 |
World | Caribbean | Diving Grand Cayman:
Grand Cayman overview
Wrecks:
Reefs:
Other Information Online:
Please note: we cannot
endorse the services of
companies listed. We recommend that you only dive with dive centers that are accredited by a major diving association or by their local tourist authority. |
 - placed on map using GIS software for accurate positioning.
print dive site map with labels | show all dive site labels | contribute site info / photo
Scuba Diving in the Cayman Islands
Water temperature: |
26°C (79°F) in December to 28°C (82°F) in July |
Suit: |
3mm wetsuit or shortie |
Visibility: |
30 - 40 metres (100 - 130 feet) on average, can be up to 60 metres (200 feet) |
Type of diving: |
Reefs, walls, some wrecks |
Marine life: |
Stingrays, manta rays, eagle rays, turtles, tarpons, angelfish, barrel sponges, gorgonian fans |
When to go: |
Any time of year |
How to get there: |
From the UK - BA operate flights from London Heathrow to Grand Cayman on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The return flights also depart on these days. There are also daily American Airline flights from Heathrow which travel via Miami. From Miami flights take 75 minutes.
Worldwide flights - There are direct flights from all the major US gateways, from Toronto in Canada, Havana in Cuba and from Kingston and Montego Bay in Jamaica.
Inter-Cayman flights - It is easy to fly between islands. Island Air offer flights between all three islands and Cayman Airways fly from Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac. |
The Cayman Islands are a group of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. They are located in the north of the Caribbean Sea on the Cayman Ridge, a massive underwater mountain range that drops off to kilometres deep close to the shore and are surrounded by fringing coral reefs. The reefs form pinnacles, archways and walls, and they are pitted with gullies and caverns. The Caymans offer some good restaurants and beaches as well as excellent diving. The scenery is not among the best of the Caribbean and resorts tend to be very Americanised, but the quality of the diving makes up for this which is some of the best in the world. All diving is highly organised due to being a major part of the Cayman tourist industry and trimix diving is available. Aside from diving you may wish to try sailing, parasailing, windsurfing or water skiing. Away from the sea there are numerous restaurants and some golf courses.
Scuba Diving in Grand Cayman, Caribbean
Grand Cayman is the largest and most developed of the Caymans, therefore the most popular. There are over 170 restaurants on the island and a wide range of accommodation. If you want to get away from the crowds, a visit to one of the smaller of the Cayman Islands would be a better choice. Grand Cayman is twenty two miles long and only eight miles wide, with the highest point being a mere twenty metres above sea level. The coastline provides sixty miles of walls and reefs with over 250 dive sites. There are wrecks, deep walls and shallow reefs that are in good condition and covered in fish, coral and sponges. Some shore diving is possible, although boat trips are advisable to reach the best of the dive sites. Diving is generally very easy with little or no sediment.
The Cayman government has divided the reefs into three zones: marine parks, replenishment zones and environmental zones. The marine parks have permanent moorings maintained by the government so anchor damage is not an issue. The replenishment zones are mostly shallow water lagoons, sounds and fisheries where conch and lobster are allowed to reproduce undisturbed. The environmental zones are for preserving the mangroves. Diving with gloves is prohibited so that divers are less likely to touch any marine organisms.
print | contribute site info / photo | top 
Do you run a dive operation in this area?
Click here to find out more about being listed on this
page in dive site directory.
|
