Afforded a break. Staying near 7MB

[swimbody]

Never been to GC. I'm a lover of Roatan and Cozumel and planned on heading south to our favorite islands sometime this year but some friends of ours are lifetime Holiday Inn people due to business travel and only stay at HI's when they travel and they LOVE Grand Cayman. They've been to GC 7 times in 7 years. They like the topside life but the husband is getting certified before the trip this time. We will be at the mercy of their schedule as we are renting a villa together for absolutely no money...can't beat that.

I'm not a fan of the cruise ship folks so are there any dive ops near 7mb that would be good to look up. We dive Cozumel and always dive with Blue XT Sea...so we like 4-5 in the boat kind of ops...but I will be patient and flexible this time in GC. I've read the shore diving posts and they've been very helpful. I have my plan in place but for the boat diving...still unsure.

Thanks in advance

 

[releck97]

Yay for you! There are a ton of top notch six pack operators on Grand Cayman. One of my favorites is Epic Divers. www.epicdivers.com. They offer a great platform, lots of room and personalized attention. Pretty much everybody offers "valet" service, so sit back and enjoy the treatment. Enjoy!

 

[swimbody]

Thank you. I reached out to them for rates. Wow is CB EXPENSIVE!!! And to think I was diving for $25 for two tanks in Roatan in 2009

 

[releck97]

Boat dives are not cheap in the Caymans. Shore diving at Macabuca and Sunset House are a real bargain and the diving is just as good as the boat dives. Hire a dive guide and you'll still come in much cheaper than diving by boat. The only time I will use a boat when on the west side of the island is when I am sure that they are going north.

 

[captio2000]

Divetech treated us very well on our boat dives and the shore dive from their reef at Lighthouse Point.

 

[howswedeofme]

Dive Tech (not full valet) and DNS (full valet) both take more than 5-6 people, but their boats are much larger than the 6-pack boats. We dove a 6-pack boat our first trip and I wasn't a fan. When we go back, we will dive with Dive Tech or DNS again. There is a better chance of heading to the North Wall (weather permitting) with ops that have the bigger boats. I never felt crowded on either op's boat or under water, even with 10 divers.

 

[scubadada]

Are you staying at the Holiday Inn Resort and Suites? Divetech is now located there in addition to Lighthouse Point Divetech - Grand Cayman's best Scuba diving. I have dived with them several times when they were at Cobalt Coast, very good operation. Their shore diving at Lighthouse Point is my second favorite after Turtle Reef at Cracked Conch/Macabuca. There is a good on site operator at Turtle Reef, Sundivers.

I have spent my last 2 trips to Grand Cayman staying in the East end at Compass Point and diving with Ocean Frontiers. My favorite operation for SMB is Wall to Wall Grand Cayman Scuba Diving - Wall to Wall Diving

 

[mi000ke]

Living the Dream was the least expensive dive op I found, and they were great to dive with, and located along SMB. I did my AOW with them as well. They take max of 8, but we never had that many on any dive, and always plenty of room.

 

[tkaelin]

Check with divetech to see if they have a boat leaving from the HI and diving the North Wall. If they do that would be your best boat. If you will have a new diver with you it may make sense to do a couple shore dives first before a trip to the North Wall.

 

[KathyV]

Never been to GC. I'm a lover of Roatan and Cozumel and planned on heading south to our favorite islands sometime this year but some friends of ours are lifetime Holiday Inn people due to business travel and only stay at HI's when they travel and they LOVE Grand Cayman. They've been to GC 7 times in 7 years. They like the topside life but the husband is getting certified before the trip this time. We will be at the mercy of their schedule as we are renting a villa together for absolutely no money...can't beat that.

I'm not a fan of the cruise ship folks so are there any dive ops near 7mb that would be good to look up. We dive Cozumel and always dive with Blue XT Sea...so we like 4-5 in the boat kind of ops...but I will be patient and flexible this time in GC. I've read the shore diving posts and they've been very helpful. I have my plan in place but for the boat diving...still unsure. Thanks in advance

If you are staying at the Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman then you will NOT be on the Seven Mile Beach, you will be on the North Sound - and you won't be near the cruise ship traffic unless you go into Georgetown or West Bay when the cruise ships are in port. But you won't be terribly far away from things either, just a short drive (or shuttle ride) to the more popular areas.

Divetech is the onsite dive op and they have a good reputation and so they would be most convenient, and you won't be on a cattle boat - but you can make arrangements with many other dive ops if you prefer. Some of Divetech's boat diving packages include unlimited shore diving at the Lighthouse Point facility, so that is a way to get more dives for your dollar.

Divetech's 2-tank Recreational Boat Trips:
Boat Dive Packages Rates: (Air tanks and weights included)
3 days or more: US$108 per day, including complimentary unlimited shore diving.