Cayman Islands | Maduro Dive | Exclusive Scuba Diving Packages Bloody Bay Wall- Most scuba divers will say this is their favorite dive site in the Cayman Islands. The Caymans have one major event that also may impact the best times to go there. Best Time to Visit The Cayman Islands are mostly sunny and warm year-round, but it may be best to visit between March and June when the hotel rates drop. 3. This is one of the deepest sea-walls in the world. The ship has been opened up with large access holes so that you can swim through the interior of the ship. Aside from taking photos at the solid bronze emblem at one of its 5 decks or at the stern with the propeller, penetration can be done with the USS Kittiwake courtesy from multiple sunlit entries and exit points. They pickup from the Westin, Ritz and Kimpton Seafire beaches for their West Dives, which is one of their standout features. The famous diver and explorer Jacques Cousteau said that Bloody Bay Wall is one of the top dive sites in the world. Of course, the Soviets didnt call her Keith Tibbets, she was renamed for a local dive operator after the Cayman government purchased the wreck for dive tourism. Even though July is a popular month, it is not necessarily a good time to go because of the reasons below. As for temperature and weather, the Cayman Islands are tropical, meaning it's warm 365 days a year. Unfortunately, the tarpons that gave this site its name have moved on, but you may be lucky and catch a glimpse of these silver kings. Roberts Wall is located on the North Wall in Grand Cayman. Best Liveaboard Destinations in the World, Vaccines recommended: Hep A; Typhoid if you will travel to rural areas, Visa: None needed for US citizens or European Union, Safety: Generally safe but petty theft can occur. Our Exclusive Dive-only Packages in the Cayman Islands - Ocean Frontiers Head to around 30m/98ft for some of the best wall views. Cactus coral, sea fans, great star coral, and tube sponges blanket the reef and provide refuge for a variety of sea creatures. Navigate backward to interact with the calendar and select a date. There is decent shore diving from their dock. The course includes a 2-hour pool and theory session, and an . The best time to visit Grand Cayman is March and April. Little Cayman is a lovely, quiet little island with a population of less than 170. Little Cayman, best time of year for diving | Page 2 | ScubaBoard 310-915-6677 A First Timer's Guide to Grand Cayman Island - AFAR Media Cruise lines can reduce the number of ships that visit Grand Cayman in the fall, but hotels and resorts cant reduce the number of rooms. The islands are warm year-round with average highs holding steady in the 80s. Bert Brothers Boulders is also a great spot to see flying gurnards at around 5.5 meters (18ft). From these locations, I was able to dive the west end and also the North Wall. Black coral and colorful sponges decorate the near-vertical face and the shallows are dotted with large coral heads teeming with marine life. Penetration can be done in this wreck courtesy from its numerous entry and exit points that were made before it was intentionally sunk to become an artificial reef. Drop us a comment below and tell us your favorite site! Get in touch with our specialists for even more in-depth travel advice. It was then sunk in Grand Cayman in 1980 to make a new dive site. Cayman Islands Travel Guide - Cayman Islands Travel Tips & Attractions Hotels, resorts and cruise ships dont like unsold rooms and cabins, so they are more likely to offer discounts to attract customers. Most dive operators will take you there. Bloody Bay Coral Reef Wall - one of the most beautiful dive sites in the Cayman Islands It's time to head back underwater for another jaw-dropping location: the Bloody Bay Wall. From full scuba certification courses to one-day experiences for those who've never breathed off a regulator, the Cayman Islands qualify as an scuba diving shrine. As said earlier, Grand Cayman has over 50 dive sites and we will not leave this section without mentioning other noted dive spots. While accessible from shore, it is a long surface swim so diving the Oro Verde by boat is recommended. September is the worst month of the Caribbean hurricane season, which officially goes from June through November. At night, this popular Caymans dive site is great for spotting octopus, lobster, and shrimp. If you don't feel comfortable using my referral links, you can always go directly to their site and bypass me. Courtesy of Sunset House Resort, Grand Cayman. Some resorts offer "Hurricane protection". StingRay City on scuba with a small group was so much fun feeding the rays. This is currently number 20 on the 100 Best Dives list.. Theres also Little Cayman thats the least developed of the 3 islands. Flamingo tongues can be found on the sea fans, while arrow crabs, bristle worms, and long-spined sea urchins hide in the cracks and grooves. Pelagics are attracted to the wall while schools of reef fish populate the shallows, swimming around the many purple, red, and yellow sponges. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Furthermore, the islands are home to some of the world's best beaches, making them an ideal vacation destination. 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. While diving is a year-round activity in the Cayman Islands, June to August is considered to be the best time of year to dive Grand Cayman and the nearby islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. 