and vice versa. (I don't want to be lazy and miss out on great diving because there is a dive shop next to my hotel, although it would be nice)
3. Best places to eat, not chain type but local and any other tips would be greatly appreciated?
My husband and I dive together, mostly in Key Largo so far with some in Jupiter and Pompano. Almost all of our dives have been ocean dives other than our initial check out dives when we started. We try to do a trip every 3-4 months. We've really enjoyed the Keys but are looking to venture out somewhere new. We are a little bit of creatures of habit.
I travel for a living so I rack up lots of Marriott points and Delta miles. The downside is this limits where I can go. I'm looking for destination that utilizes both. It just saves more money for diving. :cool2: We really don't care much about the nightlife. We just want to dive, eat great local food, and enjoy the scenery. We aren't much for sitting around the pool. We also prefer to be on boats with more competent divers if certain places attract more of one than the other.
Enough about us, on to my point. Sorry to rattle on, I am a girl. We are looking at Grand Cayman, staying at the Marriott on SMB (it's free). I'm trying to figure out who to dive with. Based on my research it seems most operators are good. But I've read a lot about the East side being so much better than the West Side. Since it's a dive trip, I want the best diving. Unfortunately, I'm staying on the West Side. It looks like a 45 minute drive to get there. We can rent a car.
So, my questions are...
1. Who would you recommend diving with?
2. Is it worth it to drive from the West to East every day to dive? I would prefer to choose one operation to reduce cost and I find staying with one operation is nice because you get to know them and vice versa. (I don't want to be lazy and miss out on great diving because there is a dive shop next to my hotel, although it would be nice)
3. Best places to eat, not chain type but local and any other tips would be greatly appreciated?