Cayman recommendations

Going to Cayman Islands at the end of March and looking for any advice/rec's from folks who've been there. We plan on staying on Grand Cayman at a dive resort but this isn't set in stone yet. Eden Rock and Don Foster's are 2 we're considering. The ability to dive from their docks is appealing.

We haven't made any formal plans though so I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone who's been there, regarding diving, eating, or anything else.

Thanks in advance.

Neither of those Dive centers have accommodation.

Someone correct me if I am wrong here but I think the only ones we have here in Grand Cayman are

Ocean Frontiers - http://www.oceanfrontiers.com

and

Dive Tech - http://www.divetech.com/ (not sure if you can stay at Lighthouse Point or if it is just Cobalt Coast)

and

Sunset House - http://sunsethouse.com

If you would like any advice on accommodation or other dive companies give me some more information on what you are looking to get out of your diving, and accommodation and I can definitely give you some more specific advice.

Giles

Hi,

I have dived on the East End of Grand Cayman, which many people have told me has the better diving than the Seven Mile Beach area on the west side of the island. I thought that the diving there was great, very comparable to what I saw in Little Cayman, which is one of my favorite spots in the Caribbean. Also, this side of the island gets none of the cruise ship traffic, or car traffic, both of which can be problematic on the west side.

The thing that I liked about the diving was that there was lots of interesting underwater topography and swim throughs. Here are are a couple of examples.

The reefs and fish were both in good shape when I was there a couple of years ago. I would like to return when I get the chance.

Actually, Ocean Frontiers (mentioned by Giles) was the dive operation that I used, and they are on-site at the Compass Point Condominiums, which are very nice. It is not a fancy resort, but it is comfortable and extremely convenient. You just roll out of bed, and walk to the boat and dive. There are several restaurants within a 3 or 4 mile radius, so we usually ate dinners out. There is a grocery store about a mile or two north of the Compass Point resort where we stocked up on breakfast and some lunch supplies. I thought that the dive operation at Ocean Frontiers was first-rate, too. There were good dive guides, and the boats and equipment were fine.

The only caveat is that the seas can be a little rough during winter on the east side of Grand Cayman. However, you are probably safe going in March. Others might have more information on that. (We went in early summer, which was fine.)

I hope that this helps.

-Erwin

I've stayed at Ocean Frontiers on the East End 5 or 6 times. The dive staff is better than any I've experienced anywhere else and East End diving is fantastic. There was only one other dive operator on the East End last time I was there (Jan 2009) so you have almost all the dive sites to just OF boats. If you're in the mood for a dive vacation and only want to be in the busy part of town for a night or two, Ocean Frontiers is the place to go. The apartments have kitchens, so you can cook for yourself. Though there are several restaurants near by.

If you want to stay on the West End, Sunset House is probably a good choice.

Going to Cayman Islands at the end of March and looking for any advice/rec's from folks who've been there. We plan on staying on Grand Cayman at a dive resort but this isn't set in stone yet. Eden Rock and Don Foster's are 2 we're considering. The ability to dive from their docks is appealing.

 

We haven't made any formal plans though so I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone who's been there, regarding diving, eating, or anything else.

 

Thanks in advance.

Joel and I stayed at Ocean Frontiers in January 2009. The accommodations are very comfortable, condos with full kitchens. The diving very good, and the staff knowledgeable, professional and friendly. The East End is not as developed as the other parts of the island, so while there are a few small restaurants in the area, there are very few services in general. We bought groceries at one of the larger stores on the drive from the airport to make our own breakfasts and lunches, then we'd eat out for dinner. Coming from the U.S., the exchange rate was not favorable. If you're wanting unspoiled diving (we never saw another dive boat the whole week we were there), you will enjoy the East End, just keep in mind that it is still rather undeveloped compared to the rest of the island. Have fun!

Jen

How far is Ocean Frontiers from the west end?

Tomorrow I'm headed for Grand Cayman and will be staying for one week at Ocean Frontiers.

I'd be happy to post here with my experiences.

Ellen

The East end is between 20 and 30 miles form te West Side of the island (just over 21 miles wide)

The journey can take between 40 minutes and an hour (depending on how fast the traffic is moving).

Ocean frontiers is in my opinion the best place if all you want is good accommodation at a dive resort. There is no shore diving there though.

Cobalt Coast is nice and there is some OK diving around there, the shore diving is not the best as the location can often make it difficult to dive weather wise.

Sunset House in my opinion has the worst accommodation but the best shore diving. The other factor here is the location is near George Town giving you options of restaurants and apres dive activities.