Little Cayman Dive Shop Recommendations

[Haleyeah]

I am looking for some recommendations for a dive operation on LC. I’m traveling there this December with 6 other divers. A few questions I have:
1) We will be staying at a non-affiliated location (VRBO). Will that matter?
2) Are there any cattle call boats we need to avoid?
3) Will any cross to Cayman Brac for a day? We’d like to dive the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts.

 

[Damselfish]

Where exactly is your VRBO? I don't know if any of the resort ops _don't_ take non-guests, but you'll want to call about availability, as if they happen to be full with people staying at their own resort they might not take others. Reef Divers at LCBR seems the most likely to be maxed out on divers, with fuller boats. They might be the only ones that go to Brac, but they don't always have enough demand to go either. The Club has Reef Divers, I assume it's a branch of the same op but not sure. Conch Club Divers is supposed to be good and seems generally uncrowded. All those ops cooperate if they're not somehow related and you could wind up on a LCBR boat for something like a night dive if there aren't a bunch of people at the other place who want to go.

Pirates Point runs a very different schedule than the others, 2 long dives in the morning that come back late for a late lunch, no afternoon dives. (Their boat actually leaves from a dock near LCBR, not their resort.) I don't know much about Southern Cross diving.

 

[Haleyeah]

Thanks for the response! I have emailed all four of those dive ops with some questions. Hopefully one will have some availability and match what we are looking for.

 

[AggieDiver]

All four of the ops on LC have an excellent reputation and based on what I know of them, I would gladly dive with any of them. Reef Divers or Conch Club are probably the most likely to be willing to take you on their boats. As was said, Pirate Point is a smaller place with only one boat, and they only do the morning dives. Reef Divers and Conch Club both operate from the dock at LCBR, with Conch Club leaving earlier in the morning. I believe they only run one boat as well. Southern Cross is a good outfit as well, but I really don’t know much about their schedule or if they have more than one boat. Reef Divers will most likely be running 4 boats in December, so they may have more chances to fit you in.

 

[flyboy08]

We went to the Tibbetts with ReefvDivers @LCBR.

 

[jdcpa]

All of the operators are very good.

Reef is the only operator that goes to the Brac, once a week, Thursdays I think, weather and number of guest signing up permitting.

My experience lately is that Conch Club has less people on their boats than Reef Divers.

Pirates Point goes out later in the morning and does two longer dives.

I believe, space permitting that Southern Cross or Pirates Point will take you out.

Conch Club goes out first from the Reef Divers dock. Obviously gets back first so you have less congestion at the rinse tanks.

Southern Cross operates smaller boats than Conch Club of Reef and goes out at about the same time as Reef.

Reef runs up to four boats so it can get crowded.

If it is your first trip, I would recommend Conch Club, you will probably get more personal attention. With Reef you could be on a boat with a group and get a little lost in the shuffle.

Don't get me wrong, they are all very good.

 

[Doctorfish]

You may have an issue with getting on a boat. All the dive shops on LC are linked to a hotel or condo and will almost certainly preferentially take their own customers first. You should get on this right away and might have to re think your arrangements.

In all the years I've dived at LCBR, I can't remember meeting any divers on the boat who were not staying at the resort or condo next door.
Conch Divers always seems to have unfilled boats so they might be your best bet, if they take off site divers.

There is also good shore diving on the north side of the island with beach access to Jackson's wall if that is an option for you,

 

[tkaelin]

We dove with Conch Club on are one and only trip to LC. We loved the op - ran and owned by good people. Big plus that they leave and return before the others. Less busy on the dock and first crack at dive sites. Would highly recommend.

 

[Doctorfish]

I've dived with Reef, Conch and Southern Cross. All have good big boats and high quality dive ops. Reef tends to be the most crowded, but they will allow divers to head off on their own once they have sized them up.
I think a lot of the experience depends on the DMs who happen to be there at the time and DMs tend to turn over often.

IMO, the OP needs to e-mail or phone all the dive ops on island now, to find out who takes outside divers and whether this can be booked in advance.
If not, I would consider changing accommodation arrangements.

 

[KathyV]

I am looking for some recommendations for a dive operation on LC. I’m traveling there this December with 6 other divers. A few questions I have:
1) We will be staying at a non-affiliated location (VRBO). Will that matter?
2) Are there any cattle call boats we need to avoid?
3) Will any cross to Cayman Brac for a day? We’d like to dive the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts.

We have met divers on Little Cayman Reef Diver boats that were not staying at the resort, but they were usually local property owners and that could make a difference - it never hurts to know people! And there were only 1 or 2 of them at a time, so it was probably easier to accommodate them. Also, we tend to travel in the off-season when things aren't as busy, but in December (especially if you will be there in late December?) resorts and boats will be more crowded. I think that with a large group of divers, it's good advice to make your diving arrangements now. It would be a shame to get there and not be able to do as much diving as you'd like.

As far as taking a trip over to Brac to dive the Tibbetts, Reef Divers will usually do that once or even twice per week if there are enough divers that want to do it - but since you have a group of 7 divers you should be able to arrange something. There is a fuel surcharge, even if you already have a dive package with Reef Divers, but it's not terrible, maybe $25 or $35 extra per person for the 2 dives. I'm not sure, we didn't do the Tibbetts trip when we were on LC last year because we have already dived it several times; but I hope that you do get to dive it, it's a really cool wreck. I imagine that some of the other dive ops also go over to Brac, but I'm not sure, I've never asked.

But if it is windy and the water is rough, they probably won't make the crossing to Brac, no matter how many people are willing to pay extra to go there. The same goes for the crossing from Brac to Little for folks staying on Brac that want to dive BBW.

Southern Cross is a smaller resort but I seem to recall that they have big boats (again I am not sure, I've never dived with them) buy they might be willing to service your group.

I have never shore dived on Little Cayman but I know that @Ricardo V. has done it and liked it, so perhaps he can tell you more about it.

Little Cayman in December, how exciting!