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Diving and Snorkeling in The Cayman IslandsWith over 250 dive sites to choose from, The Cayman Islands offer divers and snorkelers an underwater paradise.Go Scuba DivingWith over 250 dive sites to choose from, Grand Cayman offers some of the greatest underwater diversity anywhere in the world. Deep, dramatic walls adorned with corals and sponges. Shallow reefs filled with schooling fish. And an assortment of wrecks, each with its own particular charm. There's also legendary Stingray City, the world's best 12-foot dive. It's all yours to enjoy 80°F waters, with visibility that often exceeds 100 feet.Grand Cayman Grand Cayman visitors can choose from a wonderland of more than 159 dive sites. It's all here: steep, deep walls adorned with sponges and corals in a stunning array of colours; shallow reefs filled with schooling and solitary fish and small invertebrates; and wrecks featuring photogenic structures and curious marine residents. There's also the World's Best 12 Foot Dive - unique Stingray City. Grand Cayman's reefs offer a variety of marine life encounters. The fish and critters are unafraid of divers, knowing we pose no threat. They don't flee when approached. Instead, silvery Tarpon hover motionless in mid-water, surrounded by glittery Silversides, and French Angelfish fin in close to check you out. Huge Barrel Sponges and swirling schools of fish are common off Grand Cayman. These reefs are unspoiled, gorgonians and hard corals thrive in the clear, warm waters. And, last but not least, most dive sites are just minutes offshore. |
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Grand Cayman: Reefs & Marine Life Grand Cayman’s reefs offer a variety of marine life encounters. The fish and critters are unafraid of divers, knowing we pose no threat. They don’t flee when approached. Instead, silvery Tarpon hover motionless in mid-water, surrounded by glittery Silversides, and French Angelfish fin in close to check you out. Huge Barrel Sponges and swirling schools of fish are common off Grand Cayman. These reefs are unspoiled; gorgonians and hard corals thrive in the clear, warm waters. And last but not least, most dive sites are just minutes offshore. Cayman Brac Long known as one of Grand Cayman’s quieter sisters, Cayman Brac has a new claim to fame. Last October the 330 foot Russian warship #356, complete with four deck guns, was intentionally sunk off the island’s west end. Renamed the MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts, she is the only divable Russian warship in the Western Hemisphere. The Tibbetts is a unique and exciting addition to the Brac’s other U/W attractions, which include two other wrecks, an ancient anchor embedded in a wall; miles of healthy shallow reefs featuring Elkhorn Corals and abundant fish populations; and miles of colourful sponge and coral laden drop-offs. Cayman Brac: Reefs & Marine Life Cayman Brac’s laidback topside lifestyle has been adopted below the ocean’s surface as well. The island’s miles of shallow reefs are inhabited by a multitude of marine life with a laissez faire attitude. You want to come in close to check them out? Fine. You want to take photographs of everyday events, no matter how intimate? Fine. You can even watch as cleaner fish do Tiger Grouper duty at a cleaning station! Considered fair game for divers in other areas, even lobsters are unmolested and unafraid of people here. For great information on Nature Tourism in the Cayman Islands visit: www.naturecayman.com Little Cayman: Walls Little Cayman’s most famous dive attraction, Bloody Bay Wall, offers the finest drop-offs in the Caribbean. Plunging to depths well below the limits of safe sport diving, these exhilarating walls are covered with brightly hued sponges and corals. There are spectacular formations of Yellow Tube, Strawberry and Orange Vase Sponges and tangled masses of scarlet Rope Sponges. Patrolling the walls are Eagle Rays and other, larger denizens of the deep. Little Cayman: Reefs & Marine Life Little Cayman is a tropical wilderness above and below the sea. The least developed of the three Cayman Islands, her human inhabitants number only 100. Though famous for her walls, the island also offers pristine shallow reefs hosting an incredibly abundant and diverse collection of marine life, both large and small. Since the fish and animals know the human presence is benign, even Barracuda and Groupers have no qualms about posing for up close and personal portraits. Night dives off Little Cayman are delightful. Octopus can be found roaming the reefs, looking for dinner. Squid dart here and there, flashing colours at onlookers and, occasionally, mating. Predive Safety Check During the dive, you and your buddy need to stay together so you can lend assistance to each other if necessary, not to mention because it's more fun. Ideally, stay within a couple of meters/a few feet of each other. Staying together is easier if you agree on who will lead, your relative positions, and the general course to follow until you both acknowledge a change. If separated, the general guideline is to search for each other for not more than one minute, then surface and get back together. In some instances it may be better to avoid surfacing to reunite. If this applies on a particular dive, it's important to agree on another course of action that reunites you within a few minutes. The buddy system only works when divers stay together. Remember, it's your responsibility to stay with your buddy and follow the rules, guidelines and recommendations for each other's dive safety. No one can do if for you. Plan your dive together and dive your plan together. Before each dive, run through each other's equipment using the predive safety check. Use the phrase Begin With Review And Friend to help you remember the checks: Go SnorkelingIf you're not a diver, no worries. Some of the very best undersea delights in Grand Cayman are in shallow waters, tailor-made for snorkeling. For those who prefer to go wild above the water, wave runners, kayaks and paddleboats are available at most major hotels and dive resorts. Parasailing, windsurfing and waterskiing are also offered, as are catamaran cruises and evening sunset sails.Grand Cayman Snorkelling SitesEden RockClouds of sergeant majors and yellowtails surrounding snorkellers feeding them; this has become the trademark of Eden Rock, a popular snorkel site found just south of George Town, Grand Cayman's main port and centre of commerce. Stairs cut in the ironshore allow easy access to the water. Meander out over the shallows until you find yourself hovering over a mass of huge coral heads connected by tunnels and caves. A dive shop on the shore provides rental gear and instruction as needed. If you continue to the south, you will find other great sites such as Devil's Grotto, a unique extension of Eden Rock. Devil's Grotto features the same massive, hulking coral heads with even more open chimneys and swim-throughs. Sprawling out along the shoreline (to the west) off these sites is a spur and groove formation of coral peaks and gullies leading out to the edge of the wall. This is segmented into reefs named after the resorts sitting on the shoreline. You will find Parrot's Reef, Seaview Reef and Sunset Reef. Each resort gives you gear rental, instruction and guidance. Enjoy! Wreck of the Calie The Cali was a four-masted schooner sunk just outside the harbour north of George Town in 1944. 