Grand Cayman Activities

[uncfnp]

Getting my final plans together for my first Grand Cayman trip, May 7 to 15. Already booked to stay at Turtle Nest Inn with reservations first half of week with Ocean Frontiers and last half with Divetech.

I will have time for only one or two shore dives. I know everyone will have their personal favorite but if I only get in one shore dive, what do you recommend and why?

And what additional activites on island do you recommend? Any decent trails? Horseback riding. ATV? Do not miss sightseeing?

And lastly. Good eats?

Thank you.

 

[Divetech Cayman]

We look forward to having you!

We may be a little biased, but the shore diving from our Lighthouse Point facility is a great dive. The dock and seapool combination offers easy entry/egress. (The seapool alone is home to all sorts of small critters, and octopus.) The mini wall is about 150 feet off the dock and this is where you'll find the Guardian of the Reef statue. If you keep going another few hundred feet out, you'll encounter the deep wall and giant sponges. It's a great dive

There's no ATV riding, (there is a Go-cart track here) but lots of horseback riding nearby. As far as other non-diving/sightseeing activities, (do you have a car?) theres hiking the Mastic Trail, visiting the Botanic Park, Concrete Sculpture Garden, or the newly opened Crystal Caves.

And for good eats, my personal favorite is Yoshi's Japanese on Seven Mile Beach.

 

[Skeptic14]

If you enjoy snorkeling you could trade a shore dive for snorkeling the Rum Point barrier reef, which from Turtle Nest Inn is only about a 25 minute drive, that was one of our favorite activities.

Food wise, we really enjoyed Ragazzi Restaurante, Chicken Chicken and Sunshine Grill.

 

[Goingforsound]

You can also snorkel the wreck of he cali if you are downtown georgetown and eat at the restaurant next to it. You actually get in the water by using the restaurant's ladder. Its a cool wreck to snorkel but not worth a dive in my opinion.

 

[sea_otter]

I make a point to do a night dive at Turtle Reef every time I go. It's one of my favorites. For one, you put on all your dive gear and walk straight through Macabuca's bar (getting stares from people sipping on their umbrella drinks) and climb down the ladder into the ocean. It's a short swim out to a mini-wall which drops down to around 60', making it a really nice easy night dive with tons of life. There's always an octopus (at least I'm 3 for 3). Last time we saw octopus, squid, stingrays, a turtle, some spotted morays, and had a great time. Then you climb up the ladder, and lo and behold, you're back in the bar ready for an umbrella drink of your own! How can you possibly go wrong?

 

[sea_otter]

And as for non-diving, the botanical gardens are well worth the trip. I think the orchids will be in bloom in May. The Mastic Trail is also fun - we hiked it from the North end. Saw lots of birds, land crabs, and snakes. The south side was very muddy, so bring shoes you don't care about (or turn back when you get to the mud).

For more urban stuff, if you've got a day on the surface, check out the Cayman Spirit's Company distillery tour. Don't expect to be able to drive afterwards - the drinks are unlimited. Also grab a lionfish taco at Ocean Frontier's. Those are tasty. Rum point is also an awesome place to SUP or chill out with your toes in the sand.

I am so jealous! Have fun!

 

[uncfnp]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We do have a rental car so travel is no problem.

Really like the night dive suggestion. That could add another shore dive to the list. And a dive at Divetech sounds promising too.

As a newbie to shore diving Grand Cayman, obviously we can rent a couple of tanks at Divetech to shore dive there but where do you get tanks and weights for other sites?

Love orchids (Eric might sit this one out) but the hike is something we both would enjoy.

And sounds like we will be eating lionfish tacos soon!

 

[EastEndDiver]

uncfnp I own a condo at Turtle Nest Inn PM me if you have any questions.

Also the snorkeling behind the Inn and Condos is some of the best on Island.

 

[sea_otter]

As a newbie to shore diving Grand Cayman, obviously we can rent a couple of tanks at Divetech to shore dive there but where do you get tanks and weights for other sites?

If you do Turtle Reef, there's a small dive shop called Sun Divers in the same building as the restaurant/bar. They'll rent you tanks and weights.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Sun Divers will also leave tanks for you to do a night dive if you contact them earlier.