Utila or Little Cayman?

[kmp5]

Hi :wavey:

This is my first post but I have spent many enjoyable hours on this forum reading, searching, looking at pictures and of course fantasizing about the next trip…

I am especially interested in Utila and Little Cayman but wanted to get some insight from you all as to which would be a better fit for me.

As for the diving, I am especially interested in:
- seeing lots of marine life- the bigger the better, and the more variety the better
- diving in warm water
- beginner friendly (I am very comfortable in the water, but I have only been diving for a little over a year)

I like to have active vacations and spend my time out of water hiking, exploring, kayaking, biking, surfing, etc. Both of these islands seem very remote- are these activities worthwhile and what other topside activities are available?

My last trip to Maui was so enjoyable to me because I got to experience such a wide range of activities, from luaus and gourmet restaurants, to hiking through rain forests and off-roading in a Jeep, to diving on Lanai and learning how to surf.

What would make one place better than the other for me, or is there another place that you can recommend? And when would be the best time to visit?

Thank you all for your input!
p.s. sorry if there is another thread on this subject. i searched and could not find.

 

[scubajoe]

Welcome to the board!
I have been diving at Utila and Little Cayman. Both are great diving locations. Lots of stuff to see. As far as things to do on the surface, I can be of little help. We were on the Aggressor or staying on the Brac when we dove Little Cayman so I know nothing of the surface activities. Hiking and caving were fun on the Brac. We stayed at Laguna Beach Resort on Utila. Doing 5 or 6 dives a day there was little time for topside activities. They do have kayaks available to use but I didn't. As far as the diving goes either place will be great.

Joe

 

[ddawson]

I dove Little Cayman from the Aggressor a while back
I just got back from Utila a month ago.
You can see reports on both places on my website
see the link below at my signature.

In my opinion, for the cost, Utila is probably some of the best
diving in the Caribbean. Utila has a very diverse number of sites as well. A lot of well traveled divers seem to say that Little Cayman, Saba, and Dominica have the best Caribbean diving so it hard to go wrong with Little Cayman (I am going to Dominica next March).

If cost is not an issue, I would suggest Little Cayman.
I think someone just getting into diving is going to enjoy
Little Cayman better than Utila for many reasons such as
i) the diving is probably easier and better on LC, and ii) the boat rides to the north side are pretty long on Utila in comparison with LC.
Later on, you probably need to get to Utila.
I cant say anything about topside activities because we eat, sleep, and dive when we go on dive vacation.

 

[carlislere]

I have made three trips to Little Cayman. It is a 10 square mile island with around 125 residents. One road around the island. We stay at Pirates Point Resort. The diving is the best I have experienced in the Caribbean. Topside, you make your own fun. Bicycle riding, hiking, snorkeling, reading a book in a hammock, playing in the pool. There are games played in the bar after dinner in the evening at PPR or just visiting.

 

[zf2nt]

Hi :wavey:
I am especially interested in Utila and Little Cayman but wanted to get some insight from you all as to which would be a better fit for me.

I can tell you all about Little Cayman, having spent about 40 months in residence there over the past 6 years. However, I know next to nothing about Utila. What I do know about it comes from a fellow I have been diving with the past couple of months. If you really want to know more about Utila, you might contact my dive buddy Tony at trousmaniere@yahoo.com. He lived there for a few months last spring/summer and did his DM training there.

From what I can gather, the two places are radically different. Little Cayman is approximately the most expensive dive destination I know...and Utila is the cheapest I have heard of. Tony tells me of prices on Utila that make me turn green with envy. That translates into a very different clientele, naturally. Tony tells me most of the people who go to Utila are 20-somethings living out of a backpack with just a little spare change at the bottom. He describes a life of hard drinking during the night, courtesy of rock-bottom beer prices, and hard diving during the day. On the other hand, the people who go to Little Cayman tend to be 40-somethings who are at that point in their lives where they have the money but not the time. And on Little Cayman they need it, since the going price for a beer is $4.38. Most people on Little Cayman tend to be quite content with a 2-tank day, whereas I hear 3 or 4 is the norm on Utila. But I also believe the diving is quite a bit more spectacular on Little Cayman. I say this based simply on comparing notes with my dive buddy, but I have been to Roatan and can say with assurance that Little Cayman is incomparably better diving than Roatan. And my sense is that Roatan and Utila are comparable in that regard.

