They make a difference for anyone visiting the Caymans by cruise who plans to spend more time shopping, dining and visiting attractions than spend time on the beaches. Now large groups of southern stingrays are lurking around daily. Aside from corals, barrel sponges are sprawling in this vibrant reef that is also filled with tropical reef fish like groupers, butterflyfish, angelfish, moray eels and lionfish which is believed to be an invasive species. Book your fun dives, snorkelling trips and courses online with thousands of PADI Dive Centers. Bay Islands, Honduras. And, thanks to a keen focus on conservation, many of the country's famous underwater spectacles are still well worth a visit today. Cactus coral, sea fans, great star coral, and tube sponges blanket the reef and provide refuge for a variety of sea creatures. This dive site first became popular in the 90s when it was featured in the film The Firm, starring Tom Cruise. You could spend . Grand Cayman, the main island, is often one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, especially with western Caribbean cruises. The ship was originally built for the US Army Transportation Corps over 70-years ago. Ocean Cabanas Dive Resort: Great views, amazing stay - See 33 traveler reviews, 112 candid photos, and great deals for Ocean Cabanas Dive Resort at Tripadvisor. I am a scuba diving newbie, a Project Manager by profession, and an entrepreneur at heart. There is also a restaurant, bar and dive shop at Macabuca. Some resorts offer "Hurricane protection". This is a must do dive. From April to October water temperature are at least 27 o C (81 o F) and can . The islands' location in the western part of the Caribbean shields them from being hit too hard by the annual hurricane season, which lasts from June to November. You will see many sea creatures such as octopus and arrow crabs. Three long, wide tunnels, accessible to the majority of divers, extend from the sand flats to open out onto the reef wall. Average rainfall jumps to more than five inches in May, June and July. Find the best and most popular products and review them. The water drops over a hundred feet. 10 Best Scuba Diving Companies In Grand Cayman (2023) Cayman Islands | Maduro Dive | Exclusive Scuba Diving Packages Divers of all levels can explore the engines, pistons, and pieces of the wreck that are scattered at 18m/60ft. This is really a divers paradise. Another great wall diving site in Little Cayman is Joys Joy. Diving is available year-round. Navigate backward to interact with the calendar and select a date. June to October brings . Best Scuba Diving Destinations in the World - The Cayman Islands Find the best travel insurance for you with these U.S. News ratings, which factor in expert and consumer recommendations. Booming and sprawling are not just words describing the tourism facilities in Little Cayman, but it can also be used to describe its world-class dive sites. The people of the island are friendly and culturally diverse. 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. There are 365 dive sites throughout the islands, offering something for all levels of experience. Out in the open, expect schools of Nassau groupers, turtles, and snappers. While the visibility here is often a little clouded, thats thanks to the nutrient-rich flow of water which enriches the corals on the pinnacle. 11 Dive Resorts in the Cayman Islands | PADI Travel Turtles munched on big sponges with no worries about divers hanging about. This site is well-known and popular with divers, snorkelers, and glass-bottom boaters alike. This is a wall that drops 2000 meters to the sea floor. Ghost Mountain Grand Cayman is another great spot for wall diving where you can further reach a protruding limestone that silhouettes like a ghost from afar. But these aren't the only good and bad times. Questions about Cayman Island Diving | FAQs | Cayman Turtle Divers January and February are the coolest months with average lows in the high 60s. No diving trip in Grand Cayman would be complete without a dive at the infamous Stingray City. 7. This island is very small and there is little to do, other than dive. Schools of bright snappers brightened the reefs among colorful sponges. Out in the open, spotted eagle rays are often seen swimming in groups of at least 5 individuals and their passing by is often correlated to the flyby of fighter jets in low altitude. