Site recommendation for 1 day of boat diving on Grand Cayman

[tkaelin]

How far would the drive be to get to Babylon?

As others have chimed in, it would likely be a 20-30 min ride to an op on the east end like OF. Longer to drive to the site. It would be too challenging a shore dive if you are not familiar with the area and site, IMHO and the conditions may not be suitable for a shore dive after driving all that distance. The odds of getting an op to agree and then follow through on getting you to a specific site on the north wall in your time window is low. There is always the desire to try to hit the "best" sites, but given your time constraints and the fact that there are so many good sites available, you may have a better time on the island by trying not to overplan this aspect of your GC trip. With just 2 days there is plenty to enjoy on the west side of GC. Enjoy!

 

[EastEndDiver]

Many people ask what the best dive site is.......I have been diving Grand Cayman since 1980 and I also own on island and spend a lot of time there......I can honestly say I have never been disappointed in any dive sometimes the visabillity or sea conditions can effect a dive but the sites themselves are always good.

That being said I will say that the North Wall and the South side have been my favorite go to places but they are weather dependent and not always doable.The West side has many good sites !

The dive OP you choose will decide what sites they dive by factoring in weather/sea conditions ,level of divers on boat ,where they leave from they may ask any requests but ultimatly they decide.

There is great diving on all sides of the island and if you never dove GC before I doubt you will be disappointed in any of the dives.

Most dive Ops do a deep wall then a shallow dive I don't know of any that do the Kittiwake as a second dive or in combination with other dives most charge extra for the kittiwake because they are charged a fee per diver they take.....I think they are maybe Jason or ScubyDrew can verify that .

I see you are from NY I am also (L.I.) if you want any info I can give my number if you want to call.

Have fun

John

 

[Dish]

John, there are dive ops that do a 2-tank dive that includes the Kittiwake. I have visited the wreck several times after diving the wall first. The OP will have to call around to schedule, since they only have two days there.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Yes a few do but most have it as a single dive on certain days I think they try not to have too many people at one time on the wreck.

 

[Doctorfish]

If I had one day only on GC, I would go out with a small operator like Wall to Wall or DNS. They are going to be headed to the best sites they can find for the conditions that day on the West or North sides.
I personally would skip the Kittiwake as it's a relatively new wreck without much encrustation and the wall in that area ( Sandchute ) is just so so.


Alternatively, drive down to East End and go out with Ocean Frontiers

 

[Trailboss123]

If you are staying in Georgetown, then you likely have settled on a dive op on that side of the island (West Bay). That being said, the I cast another vote for Trinity Caves as dive #1. I would skip the Kittiwake, personally. The Oro Verde wreck and reef would be a nice 2nd dive following Trinity Caves. As others have stated, the dive op will make the call at the end of the day, but you can certainly make a suggestion/request for these two sites. They are easily combined. For those that suggested Big Tunnels (an awesome dive site!)- It may or may not be available to dive. When I was there in August/September, there was no mooring on the site. It was in need of replacement.

 

[mi000ke]

The wheelhouse of the Kittiwake was recently damaged in a storm.
Kittiwake damaged in storm | Cayman Compass

It was an OK wreck dive before the storm. Not sure what condition the rest of the ship is in now. The Oro Verde is pretty much just scattered pile of debris at this point, so from a wreck point of view not much going on.

 

[choiahoy]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! We're even more excited after reading all that info.

One more side question - can anyone recommend a good car rental company?

 

[EastEndDiver]

Check rates and go with the cheapest they are all good I have used Hertz and Budget and another I can't think of they all seem to have comparable rates.

Remember they drive on the LEFT side there and you will be required to buy a "Driving Permit" which I think is about $20. and then you have the insurance routine which all rent a car places try.

 

[tkaelin]

Renting a car on GC is one of the few relative bargains on the island. I have not heard of a bad one. Andys is local and we used them in the past and booked a car with them for our next trip. We get a car through Avis when we dive OF and they are probably the most convenient as far as walking distance when exiting the terminal and they have always provided good service.