Where is the best diving in the Caribbean?

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AstridWilson

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Location
North Carolina
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I know this is subjective, so to clarify great diving for me is lots of marine life, preferably larger marine life like rays, turtles, giant groupers. I ask as I am trying to schedule a vacation that includes great diving and off shore snorkeling. I like to do both.
 
Cayman Islands or Turks & Caicos are options. Both are fairly pricey if that's a concern.

Grand Cayman has dive sites that are also recognized snorkel sites. And 365+ marked dive sites. Stingray City for rays - either dive or snorkel. We've seen dozens of Eagle Rays on the North Wall/NW Point area also. Usually in packs of 12-15 flying over. And Turtles are their national symbol. They get out from the Turtle Farm frequently and return to the reef nearby. There's also sharks at certain dive sites. iDive | A Social Community Designed for Divers lists both snorkel and dive sites - most with video. Smiths Cove or Cemetery Beach is supposed to be a better snorkel than dive. You can also snorkel or dive the Kittiwake, it was put down as a dive site. The top almost breaks the surface and the bottom is around 60'. Google Testudo's Guide, he lists Grand Cayman snorkel sites with pictures.

Little Cayman has Bloody Bay Wall offshore. It's one of the top wall dives in the world. It's deeper snorkeling there though. Bountiful Bloody Bay Wall | Sport Diver I've never been there but it's on the list. There's supposed to be big Grouper there since they're protected.

Off Turks and Caicos we saw sharks on just about every dive in nearby West Caicos or French Cay. At one site in French Cay I stopped counting Stingrays when I reached two dozen. Most resting on the bottom. Saw several big grouper and frequently turtles. Also a few Eagle Rays. Both locations are a longer boat ride from Provo - the main island - or Grand Turk, a smaller island which is also the cruise port. In the winter months, the Humpbacks go near Grand Turk on their way to the Silver Banks - snorkel only. I don't know about snorkeling on either island but have seen it mentioned.

If your focus is more on snorkeling, maybe the Virgin Islands also. St. Thomas has both off the East End, St. John has Trunk Bay and other snorkel trails plus 1/2 the island is a Marine Reserve. St. Croix also has some good snorkeling, the Frederickstad Pier or Buck Island National Monument just a short boat ride away.

We spent a week on Virgin Gorda a few years ago. The Baths there is world-class snorkeling. People come over from Tortola, St. John and occasionally St. Thomas just for it. There's also shallow snorkel spots at some of the smaller islands. At several dive sites we saw snorkel boats also.

A couple of the resorts also have private bays where they only allow snorkeling - the coral comes right up to the surface so boats can't get in there. But they're pricey. (Little Dix Bay or Mango Bay Resort)

Good diving also, we frequently saw turtles, an occasional shark. Quite a few stingrays. It's shallower diving with fans/soft corals. I'd rate the diving not as good compared to the Caymans/T&C.
 
Cayman Islands or Turks & Caicos are options. Both are fairly pricey if that's a concern.

Grand Cayman has dive sites that are also recognized snorkel sites. And 365+ marked dive sites. Stingray City for rays - either dive or snorkel. We've seen dozens of Eagle Rays on the North Wall/NW Point area also. Usually in packs of 12-15 flying over. And Turtles are their national symbol. They get out from the Turtle Farm frequently and return to the reef nearby. There's also sharks at certain dive sites. iDive | A Social Community Designed for Divers lists both snorkel and dive sites - most with video. Smiths Cove or Cemetery Beach is supposed to be a better snorkel than dive. You can also snorkel or dive the Kittiwake, it was put down as a dive site. The top almost breaks the surface and the bottom is around 60'. Google Testudo's Guide, he lists Grand Cayman snorkel sites with pictures.

Little Cayman has Bloody Bay Wall offshore. It's one of the top wall dives in the world. It's deeper snorkeling there though. Bountiful Bloody Bay Wall | Sport Diver I've never been there but it's on the list. There's supposed to be big Grouper there since they're protected.

