Snorkeling only boat excursion

Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:58 am Post subject: Snorkeling only boat excursion

Hey Cayman Lovers,

This is our 3rd trip to Cayman and wanted to know if there are any boat trips just for snorkeling that do not include the stingrays. Mind you we love the stingrays and have had some great experiences (and video to boot) but it always seems that most of the time is spent getting off the boat to see the stingrays and very little time is spent at the reef. We always feel that we do not see enough of the other wonderful wildlife Cayman has to offer. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Gazzer

Native Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 1023 Location: Illinois

Check with Off the Wall Divers......they may take you where you want to go and with a very small group of people.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:02 pm Post subject: Snorkeling by boat vs. beaches

I'm going in October this year and would like to know if there is an operator that takes you to a place other than stingray city, and is it worth it vs. going to one of the beachs that has really nice snorkeling. Any suggestions?

J

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject:

Most of the operators will do custom tours for you but count on a hefty price tag if it is just for snorkeling. If you have never been to SRC it is well worth it to be out there an hold one of the stingrays. Most trips include about 20-30 minutes at the barrier reef which I personally like. As far as snorkeling from the beach it depends on the day. Smith Cove is alright but can be treacherous when it is a bit rough. Cemetery Reef is a good swim out but sometimes is worth it. I know that Red Sail takes a catamaran out to CR when the boats are in town and have always wanted to snorkel CR from a boat considering the swim back can be tiring. We ran into some avid snorkelers down there and they like Georgetown"s Eden Rock and Devils Grotto but I have never been. Hope that helps.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 7:59 pm Post subject:

I have gone to the Stingray City as one of the excursions on a cruise. I loved it. I was there in mid June. I had to come back for more. I just want to make the most out of my week there. From the forums, it sounds as there are many beaches that have great snorkeling, so I am leaning towards that. Thanks for the info.

Newbie Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Plano, Texas

I'm actually going in December this year and decided to rent a boat for the day, that way the amount of time I spend at any given spot is mine to decide. Just bringing my own gear and meeting the boat at port.

Native Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 2034 Location: Illinois

Don't some of the dive boats let you come along, if they have room, for less money than if you were diving. You could do snorkeling of the dive sites off SMB that way

Shelly :-)

Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:08 pm Post subject:

shelly - That is certainly a good idea and a viable option, subject to available space as most of our recommended dive operations take only very small groups of people to provide the most personalized non crowded dive experiences to the absolute highest rated sites.

While being wonderful for divers, the first dive site is almost always a wall dive, with even the top of the wall starting at 40-60ft, which is a little deep to really appreciate by snorkeling, unless the snorkeler is adept at free diving to depths of 40 feet or so.

The second dive is usually a reef or shipwreck dive, with the shallowest depths ranging from 30-40 feet; still a bit of a stretch for a snorkeler, unless they are comfortable and experienced at free diving to those depths.

My suggestion for anyone wanting to snorkel sites other than those included with our recommended Stingray City operators is to read the snorkel topics in this forum and the snorkel section of Activity Guide magazine, along with its corresponding map to discover the best shore dive and snorkel sites. And best of all, snorkeling from shore is FREE! Very Happy

Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2009 Posts: 2

I'm sorry, aoswari.....I had to delete this post. Not only was it identical to two others that you posted in other sections, but it is a direct solicitation for a business that is not one of the advertisers of the Activity Guide. It's never a problem to mention a non-advertising business in a trip report or something, but it's not ok (per our TOS) to use this forum to aggressively advertise for other businesses.

I did move one of your three posts to the Beyond the Guide section, which is specifically for talking about businesses other than those endorsed by the Activity Guide.

Char