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'scubadivegeek_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_14',101,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-scubadivegeek_com-medrectangle-4-0');The Cayman Islands has a tropical marine climate with two pronounced seasons: a rainy season that runs from May to October and a dry season from November to April. Other highlights include barracudas, yellowtail snappers, hawksbill turtles, and stingrays that sleep in the sand. 1. But which Cayman Island has the best diving? The Cayman Islands hosts one of the best dives in the World: Bloody Bay Wall on Little Cayman. Despite the name, there arent actually caves here. You get to enjoy some of the warm weather, which is especially nice if you live in the northern U.S., where it's still winter. Although this is a wall dive, the cut in the sites name comes from the swim-through many divers use upon descent. Replace or update your card, buy a Special Edition or Project AWARE version of your PADI certification card, or go digital with the purchase of a PADI eCard. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Eden Rock & Devils Grotto are two dive sites that are next to each other. The 20 Best Scuba Dive Sites In The Cayman Islands (2023) Welcome to my scuba diving bucket list. Get certified to scuba dive. Grand Cayman has beautiful beaches and probably the most topside activities or restaurants anyone would want. Devil's Grotto- Suitable for both beginners and advanced, it's a great shallow shore dive that features massive swim-throughs, chimneys and coral formations. Dive vacations in the Cayman Islands are a good choice for underwater photographers with their many opportunities to capture the beauty of the place and wonderful visibility, and also for travellers looking for deep dives - you can find many along the Cayman walls. Drop us a comment below and tell us your favorite site! There is a good amount of coral and fish here. From 5 star restaurants to fish frys at the local gas station. See and be seen at these stunning natural wonders. Cracks in the ceilings let in plenty of natural light making it easy to search the nooks and crannies for the many crustaceans and other marine creatures that occupy the tunnels. Recommended Level: Beginner Intermediate Advanced Dive Type: Boat Reef Wall Macro Wreck Canyon Shore Night Shallow Shark Cave Stingray Swim-Through Drift Liveboard Deep Great Wall East and West Little Cayman Great Wall West - Turtle Watch on You will need little more (and some prefer less) than a 3 mm full length wetsuit. It was named Orange Canyon because of the large orange Elephant Ear Sponges that can be found here. North Wall 2. stingray city 3. Our mission has been to do this with the best crew, using the best equipment while offering the most competing Cayman Islands dive packages. But its not just the heat that matters when visiting the Cayman Islands. You can enter different swim-through areas where the wall drops to great depths. I quickly learned that if I poked at an area with my stick, the groupers would go right there, a great tool to get them to pose right where i wanted them in my reef scenes. If wall diving is your thing, check out diving in Turks & Caicos. Perhaps because of this, the coral isnt looking a healthy as it could. Diving the Cayman Islands - SCUBA Travel June to October brings higher topside temperatures (up to 33C, 91F). Named for the bright orange elephant ear sponges that characterize this site, Orange Canyon doesnt contain a closed canyon per se, but an open channel with lively reef on either side. While the upper part of the reef is already teeming with corals, it becomes denser as you traverse the vertical limestone where it is now intermixed with sponges and sea fans. Look along the ledge by the mooring for crabs and check out the four massive barrel sponges. The main gateway to the Cayman Islands is through Grand Cayman. Bloody Bay Marine Park is a particularly popular diving destination as it is home to 12 different dive sites, gorgeous coral, and diverse marine life. 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. A highlight dive is the Tibbets wreck with great structure and lots of life. Butterflyfish, triggerfish, shrimp, snapper, and more hand out in and around the large coral heads that sit nor far from the waters surface. Just south of Seven Mile Beach and approximately 46 feet below the surface are Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto, two of the most popular diving spots on Grand Cayman. Bloody Bay Wall. Grand Cayman is a beautiful dive destination with many options for accommodations and for diving. Head to around 30m/98ft for some of the best wall views. Babylon- Grand Cayman Island is surrounded by a wall, but what makes the Babylon site special is the pinnacle with a canyon cutting the north wall. Look in the blue off the wall for passing sharks, rays, and turtles. I would like to mention 2 points though, one that it is a bit expensive, both the accommodations and the diving, and secondly, it looks like they allow open water divers to do the deeper wall dives, where you can be as deep as 100 feet, just an FYI, in case youre not comfortable at that depth. 10 Things To Do At Cayman Islands Besides Scuba Diving