Pros and Cons of Cayman Brac vs St Lucia
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drrich2
Contributor
I've only got 2 dives at each, so hopefully others will chime in. If you research the two on the forum, I think you'll see Cayman Brac is a mainstream dive destination without a whole lot topside, whereas St. Lucia is a lushly vegetated mountainous island with a lot topside (e.g.: a number of Sandals locations; it's a cruise ship stop so it's got various excursions - we did a rainforest hike on our honeymoon in '06).
Quick St. Lucia Trip Report (my 2 dives on a cruise ship stop).
Estale - an Alert Diver Online article that appeared in the print magazine also.
Cayman Brac has been the subject of a few recent threads discussing various aspects, including the feasibility of shore diving and how it compares to Little Cayman.
I don't see many St. Lucia-based trip reports on ScubaBoard, at least of the week long, 5 1/2 days diving type.
Richard.
Quick St. Lucia Trip Report (my 2 dives on a cruise ship stop).
Estale - an Alert Diver Online article that appeared in the print magazine also.
Cayman Brac has been the subject of a few recent threads discussing various aspects, including the feasibility of shore diving and how it compares to Little Cayman.
I don't see many St. Lucia-based trip reports on ScubaBoard, at least of the week long, 5 1/2 days diving type.
Richard.
We've done one dive trip to St. Lucia and four or five to Cayman Brac, plus diving off Brac on the Cayman Aggressor. As you can tell - we much prefer Brac.
St. Lucia is beautiful, it is one of the prettiest Caribbean islands we have visited. The jungle, hills, mountains, and the sea are gorgeous. But I would NOT stay there without AC, it is hot and very humid and the mosquitos are ferocious!
We tried to go off and do some exploring on our own while on St. Lucia and it was a bit scary and we encountered some unfriendly folks! After that we stayed on the resort property and only did some guided tour excursions.
We had lovely diving in St. Lucia but it was mostly small stuff - a good environment for macro is the best way to describe it, but I did see a flying gunard in St. Lucia and that's not something you come across very often - and the coral reefs were lovely.
I really like Cayman Brac, it is a quiet and rural area and undeveloped but it is still part of Cayman, which is a first world country and I am confident that the air conditioning will work well! It is also a beautiful spot, unlike many Caribbean islands - it is not just flat and sandy with some palm trees. The Brac is a gorgeous, a wild bluff that is riddled with caves. There are beaches and wetlands and bird sanctuaries and a Booby preserve.
The locals are friendly and you can explore all over the island without worry. We usually rent a car for one day to drive around and explore. You can also hike or ride bikes but it's hot! You won't have to exercise any food and water precautions on Brac or worry about mosquito-borne diseases.
The reefs are beautiful and you are very likely to see some bigger animals like turtles, eagle rays, sting rays, eels, and loads of friendly groupers - and sometimes a goliath grouper. You probably won't see many sharks but there are usually some nurse sharks and reef sharks around. The Russian Frigate (renamed the Tibbetts) is a great wreck dive. If the weather is good the dive op will take a morning boat trip over to Little Cayman for an extra price (not bad) so you may also have a chance to dive the fabulous Bloody Bay Wall.
I loved our trip to St. Lucia and I am glad that we went there but I like Brac better. Below are some videos and links that I have collected about Brac that you may find of interest, but I am sure that you can also find lots of lovely information about St. Lucia.
There's very little nightlife on Brac, so if that is something you enjoy then it may not be the best spot for you.
Have fun wherever you decide to go!
https://vimeo.com/165357805
https://youtu.be/NTcZso-Zg80
http://www.xray-mag.com/pdfs/articles/Travel_CaymanBrac_LawsonWood_60_locked.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/cayman.brac.diving/posts/874214046078664#
http://caribjournal.com/2015/09/15/journey-to-cayman-brac/
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/shore-diving-on-cayman-brac.553128/
St. Lucia is beautiful, it is one of the prettiest Caribbean islands we have visited. The jungle, hills, mountains, and the sea are gorgeous. But I would NOT stay there without AC, it is hot and very humid and the mosquitos are ferocious!
We tried to go off and do some exploring on our own while on St. Lucia and it was a bit scary and we encountered some unfriendly folks! After that we stayed on the resort property and only did some guided tour excursions.
We had lovely diving in St. Lucia but it was mostly small stuff - a good environment for macro is the best way to describe it, but I did see a flying gunard in St. Lucia and that's not something you come across very often - and the coral reefs were lovely.
I really like Cayman Brac, it is a quiet and rural area and undeveloped but it is still part of Cayman, which is a first world country and I am confident that the air conditioning will work well! It is also a beautiful spot, unlike many Caribbean islands - it is not just flat and sandy with some palm trees. The Brac is a gorgeous, a wild bluff that is riddled with caves. There are beaches and wetlands and bird sanctuaries and a Booby preserve.
The locals are friendly and you can explore all over the island without worry. We usually rent a car for one day to drive around and explore. You can also hike or ride bikes but it's hot! You won't have to exercise any food and water precautions on Brac or worry about mosquito-borne diseases.
The reefs are beautiful and you are very likely to see some bigger animals like turtles, eagle rays, sting rays, eels, and loads of friendly groupers - and sometimes a goliath grouper. You probably won't see many sharks but there are usually some nurse sharks and reef sharks around. The Russian Frigate (renamed the Tibbetts) is a great wreck dive. If the weather is good the dive op will take a morning boat trip over to Little Cayman for an extra price (not bad) so you may also have a chance to dive the fabulous Bloody Bay Wall.
