Grand Cayman Island offers world-class diving and incredible sunsets!
Written: Jan 18 '01 (Updated Jan 26 '03)
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Pros: Fabulous scuba diving, clear water, beautiful 7-mile beach, Stingray City
Cons: Expensive to visit. Cayman exchange rate. U.S. $20= $16 Cayman. Food is quite expensive.
The Bottom Line: If you could pick only one place to dive or snorkel, Grand Cayman is the place to choose. Clear water, abundant sea life, beautiful coral, plenty of amenities. Gorgeous sunsets!
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| diverpam's Full Review: Cayman Islands |
Grand Cayman is a warm and wonderful vacation destination, especially if you dive or snorkel, or even if you just enjoy lying in the sun or sipping a tropical drink under the shade of an umbrella.
There are many very nice hotels that line 7-Mile Beach, a gorgeous stretch of sparkling white sand. You can also find condos in various locations around the island. Grand Cayman island is clean and safe, with a downtown in Georgetown that can be a shopper's paradise.
My husband and I visited Grand Cayman the last week in August to celebrate our 10th anniversary. As new divers, we eagerly anticipated the legendary diving Cayman offered.
We spent a week at the Sunset House... by divers, for divers. The hotel is right on the ocean with a front row seat to the most spectacular sunsets I have ever witnessed.
Beautiful Underwater World
This island is also home to spectacular reefs, underwater cliffs where the bottom drops off into a blue abyss, and a multitude of colorful and entertaining sea life.
You can see giant sea turtles, Sting Rays, Manta Rays, huge grouper or giant schools of colorful striped Sergeant Majors. Swim through a shimmering school of silversides, or watch a barracuda glide by at a distance.
If you're afraid to get wet but still want to explore underwater, check out the Atlantis Submarine at the harbor where the cruise ships dock.
Around Town
Grand Cayman is famous for its banking industry and you'll see bank after bank on the very tidy and brightly-colored main streets.
Watch out for the tourists when you're walking around -- most are not used to the island standard of driving on the left.
There are plenty of shopping opportunities in Grand Cayman. You can find jewelry, cameras and a host of souvenirs to take back home to family and friends. Of course, you'll want to stock up on their fabulous rum or rum cake. I recommend the coconut rum! (Be sure to bring plenty back with you. The rum is the best bargain on the island.)
Beware, it can be costly. As soon as you fork over a $20 bill "American" it becomes "$16.00 Cayman" ... ouch! Our hotel was relatively inexpensive and included a made to order breakfast, so we only felt the "Cayman squeeze" for lunch and dinner. If you're smart and check things out you can find some reasonably priced places with good food.
Wonderful, Easy Diving
The water is exceptionally clear in this part of the Caribbean Sea, with visibility of 100 feet or more possible. The ocean is normally very calm, so it makes entry and exit from the water safe and easy.
Grand Cayman has incredible walls that drop thousands of feet to the ocean bottom somewhere below. Beautiful coral-laden reefs beckon hoards of brightly-colored fish, eels, turtles, and rays.
There are at least a dozen top-notch dive operations on Grand Cayman, providing ample opportunities for certified divers to experience the underwater beauty of Grand Cayman. My personal favorite is Sunset Divers!
The dive masters with Sunset Divers were terrific. Very knowledgeable and professional. They strictly enforce the 100' safe diving limit and check your gauges to be sure you get back on board with at least 500 psi.
They are friendly and not at all intrusive. Sam was my favorite... he kept us entertained with Pictionary between dives and did a dive-saving repair to my B.C. Thanks again, Sam!
We've been to a lot of places and made many dives since our trip to Grand Cayman. Nothing yet has compared to the magnificent walls, the sheer beauty of the water, the ease of diving, and overall positive diving experience we had with Sunset Divers. We met several other couples while we were there and everyone was very friendly and open. I can't imagine a better atmosphere for divers.
After a morning of incredibly exhilarating diving - the water is crystal clear and as smooth as polished glass - we would explore the shops and various parts of the island.
Great Snorkeling
Even if you're not a diver, you can enjoy some great snorkeling... we spent our last afternoon there snorkeling by the hotel. Even after diving all week, we still enjoying snorkeling the reefs.
We also made a trip to Stingray City, where we spent an hour feeding and playing with the stingrays. There were lots of snorkelers there as well. We just sat on the bottom at about 15' and let the stingrays come to us. I didn't realize until later that the "baby" stingrays I was feeding were actually the males. The females are much larger and they act a lot like big puppies wanting to play. It's a once in a lifetime experience -- I recommend you try it once.
On Land Activities
Grand Cayman also boasts a turtle farm you can visit, and see where turtles are hatched and where they're released into the sea.
You can also visit the town of Hell. Imagine the postcards you can send back home. Having a wonderful time... wish you were here! (About all there is in Hell is a post office and souvenir shop, next to black shards rising from the ground. You have to see it to understand how Hell got its name.)
The island itself is pretty flat, they told us it made it a good hiding place for pirates because ships couldn't see it from a very long distance.
Sunsets to Die For!
You might want to dive or snorkel in the morning, have a nice lunch by the ocean, then spend the afternoon shopping or exploring the island. Then, prepare yourself for a perfect sunset!
The sunsets over the ocean in Grand Cayman are the most magnificent I have ever seen. The colors around the sun grow bright, with pink and orange streaks filling the sky. The sailboats are silhouetted against this incredible background as the sun slowly slides into the ocean. A sight to behold!
"My Bar" at the Sunset House is an excellent location to sit outside and watch the sunset. Go early to get a good spot, order a "Cayman Sunset" (a wonderful island specialty drink -- a concoction of orange juice, coconut rum, and grenadine -- at least I think those were the likely ingredients.) Then sit back, relax and prepare to be overwhelmed by Mother Nature's beauty.
What I Will Do Differently
When I go back, I'll plan to stay a little longer and make more dives. I'll also be sure to get one of the newer rooms in the hotel, they're a bit more expensive, but nicer.
I may also take photography lessons from Cathy Church. She has a studio there at the Sunset House. Be sure to check out her work.
Final Reflections
As I sit here, looking at the picture of our last Cayman sunset that hangs prominently on my office wall, I yearn to go back soon. I hope to see you there on my next visit... just look for me in My Bar, right around sunset!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 350 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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