Since the first stingray tours in the s, and the development of a thriving dive industry in the 80s, the Cayman Islands have refused to rest on their laurels, adding plenty of new dive sites to their diverse portfolio - to be exact, one for every single day of the year!
Search, compare and book from our hand selected resorts in the Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman is the biggest and most westerly of all three islands, and the first port of call for most visitors. Today, divers can rest on the sandy seafloor while stingrays gather in anticipation of an easy meal - a behaviour left over from when fishermen used to clean their catch along the shallow sandbars of North Sound.
Both sites are riddled in tunnels, caverns, and swim-throughs that are easy to access - and easy to exit - making it a great site for divers of all experience levels. This impressive metre vessel was decommissioned in and scuttled in , having had dedicated penetration routes cut right into its structure. Thanks to its shallow location, the Kittiwake can be enjoyed with plenty of bottom time, and allows open water divers to explore the first three decks - while those with more advanced certifications can visit all five.
As the name suggests, Little Cayman is the smallest of the three islands, located kilometres to the west of Grand Cayman. Several slumbering settlements are scattered around the island - home to just permanent residents - while the surrounding tropical landscape has around ten times as many critically endangered iguanas.
The pace is certainly slower here, making for a great nature retreat or intimate couples vacation. While shore diving is possible, the sites are rarely marked and most dives take place just offshore by boat.
A direct flight from Miami to Grand Cayman takes only 70 minutes. There are also usually direct flights from Boston, Chicago, and New York. There are plenty of great dive resorts available, but liveaboard is the best option if you want to dive around all three islands.
Click here to learn more. Some of the nicest dive resorts in the Caribbean are in the Cayman Islands, and many of them have great shore diving and boat diving. The dive resorts are more expensive than places like Roatan or Belize, but given the reputation of the islands and the quality and ease of the diving, we find the prices reasonable. Diving is available year-round.
September can bring rougher waters if there is a tropical storm, and that is also the month with a higher chance of a hurricane, although hurricanes are not common.
June to October brings higher topside temperatures up to 33C, 91F. There is slightly more rain during the summer months. Besides scuba diving, there are plenty of other things to do on the Cayman Islands.
For water sports lovers, there are great spots for snorkeling including night snorkeling with bioluminescence, options to go sailing or on a catamaran cruise. There are lots of beautiful beaches to visit and to relax. If you love nature, you can go hiking or explore some caverns and caves. It also does not lack of options to go visit some museums, art galleries, go on walking eco-tours or historical tours, do some shopping and even have a blast at some amazing festivals.
I have traveled to the Cayman islands many times. I've stayed at hotels and used independent dive operators and I have stayed at dive resorts with on-site dive operations. From these locations, I was able to dive the west end and also the North Wall. The Seven Mile Beach area and the main city, Georgetown, are very developed with large hotels and resorts, restaurants, shops, etc.
Cruise ships visit here, so expect everything you would find in most international cruise ship ports. This is also where you will board your liveaboard. This area is an international tourist destination and can be crowded. If you want to escape the crowds of cruise ship passengers, the East End is the place to go.
I have stayed there several times at a dive resort with on-site dive operation. No crowds. Great diving. Wonderful restaurants nearby. Everything most divers want. Don't forget to visit Stingray City before leaving Grand Cayman.
Most dive operators will take you there. If you want to go a little more remote, try Little Cayman. This island is very small and there is little to do, other than dive. No worries, the diving is world class on Bloody Bay Wall.
I stayed at an all inclusive where the food was exceptional, prepared by a world class chef. Boat rides were no longer than 15 minutes, with most being around 5 minutes. The non-divers with us were content to lounge by the pool, visit the spa, ride bikes, and go for walks. Everything here is very low key and there is a small local population.
From 5 star restaurants to fish frys at the local gas station. From Rolex watches to Caymanite earrings to a shell necklace. This is really a divers paradise. Grand Cayman is a beautiful dive destination with many options for accommodations and for diving. We dived 3 days in February , and they were all excellent and memorable dives. The dive schedule would include a deep wall dive followed by a shallower reef or wreck.
They were all guided dives. The most striking and common marine life for me were the brightly yellow colored tube sponges. We did see some nurse sharks, sea turtles and a few rays. Having done a lot of dives in Florida, one thing we did notice was that there were not as many fishes on the reefs in Grand Cayman as in south Florida, but after looking at my pictures after this trip I did notice many small fishes and critters.
I know there are shore dives that can be done, and we plan to do some of those next time. We did not make it to Stingray city, but did get to the other must do dive in Grand Cayman - the USS Kittiwake, a submarine rescue vessel.
There is a separate fee to dive this wreck that goes towards conservation, and you also get a nice yellow diver medallion to keep. It was quite crowded with dive and snorkel boats when we got there, but it was no big deal once we got in the water.
There are lots of options for great photography and for posing for memorable photos, such as by the Kittiwake sign, swimming by the prop, or pretending to steer the helm on the bridge. The ship has been opened up with large access holes so that you can swim through the interior of the ship. There is also an air pocket in a decompression chamber that you can pop into and chat with your buddy!! The most interesting topside activities for us were exploring the island in a rental car and driving on the left side of the road.
Would also recommend spending an afternoon at Rum Point, where you can relax and also do some snorkeling if you like. The people of the island are friendly and culturally diverse.
The fun begins at 20 feet, then drops quickly to a vertical ledge with caves, corals and sponges of all shapes and colors. At the immense pinnacle rising to within feet of the surface, pelagics ascend from the deep. Admire magnificent black coral and immense sponges — and keep an eye out for lobsters, octopuses and seahorses tucked into the fissures. Expect tons of reef shark and eagle ray sightings. Beginning at 60 feet, the elaborate tunnel system slopes to feet and is illuminated by dappled sunlight streaming through overhead portals.
The five-deck, foot ship sits in transparent foot waters off Seven Mile Beach and comes with multiple sunlit entry points and plenty of jacks and rays. This crowd-pleaser lets waders and snorkelers alike interact with rays that decades ago grew accustomed to fishermen providing tidbits of their catch.
Is it a surprise the best local hooch is made by divers? Take the free tasting tour at this George Town distillery and go overboard for Seven Fathoms Premium Rum, which is aged in oak bourbon casks gently rocked in the current at 42 feet. Skip to main content. Follow us email facebook twitter instagram pinterest youTube rss.
This one-stop drop zone clearly covers all the bases.
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