I loved our trip to St. Lucia and I am glad that we went there but I like Brac better. Below are some videos and links that I have collected about Brac that you may find of interest, but I am sure that you can also find lots of lovely information about St. Lucia.
There's very little nightlife on Brac, so if that is something you enjoy then it may not be the best spot for you.
Have fun wherever you decide to go!
https://vimeo.com/165357805
https://youtu.be/NTcZso-Zg80
http://www.xray-mag.com/pdfs/articles/Travel_CaymanBrac_LawsonWood_60_locked.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/cayman.brac.diving/posts/874214046078664#
http://caribjournal.com/2015/09/15/journey-to-cayman-brac/
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/shore-diving-on-cayman-brac.553128/
Last edited:
drrich2
Contributor
A few more questions may help discriminate.
1.) How many dives are you looking to do? From what others have said, Cayman Brac Beach Resort (which seems to be most reported on on Scuba Board - my subjective impression) can offer 2 morning & 1 afternoon dive, so that's 3/day. Perhaps a night dive offering at some point?
2.) How many dives can you get in with the dive op. at St. Lucia? Whatever the dive shop has booked into their package deal, is there an option to add more?
3.) What do you want to do topside? If you're going to lay in a hammock or hang at a bar, or just socialize with fellow divers, the lush rainforest of St. Lucia is just a nice backdrop. But if touring the rainforest or the like fires your imagination, that's another story.
4.) Where would you be staying on St. Lucia? That's part of the experience and value for dollar.
You're looking at an extra $600 to go to St. Lucia (Do your trip cost figures include airfare? If not, run the numbers!). What are you, personally, in the context of your interests, expect to get for that money?
On the other hand, as you'll find searching, St. Lucia doesn't seem to be a mainstream diving destination (by which I mean amongst the ranks of Cozumel, Bonaire, the Caymans, Roatan & Belize), though many people have enjoyed the diving there. When I've priced it in the past, it looked expensive to me. This might be a chance to get in a destination you may not ever make it back to, so there's the 'something special' aspect to consider.
Richard.
1.) How many dives are you looking to do? From what others have said, Cayman Brac Beach Resort (which seems to be most reported on on Scuba Board - my subjective impression) can offer 2 morning & 1 afternoon dive, so that's 3/day. Perhaps a night dive offering at some point?
2.) How many dives can you get in with the dive op. at St. Lucia? Whatever the dive shop has booked into their package deal, is there an option to add more?
3.) What do you want to do topside? If you're going to lay in a hammock or hang at a bar, or just socialize with fellow divers, the lush rainforest of St. Lucia is just a nice backdrop. But if touring the rainforest or the like fires your imagination, that's another story.
4.) Where would you be staying on St. Lucia? That's part of the experience and value for dollar.
You're looking at an extra $600 to go to St. Lucia (Do your trip cost figures include airfare? If not, run the numbers!). What are you, personally, in the context of your interests, expect to get for that money?
On the other hand, as you'll find searching, St. Lucia doesn't seem to be a mainstream diving destination (by which I mean amongst the ranks of Cozumel, Bonaire, the Caymans, Roatan & Belize), though many people have enjoyed the diving there. When I've priced it in the past, it looked expensive to me. This might be a chance to get in a destination you may not ever make it back to, so there's the 'something special' aspect to consider.
Richard.
al248005
Contributor
While I have never been to St Lucia, I was on the Brac at the beginning of this month. There is things to do topside you just have to look a little for them. I wish I would have taken a tour of the island while I was there but I was too busy diving. I did on the last day ride the bike down to the local liquor store. It was a nice bike ride but the bluff part of the island I bet has to have some pretty good views. There was also a cave of some sort I wish I would of gotten to see. The Brac is extremely laid back and private. If your looking for a place that is very touristy and has all the little shops and nightlife the Brac is not for you. And yes the air conditioner was nice but I actually opened the window to my room and slept with the ceiling fan on and found it to be quite comfortable. You can never beat fresh air!
paulithepin
Contributor
I love St. Lucia and the diving-especially at the base of the Piton’s. Superman’s Flight is one of my top 5 favorite dives. My last group trip there was in October 2017 and as most of the island is a tropical rain forest it was hot and humid. I would not have enjoyed it without A/C especially at night. I highly recommend St. Lucia as a diving destination, but would only want to stay at a trsort with A/C. At any Caribbean destination I’d rather have A/C and not need it than need it and not have it!
rockn4u, where in St. Lucia would you be staying? The best diving is on the west side, near the Pitons. If you're staying up north past Castries, it's a fairly long boat ride down. The diving in the far north is not worth it, in my opinion. I loved our trip to St. Lucia, but it was largely land-based, with 8 to 10 dives sprinkled in over the course of the week. There is a really nice wreck on the west side in one of the inlets (forget the name). One day I'd love to re-visit and stay at Anse Chastanet, which has the reef accessible as a shore dive.
Cayman Brac has excellent diving, and Cayman Brac Beach Resort, where I'm guessing you would be staying, is wonderful. Really nice mix of walls and finger corals, with an exceptional wreck, the Tibbets. Overall, I'd place Brac diving well above St. Lucia diving, but again, my St. Lucia diving was somewhat limited, and a good chunk of that was in the north.
Both great trips, but if the focus is diving, I'd go Brac.
James
Cayman Brac has excellent diving, and Cayman Brac Beach Resort, where I'm guessing you would be staying, is wonderful. Really nice mix of walls and finger corals, with an exceptional wreck, the Tibbets. Overall, I'd place Brac diving well above St. Lucia diving, but again, my St. Lucia diving was somewhat limited, and a good chunk of that was in the north.
Both great trips, but if the focus is diving, I'd go Brac.
James
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