Grand Cayman next summer...

[svnipp]

The wife and I are beginning to plan next year's vacation to Grand Cayman probably in July. We are looking at staying at the Morritt's Grand, and we found some dive packages with an outfit called Red Sail Sports. I'm looking at their 3 day dive package, and the we are also planning on some snorkeling since the little one is too young to dive and the wife isn't certified yet.

Anyone have any experience with Morritt's Grand and/or Red Sail Sports? Anything else I should know about or be aware of related to Grand Cayman?

Thanks in advance.

 

[EastEndDiver]

I won't comment on Morritts or Red Sail because I have not used either but as to other things related to GC I will.You will be on the East End of the island and if you haven't considered renting a car you probably should so you can see the rest of the island.There are modern super markets available so you can purchase just about any food item you want and help cut the costs of eating,restuarants are mostly expensive on island.The best way to describe restuarant prices is to say they are "New York" Prices.There is a lot to see on island go to "The Cayman Activity Guide", which is online and also you can pick up copies at the airport,they have many coupons and "Special Offers" which will save you some money.

If you decide to go into Georgetown check and see how many cruise ships are in that day,try to pick a day with fewer cruise ships to avoid the foot traffic.Here is the cruise ship schedule website;

http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

I own on island so if I can give you any more info just ask.

Enjoy.

 

[Scubasmed22]

My wife and I have done grand cayman twice in the last 18 months. Let me recommend Grand Cayman Beach Suites. Great location on 7 mile beach. The in house dive operator to that hotel is Red Sail. However, you need to contact Living The Dream Dive Operator. These guys are incredible. Reference trip advisor for more info. They can handle your snorkel trip as well. I've used Red Sail before. You will like Living The Dream better.

 

[Damselfish]

If you are looking at staying at Morritt's Grand because you can do a timeshare trade there, it's a nice place. Haven't stayed but have been all around Morritt's and what was there of the Grand at the time and gotten the general feel of things. If you just want to stay someplace on the East End (which I'd mostly recommend over 7 Mile Beach ) I usually suggest the Reef Resort or Compass Point. Compass Point is good if you're all about the diving, with a great dive op Ocean Frontiers on site. (I am probably going to stay in a timeshare at Morritt's next year and will still dive with Ocean Frontiers rather than Red Sail, even though Red Sail is on site and I'll have to drive to OF.) But with a little one and a non-diver the Reef or Morritt's would be a better choice than Compass Point. The Reef is just my personal preference, Morritt's seems fine but just felt noisier and busier to me than the Reef, though I think the atmosphere at the Grand may be quieter than the original Morritt's area.

Definitely rent a car. Note that the main grocery stores are closed on Sunday's so you might want to plan around that. Not sure about the smaller grocery across from the Reef.

Most people are going to recommend Ocean Frontiers over Red Sail, but since you are a new diver you may be happy enough with Red Sail - especially with it being on site and since you're only planning on diving a few days.

 

[mwalsh787]

We are owners at Morritt's Tortuga Club and have been going there for years. Red Sail now runs Tortuga Divers. I dove with them in October and I have to say it was a very pleasant experience. We had not been back since Red Sail took over from the old Toruga Divers owners, but I was pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness of the reservations folks at Red Sail and also the personalized service from the staff at TD and Red Sail when we arrived. The dive boats are clean and well-organized, the dive briefings professional and friendly and the dives themselves were well run, for the most part. Nitrox is available as is any kind of class or instruction you need. I found that the staff is also great about asking for input on dive sites before going out. This is really helpful, especially if you are diving with the same op all week...the staff will work with you to get you to a new site that you haven't seen. The staff is also great at knowing which sites are better for different weather/conditions. Building a good relationship with the staff beginning when you first arrive will really help you throughout the week. I have found them very responsive to diver input and experience level.

I actually took a "scuba refresher" (which they require if you haven't logged a dive inside of a year or two--not sure of the exact time frame) and I found it quite thorough and quite friendly. As I recall, the cost also included a shallow reef dive, so that was ok. I'm all about refreshing skills from time to time .

