Where are you planning to stay?
@morecowbells recently did a trip to Brac and they rented a condo and dived with Brac Scuba Shack and did some shore diving, see the link below:
Back from our first visit to Cayman Brac.
We like to rent an apartment or condo when we stay on Grand Cayman because there is a lot to see and do and because there are many restaurants and grocery stores and topside activities. But the shopping and restaurant choices on Brac and Little Cayman are quite limited and it is also very convenient to have the dive operation right onsite at the resort, so we prefer to stay at the all-inclusive Cayman Brac Beach Resort on Brac - but there are other nice choices and you won't starve in the Sister Islands no matter where you decide to stay.
I think that there are good things to say about both the AI and condo choices available but my experiences have all be with CBBR so I will tell you about that.
The Cayman Brac Beach Resort is a very nice property and the food is excellent and abundant. The resort is clean and well-maintained but not luxurious. They offer entertainments every night for the guests like Bingo and Crab Races - I know that it's corny but we have a lot of fun. There is a lovely, little spa onsite and I always treat myself to a massage when I am there. They have gorgeous, huge, infinity pool and they are on a small beach for relaxing but it is not a great swimming beach. They also have tennis/ basketball courts.
There are 3 places to eat onsite at the CBBR, the double-level beach bar, the main dining room where they serve food included with the AI package, and the Island Prime Restaurant, a more upscale restaurant which is extra and only open a few times a week. When we were at CBBR in autumn 2018 we were planning to celebrate our Anniversary at the Island Prime Restaurant but the AI food was so good and friendly that we decided to skip Island Prime.
The service at the resort is excellent and the valet dive operation is great. When you check in at the dive shop they give each diver a numbered mesh bag. The first morning of diving your put your gear in the bag and leave it outside your hotel room door. They pick it up and set up your gear for you and you don't have to lug it around during the rest of the trip.
When you are ready to dive you carry your mask and fins to one of the small seats at the back of the boat. The dive staff bring your rig over to you and help you into it, then you just stand up and step into the water. When you return, they help you out of your gear and switch your stuff over to the next tank. At the end of your dive day you rinse your wetsuit, mask, and fins, and hang them in the nearby drying shed and carry your computer (and camera) back to the room.
Some folks are uncomfortable with having others setting up their gear. It was strange for us at first but we soon became comfortable and now we really appreciate the easy diving. However, if you don't want them to set-up your gear - just tell them and they will respect your wishes - it's up to you. We always inspect our gear before the next dive and have never found any problems.
The boats are large Newtons, and the largest number of divers I have ever experienced on a RD boat was 16. That sounds like a lot but they are big boats and I've never felt crowded. I have occasionally seen a few of their boats looking heavily packed in the past - but those were always dive clubs and groups of divers that wanted to dive together. I don't consider it a cattle boat operation.
Reef Divers is a very safety-oriented op, but I have had good experiences with many Cayman dive ops over the years. RD staff give excellent detailed boat orientations when you begin diving with them for the week, and they provide detailed orientations for each of the dive sites.
There is divemaster in the water on each dive and you can choose to follow the DM or go off on your own with your buddy. If you follow the DM then he/she will give you a guided dive through then site and then eventually lead you back to the mooring line. At that point the DM prepares to exit the water and you can finish out your dive for your remaining time.
The dive profiles are a bit conservative. They usually state 110 feet max and 50 mins for the first dive and 60 feet for 60 mins for the second dive. But like I said, you don't have to follow the DM, and if you want a longer dive just make sure that you are one of the first divers to splash. They usually don't care about longer dives as long as you aren't making the other divers hang around and wait for a long time, or cutting your surface interval too short. They require buddy teams but will be happy to hook you up with someone as needed, and they require divers to use a computer but they will loan you one for free if you don't have a computer.
Brac has good, healthy, beautiful reefs with a variety of fish life and very friendly groupers. You will see turtles, eels, rays, including eagle rays, and lots of other critters, and the occasional shark - not a lot of sharks but you should sees some.
The wall dives start around 40 or 50 feet and if you run into weather issues they usually have good options to dive off various sides of the island. The Russian Frigate Tibbetts wreck is a popular dive, and night dives are offered a couple times per week at an extra charge and if enough divers sign up. Typical packages include 2 or 3 dives per day and Nitrox is available for an extra charge. Twice per week (weather permitting) they take a boat load of divers over to Little Cayman for a 3 dive day trip at no extra charge. You will have the chance to dive Bloody Bay Wall and eat lunch at the Little Cayman Beach Resort and check out their sister resort.
Tanks for shore diving are included in your package at CBBR but you would have to rent a car to shore dive Brac because there is no shore-diving onsite.
We always rent a car for a day and do some touring around the island. Brac is a beautiful island with it's dramatic bluff. There's not much to do besides enjoy nature but you can go rock climbing, biking, hiking, visit the caves and the small museum. We usually like to spend some time on Grand Cayman relaxing and enjoying the amenities of that island before heading over to Brac or LC.
We love Brac and look forward to visiting again!
