Thinking about Grand Cayman for a late April/May trip

[caymaniac]

Seven Mile beach is a great place to visit/hotel/condo. We've been there many times and always enjoy it. I'm sure your friend would enjoy the beach or walking it, here's a photo showing the extreme northern end of the beach and looking back the 7 miles, this is the only place to see the rocks on the beach as it is mostly all sand:

Here's a beach bar we've visited a few times:

If you have a vehicle you can explore the Island, here is an area on the East side of Grand Cayman:

Take the car all the way to Rum Point for a snorkel or lunch or a rest in the hammock:

Enjoy George town or the Cayman Mall if you like to shop, there are plenty of places to eat or see a movie at the mall:

To dream some more, you can see the Cayman Aggressor in Georgtown harbor a liveaboard that takes you off shore for 7 days of diving:

 

[fluff_astrid]

Thanks everyone!

Sounds like Grand Cayman may be the best choice for us both. The boyfriend has done two discovery dives before (1 in Australia and one while I was doing my cert in Maui) so he's familiar with the equipment, but had some troubles with equalization/a bloody nose so needs a lot of coaxing to get back in. I think I could get him to do another discovery dive at least, but let's just say he's much more comfortable in 20 feet of water or less

Definitely don't expect the DMs to be personal assistants but it is good to know that there are small ratio ops to choose from. I'll probably be paranoid checking my depth on my first few walls dives anyways and irritate my buddy to no end, but I can't wait to be in water so clear! I'm also considering doing the peak performance buoyancy course while I"m there.

Cobalt looks awesome...thanks for the tip!

 

[vincent54]

I've never had a bad go at Cobalt Coast. If it was good enough for Tiger Woods, it is good enough for me.
Have your boyfriend practice his Valsalva Maneuver to get his ears ready for the trip. If he had an injury as you described, an ENT should check things out. If he can't clear using that method, try the Frenzel Maneuver, it seems to work alot easier with less effort. You can't dive if you can't equalize your ears. Don't know if they teach these in the dive classes, but you can practice and do some dry land training. Have fun.

 

[fluff_astrid]

I've never had a bad go at Cobalt Coast. If it was good enough for Tiger Woods, it is good enough for me.
Have your boyfriend practice his Valsalva Maneuver to get his ears ready for the trip. If he had an injury as you described, an ENT should check things out. If he can't clear using that method, try the Frenzel Maneuver, it seems to work alot easier with less effort. You can't dive if you can't equalize your ears. Don't know if they teach these in the dive classes, but you can practice and do some dry land training. Have fun.

Thanks! Yes, they definitely do teach that in dive classes, and I've become a pro at prepping my sinuses for a dive . I did coach him a bit on this before, but I don't think he really considered it much until he finally felt pain. If he dives again, I think he'll consider the techniques more seriously!

 

[diversteve]

Since you originally mentioned SMB - I don't know how much of a factor that is in your decision but Cobalt Coast really doesn't have much of one. What they have is a strip of sand but there's ironshore between it and the water. You can walk out to the end of the dock and snorkel though. Check the property shots here: http://www.cobaltcoast.com/photo-gallery

 

[fluff_astrid]

Since you originally mentioned SMB - I don't know how much of a factor that is in your decision but Cobalt Coast really doesn't have much of one. What they have is a strip of sand but there's ironshore between it and the water. You can walk out to the end of the dock and snorkel though. Check the property shots here: http://www.cobaltcoast.com/photo-gallery

Thank you for the heads up...hmm, I think the larger area of the SMB would probably be more appealing. So maybe it's SMB and a pickup from tour operators!