Tarpon Alley

Newbie Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Oregon

My friend is a diver and we were looking at a Cayman map and noticed something called Tarpon Alley. She was escatic at the possibility of diving with schools of Tarpon. Anyone have any info on this? Is this for real?

Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject:

Yes, Tarpon Alley is a real dive site. It's located on the north wall near Stingray City. The visibility is often not as good as other sites in that area but there are indeed dozens of 4-8 foot people-friendly tarpon that allow you to swim right next to them. It’s a unique and very memorable experience.

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:39 am Post subject:

A great place for her to dive with tarpon is at the Cracked Conch shore dive. under the mini wall ledge at about 50 feet is a school of tarpon that swims right along with the divers . Here is the link:

I think this is that ledge at Turtle Reef with the tarpon escorts:

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:07 am Post subject:

Armchair Reef (south of GT by the oil tanks) is another great site that usually has lots of tarpon. It's a great dive site that is shaped as, you guessed it, an armchair. One of my favorite sites. Tarpon usually stay in the "shade" and love overhangs during the heat of the day.

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:53 am Post subject:

As it's name suggests, this dive site on the North Wall is a valley/canyon with a sandy bottom that gently slopes off the wall into the deep blue. The dive is surreal as you glide through the schools of over 100 tarpon which range in size from 3 - 5 feet. As you swim by these giants, which barely move out of the way, it seems their eyes follow you. Barracudas do the same thing but I give 'cudas all the space they want. Tarpon, which are harmless, just watch you glide by as they move just enough to allow free passage. Check out the photo below from Tarpon Alley:

gd

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:15 am Post subject:

Hi HayleysMom,

As you're seeing from the replies, there are lots of great dives on GCM where you can get a personal escort from Tarpon. All diving is cool, but to have several tarpon swimming in formation with you is something you have to experience.

So, have you booked a trip yet!

DS

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:45 am Post subject:

Yet another good tarpon site is Eden Rock/Devil's Grotto. BTW, I saw 2 (!) hammerheads at Tarpon Alley last Sunday.

Newbie Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1

Is Tarpon alley a boat dive or a shore dive?

Temporary Resident Joined: 01 Feb 2011 Posts: 104

Any chance of seeing sharks while snorkeling or is that just for deep dives?

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:05 pm Post subject:

The shark most often seen in Cayman waters is the Nurse Shark and you are most likely to see those under overhangs on the reef. Hard to see under the overhangs when your snorkeling on the surface. Caribbean Reef Sharks can sometimes be seen cruising around the reefs but usually in water deeper than most would snorkel in. Some of the bigger sharks, like Hammerheads can also be seen in Cayman but usually they don't come inside the reefs so you need to be diving near or around the walls to see the bigger sharks. The exception to this is in the reefs in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Here the reefs tend to be more shallow and the wall can start in about 40 feet of water. Lots of sharks to be seen on LC and the Brac!

gd Diving

Temporary Resident Joined: 01 Feb 2011 Posts: 104

GD, I love the wealth of info I find in the folks here! Hoping you'll be posting lots of pics and a trip report soon Smile