10 Go Scavenger Hunting At Seven Mile Beach. Please Sign-in or Register to save My Ideas for later, Our social channels Frugal travel planners can look for good deals during these months while keeping an eye on the 10-day weather forecast. It sounds like the best time overall, based on the posts so far. Which Cayman Island Is The Best? - Fly & Sea Dive Adventures Discover these empowering women's history destinations selected by the U.S. News travel editors. Best Dive Sites in the Cayman Islands for a Magical - pickyourtrail Grand Cayman is a sophisticated Caribbean island with great nightlife, great resort options, and the wonderful attraction of stingray city, and very good wall diving. From the mooring, divers often descend through a cut in the reef and out onto the wall. You can also go wreck diving as there are some shipwrecks that can be explored like the remains of USS Kittiwake. Best Time to Visit Cayman Islands - tripbirdie.com Three long, wide tunnels, accessible to the majority of divers, extend from the sand flats to open out onto the reef wall. The best time to visit Grand Cayman is March and April. The ridges are carpeted in a variety of hard and soft coral, barrel and tube sponges, and purple sea fans that house a vast array of miniature sea creatures. Pinterest Theres good diving, with great Walls and of course stingray city, where you can see and feed stingrays. Look in the blue off the wall for passing sharks, rays, and turtles. Exploring this site requires you to initially descend to 18 meters (60 feet) deep where the wall starts. info@bluewaterdivetravel.com, Visited on 04/2018 - Submitted on 02/04/2020, Visited on 03/2013 - Submitted on 08/31/2014, Visited on 02/2014 - Submitted on 04/19/2014, Visited on 02/2014 - Submitted on 03/01/2014, Visited on 08/2013 - Submitted on 02/21/2014, Big savings on 7-night group stays at Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and Cobalt Coast Resorts, live availability of some of the best liveaboards in the Cayman Islands. U.S. News rates the cheapest travel insurance options, considering expert and consumer recommendations. Best Time to Dive in Cayman Islands - Original Diving Theres plenty to do if you are not diving. 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. There are actually around two dozen dive sites within the bay, with Bloody Bay Wall top of the list. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. However, the Cayman Islands can be impacted by hurricanes primarily between June and November. This is really a divers paradise. I have stayed there several times at a dive resort with on-site dive operation. This site is my attempt to live the adrenaline my life is missing and be able to live real-life storybook stories with my wife and children. Kittiwake Shipwreck and diver in Grand Cayman - photo from Canva. Find the best and most popular products and review them. Cayman Islands Reservations Phone: (345)-947-0000 Our Reservations Office is located on site at the Dive Shop & Resort in the Cayman Islands. Overall it is a place worth seeing. The winter and early spring months are the most popular time in the Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman makes a good dive vacation, but for us it was a great stop with plenty of good diving over 3 days on the way home from Cayman Brac. Erwin Poliakoff, Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA Nikon D7000, Tokina 10-17 zoom, Nikkor 60mm, 85mm, and 105mm macros, Nauticam housing The Cayman Islands are widely regarded as the birthplace of recreational scuba diving, thanks to some pioneering efforts by local operators in the 1980s. 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. After being intentionally sunk to become an artificial reef, this former 76 meter (251 feet) long naval vessel now rests at 18 meters (60 feet) deep near the world-renowned Seven Mile Beach. If you enjoy diving, then you need to visit the USS Kittiwake during your vacation to Grand Cayman. I like the idea of being able to dive off both islands while staying on one. Share your love of diving, experience new adventures, expand your dive skills, and help save the ocean. In the shallows, flamingo tongues cling onto sea fans while lobsters, eels, and jewfish can be found hiding in the ridges and gullies. Diving the Cayman Islands - SCUBA Travel The units are privately owned and furnished, but they have 21 accommodations available for rental use. June to October brings . Continue with Recommended Cookies. Marine Life & Environment - Top Dive Spots - Diving Conditions, How to Get There-How to Dive Cayman Islands-Best Time to Dive, NEW! Matt Hampton was a guest of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (visitcaymanislands.com), British Airways, which has London returns from 688 (ba.com), and the Westin Seven Mile Beach, which . He is the author of four books about cruising in the Caribbean, Alaska and Mexican Riviera. 