Lighthouse Point, Grand Cayman

[dickiefl]

Hello all,

New to the board but not to diving.

The wife and I are taking a trip to Grand Cayman next month with another couple. My buddy and I are planning to do at least one dive while there for the week. While wanting to spend most of our time relaxing, we have tentatively decided to stick with a relaxed shore dive from Lighthouse Point.

Sounds like a sweet little dive that is only 50 yards from the shore. What are the opinions from any here that have dove in Grand Cayman?

Thanks,
Dickie

 

[ianr33]

If you are planning on diving the close in "mini" wall go a little further up the road to Sundivers. Much more interesting dive IMHO.
If you are heading out to the big wall then Lighthouse point is great

 

[Cave Diver]

If you are planning on diving the close in "mini" wall go a little further up the road to Sundivers. Much more interesting dive IMHO.
If you are heading out to the big wall then Lighthouse point is great

Ditto.

But unless things have changed expect the Dive Tech staff to be much more friendly and accommodating.

 

[ianr33]

The one time I dived at Sundivers they were great,but that may have been because they had only just opened and were trying extra hard.

Another option if you want to mix diving and relaxing would be the main Divetech site at Cobalt Coast. Has a pleasant dive,excellent shallow snorkelling (Have seen all sorts of stuff there in 3 feet of water, Squid,Octopus,Peacock Flounder etc etc) Also has a nice bar,excellent food and a small swimming pool.

Divetech are reliably excellent. Going to be there June 1st

 

[dickiefl]

We were looking at the "mini wall" due to the close shore proximity. I am trying to talk my buddy into a better dive, but he seems to want to do a quicker dive so that we can spend more time doing other things.

 

[dickiefl]

To comment on your last post ianr33, I have read nothing but good things about Divetech while doing my research.

 

[Cave Diver]

We were looking at the "mini wall" due to the close shore proximity. I am trying to talk my buddy into a better dive, but he seems to want to do a quicker dive so that we can spend more time doing other things.

The mini wall at Turtle Reef (Sundivers location where the Cracked Conch Restaurant is) is a great dive, especially if you head north along it. It can be a bit choppy and have some current dependent on weather conditions.

As Ian said, Cobalt Coast has the added benefit if the onsite restaurant if you want to grab lunch and when I was there last year they were doing a lunch/dive special for $12 C.I. or just a shore dive with air OR nitrox for $5 C.I.

By comparison, Sundivers was either $10 or $12 C.I. for air. It's still one of my favorite dives, but it's not the best experience or value at times. But if I was only able to make one dive, this would be one of the ones at the top of my list.

Given the choice between Lighthouse Point, or Cobalt Coast, I'd probably choose Cobalt, although it is a bit further away and can be a bit tricky for people who are unfamiliar with it to find.

LP is still a good dive though, especially if you're a bit pressed for time since it's marginally closer and has a bit better service. It's really hard to go wrong with any of them. There was another thread in this subforum recently on this identical topic, you might want to have a look at that as well.

Edit - link: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cayman-islands/329960-grand-cayman-lighthouse-point-dive.html

 

[dickiefl]

Ok, looks like I need to do a little more research.

Also, my buddy and I are only planning on taking our Reg's and Computers. How is the rental gear that is available?

 

[DandH]

We just returned from a week in GC. The Cobalt Coast shore dive is a no-go, the current and winds are too rough and entry was next to impossible and they wouldn't let us enter. SunDivers at Cracked Conch or DiveTech at Lighthouse are the recommended locations. The current was moving pretty swift from north to south, so heading north on the mini-wall was pretty good and the marine life was active. Visibility got worse as the week progressed. On Friday we ventured off the big wall at Lighthouse, but the current coming back in was a bit tough. The DiveTech people are great btw. Judging by the way they keep their facilities, I would venture that their rental gear is kept in the same manner, which is very good. Compare that with say, Eden Rock, which has a loose ladder, no shade and shaky tables for your gear. Eden rock is a great shore dive however.

 

[ianr33]

Interesting what you say about the current at lighthouse point. Did a dive there once when we went to pull and glide to get back across the sandflats. Most of the time the currents hardly exist,but they can pick up out of nowhere for no apparent reason.