Bruce

 

[ScubaBurt]

Welcome to the board!
I have been diving at Utila and Little Cayman. Both are great diving locations. Lots of stuff to see. As far as things to do on the surface, I can be of little help. We were on the Aggressor or staying on the Brac when we dove Little Cayman so I know nothing of the surface activities. Hiking and caving were fun on the Brac. We stayed at Laguna Beach Resort on Utila. Doing 5 or 6 dives a day there was little time for topside activities. They do have kayaks available to use but I didn't. As far as the diving goes either place will be great.

Joe

Hello ScubaJoe,
My wife and I are going to Utila in Feb 05 and diving/staying at Laguna Beach Resort. This will be our first trip to Utila and we are trying to get information about the resort. Now that you have stayed/dove there what would you do or request differently if you went back? Any suggestions would be greatly approeiated? Thanks in advance for your info.
Burt

 

[crpntr133]

I heard on the news yesterday that The Caymans have been hit really hard by all the hurricanes. Don't know where Utila is but you might want to take the past weather into consideration.

 

[scubajoe]

Burt,
The first thing I'd do is plan my transportation better. We missed most of a day due to scheduling between the ferry and the plane. Next time we'll plan better. The ferry was interesting but a plane would be much quicker.
Once there we had an excellent time. We had been told about the sand fleas. Insect repellant is a must. I only had a bite or too and usually went with out shoes. Our only complaint was that the food was only good. Nothing fancy but it was all good.
Be sure and do the shore dive. You can do it as a drop off dive if you want to. We did it every day. There are toad fish on the resort reef, we heard them but never found them. Spend some time in the sand around the dock. There are several varieties of star fish there.
I'd love to go back. February is open for me. if you need a guide I work very cheap!
Say hey to Dan, Romena and Luciano for me.

Joe

 

[Doc]

I am especially interested in Utila and Little Cayman but wanted to get some insight from you all as to which would be a better fit for me.

As for the diving, I am especially interested in:
- seeing lots of marine life- the bigger the better, and the more variety the better
- diving in warm water
- beginner friendly (I am very comfortable in the water, but I have only been diving for a little over a year)

I like to have active vacations and spend my time out of water hiking, exploring, kayaking, biking, surfing, etc. Both of these islands seem very remote- are these activities worthwhile and what other topside activities are available? p.s. sorry if there is another thread on this subject. i searched and could not find.

The previous posters have said most of it all...

If the choice is really between the two, I would suggest that you have selected quite an odd comparison. It is pretty well apples and oranges, both are good- but each has a different flavor.

I think you may do well in Little Cayman.

They are accustomed to many newer divers, they have the equipment and staff to assist and make your beginning trips all that much more enjoyable. They take AMEX, VISA and cash. There may be little to do topside, but more than in Utila.

To fully enjoy Utila, your "diver's eyes" should be sharpened to the extent where you are beginning to enjoy and appreciate the macro environment. Sure, you may see a Whale Shark, but the real cool stuff in Utila is just a little smaller and harder to see. Go to Utila to dive (and/or party as mentioned above), the island is compact, fairly difficult to traverse, and pretty sleepy (comatose). It is quite a bargain as well.

Apples and oranges.

 

[Damselfish]

I heard on the news yesterday that The Caymans have been hit really hard by all the hurricanes. Don't know where Utila is but you might want to take the past weather into consideration.

Little Cayman (and Cayman Brac) were further from the path and came through Ivan pretty well, not like Grand Cayman. Utila (one of the Bay Islands of Honduras) is nowhere near and hasn't had a hurricane this year (at least not yet.)