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. Our mission has been to do this with the best crew, using the best equipment while offering the most competing Cayman Islands dive packages. If you enjoy snorkeling, then check out our article where we discuss the top 25 snorkel spots in Grand Cayman. With over 365 dive sites, clear waters, coral reefs and abundant marine life, the Cayman Islands are one of the best diving spots in the world. Its a very easy and fun dive, we saw some angelfish and eagle rays. Located 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) northwest of the Capital City of George Town is one of the most popular dive sites, not just in the Cayman Islands, but in the Caribbean the Stingray City which is classified as a sandbar that has been naturally aggregated with southern stingrays that have been accustomed to human presence because of feeding. No worries, the diving is world class on Bloody Bay Wall. April is an especially good choice because it has the warmest weather of the entire five-month dry season. The Cayman Islands is a world-class diving destination famous for its reefs, wrecks and rum. It is common to see barracudas and schools of horse-eye jacks in this area. Which Cayman island has the best diving? | ZuBlu There are lots of other fish and coral. The 5 Best Dive Sites In Grand Cayman - DesertDivers 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. Hotel prices are sourced from a sample of U.S. News Best Hotels rates through 2015-2016. 5 of the Best Scuba Diving Sites in the Cayman Islands Devilishly deep drop-offs, wicked wreck dives and some of the coolest coral in the Caribbean have made the Cayman Islands a world-class dive destination. As you enter the cave, you will realize that it is not totally dark as it is illuminated by streaking sunlight streaming from overhead cracks and crevices. Seahorses - While the Cayman Islands are best known for their stunning coral reefs and diverse marine life, don't forget about the amazing small critters that call these waters home . Water Temperatures: Ranges from around 22C (72F) in December to 29C (84F) in July. Best Time to Dive in Little Cayman. You need to take a boat to reach this area. Located in Little Cayman, the Bloody Bay Wall dive site is noted for its high visibility, rich marine life, and the presence of a sheer wall that drops 2000 meters into the deep ocean. Best time to dive in Cayman Islands The diving is great year round in the Caribbean, something that is promoted with the dive 365 program. Boat rides were no longer than 15 minutes, with most being around 5 minutes. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country in Western Asia located at the northeast end of the Arabian Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. The primary reason why scuba divers frequently visit the Cayman Islands is to do a different kind of investment: definitely not monetary, but instead fun, enjoyment and great underwater adventures. It was named after the famous free-diver Penny Ventura. Most people see flights, accommodations, and activities far cheaper during this time since fewer tourists are visiting. Crabs and lobsters are among the critters hiding in the crevices. The Best Destinations for Underwater Photography | Scuba Diving There is a lot of marine life among the coral and resident angelfish and groupers are found at the stern of the ship. 10 Best Dive Destinations in the Caribbean You will then follow a sloping reef up to 25 meters (82 feet) deep where the wall starts and drops down up to 900 meters (2,950 feet) deep. Over 200 permanent boat moorings are installed to avoid damaging corals with the dropping of boat anchors. 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. Here are a few of our favourite dive sites in Grand Cayman: 1. Exploring its underwater habitats allows you to see an incredible reef that starts at 6 meters (20 feet) deep and slowly slopes down towards a vertical limestone wall that drops down up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) deep. There is also an air pocket in a decompression chamber that you can pop into and chat with your buddy!! DIVEMASTER AND INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SPECIALTY AND TECHNICAL COURSE KIDS DISABLED DIVERS SAFETY The Cayman Islands boasts state-of-the-art medical facilities including a hyperbaric chamber (located on Grand Cayman) and, in the event of an emergency, quality care can be provided in minutes. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 cleaved the 100m/328ft ship in half but divers can still explore both sections of the wreckage. Diving in the Caymans offers something for everyone, whether divers are taking their very first fin stokes or have years of experience under their weight belts. Diving is available year-round. Live like a local and get under the skin of a destination with our in-country concierges. This is a must do dive. Grand Cayman is the most visited island in the Cayman Islands by Scuba Divers. This is currently number 20 on the 100 Best Dives list. It is only a 10-minute walk from the cruise ship port in George Town to Eden Rock. Thus, you can keep going back and still discover new sites. The entire experience is about 3 hours long from the time we pick you up from your hotel or condo along Seven Mile Beach to drop off. The Best Scuba Diving Experiences On Grand Cayman The Cayman Islands are one of the Best Liveaboard Destinations for Beginners. Cayman Islands Diving | Sport Diver PADI Dive Resorts for all budgets, in the best dive locations around the world. Great diving. The Cayman Islands are home to some of the best spots for scuba diving and snorkeling in the world. It is because of the sometimes extreme temperatures and rainfall that the Caymans have distinct spikes and dips in the number of tourists who visit each month. Best Times To Visit Cayman Islands The best time to visit the Cayman Islands is between March and June when the hotel rates drop. Look out for the big groupers who sometimes get inside the huge barrel sponges, turtle, the occasional shark, plenty of reef fish, and the macro life at the cleaning stations. Wreck of the Oro Verde is located in Grand Cayman. This does not affect the quality or independence of our editorial content.