Off Turks and Caicos we saw sharks on just about every dive in nearby West Caicos or French Cay. At one site in French Cay I stopped counting Stingrays when I reached two dozen. Most resting on the bottom. Saw several big grouper and frequently turtles. Also a few Eagle Rays. Both locations are a longer boat ride from Provo - the main island - or Grand Turk, a smaller island which is also the cruise port. In the winter months, the Humpbacks go near Grand Turk on their way to the Silver Banks - snorkel only. I don't know about snorkeling on either island but have seen it mentioned.

If your focus is more on snorkeling, maybe the Virgin Islands also. St. Thomas has both off the East End, St. John has Trunk Bay and other snorkel trails plus 1/2 the island is a Marine Reserve. St. Croix also has some good snorkeling, the Frederickstad Pier or Buck Island National Monument just a short boat ride away.

We spent a week on Virgin Gorda a few years ago. The Baths there is world-class snorkeling. People come over from Tortola, St. John and occasionally St. Thomas just for it. There's also shallow snorkel spots at some of the smaller islands. At several dive sites we saw snorkel boats also.

A couple of the resorts also have private bays where they only allow snorkeling - the coral comes right up to the surface so boats can't get in there. But they're pricey. (Little Dix Bay or Mango Bay Resort)

Good diving also, we frequently saw turtles, an occasional shark. Quite a few stingrays. It's shallower diving with fans/soft corals. I'd rate the diving not as good compared to the Caymans/T&C.

What sites in grand cayman are known to have sharks?

You mentioned west Caicos and French cay - how is the shore diving in those locations?


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What about Bahamas? Maybe a live aboard there.
 
in the Turks & Caicos Islands the sharks are found on EVERY DIVE !! and lots of them!!! But please dont forget the little stuff too !as to shore diving there is only 1 shore dive on Provo
and unless you own a plot of land on west caicos then only boat dives are available but your be glad to know if you have wings (of the feathered kind!!) your welcome on French caicos
as to bloody bay wall being the best NAHHHHH the best walls are ONLY found around the Turks & Caicos Islands!!!! and if you do it on a liverboard like the Turks & Caicos Aggressor then your get Much better value and see so much more of the dive sites and in style n luxury Too!!!
spoiled all the way!!!
 
What sites in grand cayman are known to have sharks?
Hammerhead Hill, Shark Alley, Fish Tank - mostly sites in the NE. My friend dove Babylon last winter between the holidays, not only did they see several but they had a reef shark following them waiting for a lionfish lunch. He turned quick once and almost kicked it in the head. Earlier that week the OF Captain said they'd seen a large hammerhead there also at Crusher's Wall.

I've seen sharks way deep down the north wall. Probably at one of the deeper sites slightly west from Divetech - I don't remember which one.
You mentioned west Caicos and French cay - how is the shore diving in those locations?
As gizmo posted - there is none. It's all liveaboard or dayboat from Provo or Grand Turk. French Cay is really tiny and uninhabited, there didn't seem to be much on West Caicos either. There was a rumor a few years back that Hilton or somebody was trying to develop West Caicos. I didn't see a lot of beaches on the side we dove on - mostly cliffs to the waters edge. We literally saw 1-5 or more sharks at every single dive at French Cay over two days (9 dives) One night I watched them feed on bigger fish eating the baitfish attracted by the ships lights.
 
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west caicos is currently under offer there is a new resort being built there its around 70% completed (hasnt been built on in 4 years!) the side that the resort is on is all white sand very nice the dive sites side is all iron shore but amazing diving!
 
The difference between Little Cayman walls and T&C walls is that you can't snorkel most of the T&C walls from the shore because they are generally pretty deep. There are sites on the Bloody Bay Wall in LC where the top of the wall is in about 20' of water that can be reached from shore as well. The snorkeling from shore in LC is not as convenient from the resort if you don't rent a car or scooter, so if I had non-divers wanting to snorkel, I think a good compromise would be GC.
 
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