220 feet long, she had been converted to diesel engines, the remnants of which are now spread across the bottom along with her hull. Declared a hazard to navigation, she was blown up shortly after her sinking. Her depth is a maximum of 24 feet at the sand, rising 10 feet off the bottom at places. You will recognize winches, boilers, hull plates and ribs nicely encrusted with sponges and corals. Shore access is excellent and the swim is just 75 yards. Watch for the resident population of Tarpon. Wreck of the Gamma The Gamma is an old freighter that has been sitting just off the shore north of the Cali for decades. Her hull is half exposed and half submerged and presents a striking view. Shore access is easy from a protected rough sand/crushed coral cove. She sits immediately offshore. Depths barely reach 10 feet. Many varieties of fish shelter under the stern while schools of silversides inhabit the interior. One snorkeller has even sighted a 300-pound jewfish. The ship's location is easy to find: walk to the shoreline just north of town and you can sight her. The entry cove is slightly north of the wreck. Turtle Reef North of Cemetery Reef is the Cayman Islands' famous Turtle Farm which is open to visitors. Offshore, just north of the farm, lies Turtle Reef. Snorkellers can access it through the shore facilities of Dive Tech. Cemetery Beach Reef This patch reef is located near the north end of Seven Mile Beach off a waterfront cemetery (what else?). The entrance is from a lovely sand beach leading to that strikingly transparent turquoise water for which the Cayman Islands are so justly famed. The reef itself is a long, narrow patch reef in less than 10 feet of water. You will find some elkhorn corals on the crown of this reef. The big attraction is the fish. Bring some food; make some friends. It's a bit of a swim, about 100 yards, and there is an occasional current, so be aware and cautious. All in all, an unforgettable snorkel site. Coral Gardens This shallow reef line is located on the inside of the barrier reef off the North Sound. Less than 10 feet to the bottom, she is known not so much for her reef structure as she is for her fish and invertebrate population. The coral itself is host to a multitude of small creatures clinging to her. Above this are masses of fish such as grunts, yellowtails and sergeant majors along with many other visitors. This site is further offshore and can only be explored by booking with one of the many boats who visit there. Watch for the semi-resident green-sea turtle; it often pays snorkellers a visit. Sandbar & Stingray City These two sites have become justly world-famous for the unusual interaction between Southern Stingrays and humans. For years, Stingrays have dined on the castoff portions of fish as local fishermen cleaned their catch and tossed the remnants overboard. Local divers discovered this community, developed it, and today, this gathering of rays (ranging from small to some four-feet across) accepts food and strokes alike from snorkellers, all in complete safety. Sandbar is a pure-white sand ridge in just 3 feet of water off the North Sound, boat access only. You can literally stand and feed the rays from your hand. Stingray City reflects interaction in 12 feet of water. This is an extraordinary, not-to-be-missed adventure! Wreck of the Geneva - Kathleen The Geneva Kathleen - a two-masted, wooden-hulled, 200-foot plus schooner - met her demise on Grand Cayman's east end during a raging hurricane in 1929. It pushed her hard onto and then over the shallow barrier reef protecting the Cayman shore. Her remains sit there now in just seven feet of water, her iron winches and bollards encrusted by soft and hard corals. Enter via a protected beach (ask local dive shops for directions to the beach and the wreck) and snorkel right along the shoreline. A trail of artifacts will gradually lead to her grave just inside the reef. (Remember, artifacts are protected; please do not remove any items.) Currents here can sometimes be quite strong, but more often than not, it is as flat as a swimming pool. Check before you head out. It's a great snorkel site, but not for the beginner. Smith's Cove Located on the south side of Grand Cayman, Smith's Cove is a beautiful, protected limestone cove. The site features a white, sandy bottom with lovely coral head formations and small tropical fish. It is accessible from shore where there is a lovely picnic area for your pre- or post-snorkelling lunch. Morritt's Tortuga Club You can snorkel right off the dock at Tortuga Club which is located on the eastern end of Grand Cayman. It is a shallow area with coral formations, sea fans and schooling fish. Rum Point Club Offers another convenient snorkelling site where you explore right off the shoreline or the dock. You'll find coral formations and coral heads, schooling fish and a sandy bottom. Sunset Reef - East Sunset Reef is a nice shallow reef area offshore but accessible by boat. Frequently used as a scuba training area, it features massive coral heads reaching from a twenty-foot bottom to the very surface (and beyond on a low tide). Shallower areas display a garden of sea rods, sea whips and such. Generally good visibility. Half Moon Bay This small, semi-circular bay features an exposed, limestone bottom pock-marked with holes, small ledges and other topographical features perfect for hiding little critters. This is its attraction, not magnificent coral heads, but fascinating smaller fish and invertebrates. Watch for crabs, shrimp, eels, sparkling tropical fish and more. Very shallow with an easy entrance To request a brochure, please visit http://www.divecayman.ky/divemaster/request.asp We are grateful to divecayman.ky for the information provided on this page. |
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