I also found that the staff will work with you to figure out the best way to plan your week so that you can max out your dive dollar. That's important because diving in Cayman isn't cheap, so the sooner you get by that, the more able you'll be to relax and have a good time. The fact that the staff was willing to help definitely helped me to relax and enjoy the week that much more.

On a related note, Cayman itself is expensive, so my wife and I like to stop at Fosters (grocery store) in town when we get off the plane and stock up on some breakfast/lunch stuff. That way, we're able to spend our money on some really nice dinners and the odd breakfast or lunch (and, of course, diving). I'd be happy to share some of the other tips/hints that can help you to have a blast in Cayman as well as advice on dive sites, etc. Feel free to PM me if you like and I'll be happy to help in any way I can.

Good luck and good diving!

Mike

 

[Damselfish]

What is Red Sail setting for dive times, and do they require following a DM?

 

[mwalsh787]

Two tank dives usually leave the dock around 8:00AM if memory serves, and shallow reef (afternoon) dives usually leave the dock around 1:00 or 1:30, as I recall. There is also a night dive each week (or likely more than one these days) that used to happen on Wednesdays. That goes out around 8:00 or 9:00, depending on the time of year. I haven't done the night dive in a while, though, so don't hold me to that:S All dives on TD (Red Sail) require following a DM, I believe. However, you might want to call and ask about that. I have always preferred to follow a DM as they know the sites, but independent diving may be an option, I've not explored that. Might be worth a call to Red Sail to ask. I have seen the staff customize dives to the divers aboard the boat and have also had them work with me to get the types of dive experiences I was looking for, so I wouldn't hesitate to ask for what you want. Hope that helps!

 

[Damselfish]

sorry, by dive times I mean not what time do they leave, but how long are the dives? Are they telling you to be back on the in boat in 40 minutes? An hour? Never mind, I poked around on their site and found this, does it sound like what they were doing? (Count me out.)

2-Tank AM Wall Dive (East) - The first instructor-led dive is approximately a 35 minute wall dive to a maximum of 100 feet. The second dive is a shallow, buddy dive to approximately 60 feet for 40 minutes. Dive is for certified divers only. On your second dive you can, if you wish, do a buddy team dive.

 

[mwalsh787]

Oops, sorry...didn't quite catch your meaning the first time around

Yep, that sounds about right, although the max depth, in my experience, can depend on the skill level and experience of those aboard the boat, and may be a bit deeper. The web description may be a bit on the conservative side, but it's probably pretty close.

 

[divejay]

The wife and I are beginning to plan next year's vacation to Grand Cayman probably in July. We are looking at staying at the Morritt's Grand, and we found some dive packages with an outfit called Red Sail Sports. I'm looking at their 3 day dive package, and the we are also planning on some snorkeling since the little one is too young to dive and the wife isn't certified yet.

Anyone have any experience with Morritt's Grand and/or Red Sail Sports? Anything else I should know about or be aware of related to Grand Cayman?

Thanks in advance.

Highly recommend Red Sail if your going to stay on the East End with Morritt's Grand. Red Sail is the on site dive operator there. Their boats are very comfortable and dive staff are great. On the East End, the only other dive operator a few miles down the road from there is Ocean Frontiers. They also run a nice dive operation, but does not have a restaurant on site.

If your looking for a dive operator that will offer you long bottom times on boat dives your at the wrong end of the island. Over in West Bay, Divetech runs two one hour dive profiles off their boats, if you do not own a dive computer they will loan you one for all your diving. They also provide free shore diving from two awesome locations, day & night with your diving package to max out your bottom time. The snorkeling and diving in West Bay, especially in the area around Cobalt Coast Resort was voted by NOAA as the healthiest reefs in all the Cayman Islands. Also, in West Bay is deserted beach (Barkers Point), Horse back riding on the beach, Seven Mile Beach, Turtle Farm, Stingray City, the new wreck the USS Kittiwake for you to dive and wife & kids to snorkel. The Kittiwake is in 60' of water and 8' from the surface. Duty Free shopping is just 10 minutes from West Bay. You can also find three supermarkets and local restaurants in West Bay where you don't need to pay New York prices.