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Diving in Grand Cayman can be divided into four unique areas: west, north, south and east. Superlative diving at each of these dive sites varies upon prevailing wind and sea conditions. However, during all but the winter months, you will find the most consistently calm and clear diving along the west– and to a slightly less extent the north side dive sites. While there is rarely such a thing as a poor or even an average Cayman Islands dive, you will typically realize the most favorable diving on Grand Cayman by selecting a diverse personalized Cayman dive operator offering departures from both the north and west sides of the island. Diving in Grand Cayman will expose you to an exciting assortment of walls, caves, caverns, tunnels, chutes and swimmers; as well as thousands of species of fish and coral. Cayman’s south side is where you will usually do your scuba diving in Cayman during a nor’ wester, which is a cold front causing unfavorable sea conditions on the other sides of the island. The east end of Grand Cayman offers spectacular diving although Grand Cayman’s prevailing easterly winds make East End the windward side of Grand Cayman, which creates sea conditions that are typically rougher than other sides of the island. On days when the winds are light out of the south/southwest, there are several spectacular shore dives on East End that will provide some of the best cayman islands dive imaginable. Note that shore diving at our recommended shore dive sites in East End is under most circumstances not for beginners and recommended only for experienced divers and strong swimmers.

Wherever scuba diving in the Cayman Islands (or anywhere else) always follow safe diving practices and ensure that your dive gear is regularly serviced prior to scuba diving in the Cayman Islands. Dive rental is available from all of our recommended dive operators and dive shops, many with discounts for mentioning Activity Guide and Cayman dive gear is always of the very highest quality. Your dive gear is important. All Cayman dive shops adhere to the strictest international standards of safety and Grand Cayman dive shops as well as Little Cayman and Cayman Brac resorts must all adhere to rigorous government regulations put in place to guarantee your safety. There are many dive shops in Grand Cayman so if there is any doubt about the quality or dependability of your gear, be sure to have it inspected and rent replacement diving equipment if yours requires maintenance. When it comes to diving in Grand Cayman, your safety is the greatest concern, parallel only to your overall enjoyment of every single Cayman Islands dive you experience.

When diving Grand Cayman you will attain the greatest dive site versatility while maintaining the freedom of enjoying the endless variety of attractions and restaurants by booking your dive and lodging packages separately. We do not offer recommendations for any dive resort in grand cayman because we feel that anyone with dedicated diving being their highest priority will derive the greatest reward and value staying at a Little Cayman dive resort. When you dive Grand Cayman, try to choose a property that best suits your vacation lifestyle and dive with one of our recommended Cayman dive operations to derive the absolute highest satisfaction and value from your Grand Cayman dive vacation.

Scuba diving Grand Cayman island and its sister islands is a must do for every dive enthusiast. Cayman Activity Guide will provide you with all of the Cayman dive information you will need to select the best grand caymen diving operators and sister island resorts, who will make your Cayman Islands dive trip the best, cheapest, most affordable and memorable dive vacation you ever had.

Little Cayman Diving
Diving in Little Cayman provides among the most diverse, dramatic and rewarding dives in the world. Little Caymans Bloody Bay Wall starts just 15 feet below the surface and plummets vertically to depths most easily measured in miles.

Little Cayman dive trips typically consist of two wall dives; as opposed to Grand Cayman where a wall dive is usually followed by a reef or ship wreck dive. Because Little Cayman wall diving starts just 15 feet below the surface, you can safely dive two walls without breaking profile. Dive computer usage -which is highly encouraged for all Little Cayman diving, will significantly extend your safe allowable bottom time.

Bloody Bay Wall offers the most popular and highly publicized dive sites in Little Cayman. Bloody Bay Wall is not a specific Little Cayman wall diving site but rather an entire area spanning more than a mile and offering the most dramatic wall diving anywhere on planet Earth. Bloody Bay Wall’s north west side boasts underwater ledges that commence their steep vertical plummet just ten to twenty feet from the surface and extend to several thousand feet. Diving Bloody Bay Wall in Little Cayman goes well beyond a ‘must do’ diving experience. Visitors form all over the world flock to Little Cayman just for the opportunity to dive this truly world class dive site. As Bloody Bay Wall starts at a mere 10-20 feet it is also an incredible snorkel site!

Jackson -or Jackson’s Bight is every bit as spectacular as Bloody Bay Wall. Tunnels, chutes, crevices, reefs and huge numbers of corals and marine life also populate Little Caymans Jackson diving area. Sharks and Spotted Eagle Rays provide the background scenery with visibility in excess of 100 feet and often nearing 200 feet. And that’s horizontal visibility by the way! Looking down you will find Lobsters, Turtles, Eagle Rays, Stingrays, Pipe Horses, Pipe Fish and every conceivable form of tropical sea life. Look up, under your Little Cayman dive boat and see the Barracuda surrounded by a cloud of unsuspecting Sergeant Major fish.

Mixing Bowl – also referred to as 3 Fathom Wall, bridges Jackson Bight and Bloody Bay Wall. Mixing Bowl offers the largest schools of fish and amazing reef structures. There is a large crevice near the center of Mixing Bowl that separates Bloody Bay Wall from Jackson.

TIP – Best Little Cayman best dive sites:
Mixing Bowl
Eagle Ray Roundup
The Chimneys
Marilyn’s Cut
Hole in the Wall
Nancy’s Cup of Tea
East and West Chute
Cumber’s Caves

Many of the largest sponges in the world thrive in Little Cayman, some reaching heights in excess of 12 feet!

Cayman Islands Diving Eco Tip:
Sitting in sponges for a photo op’ is not an ecologically responsible thing to do.

Cayman Brac Diving
Diving in Cayman Brac will reveal walls, reefs and their most famous shipwreck dive, MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts Memorial. Cayman Brac is only an average of six miles from Little Cayman so many Cayman Brac dive operators offer a mix of Cayman Brac diving and Little Cayman diving. In choosing a Cayman Brac dive operation, make sure they offer Little Cayman dive trips too so as not to travel all the way to the Cayman Islands sister islands and limit diving to Cayman Brac.

Cayman Brac diving is generally not considered comparable to Grand Cayman diving and has no equivalent to Little Caymans Bloody Bay Wall where the top of the wall begins at 10 feet. However, Cayman Brac diving does include a large variety of dive sites with horizontal visibility averaging 100 feet or more.

Diving all three Cayman Islands would be the ultimate dive vacation however Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are 75 miles away from Grand Cayman, making day dive trips unpractical and only available by private charter. Picking the Cayman island dive destination that best suits your diving interests, abilities and overall vacation lifestyle will ensure that your Cayman Islands dive vacation is everything you want it to be. Spending a little time here and at our forums will pay for itself many times over when you arrive and realize your dream dive vacation.

There is currently only one dive resort in Cayman Brac but they are planning to add at least one more all inclusive diving resort on the Brac by 2013. Dive enthusiasts will want to check back often as we are constantly updating. Visit our Cayman Islands dive forum for the latest updates and direct answers to any questions you may have. See our Cayman Islands diving news to read or subscribe to our rss feed and have all the latest Cayman Islands diving news delivered directly to your inbox.

MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts Memorial
Diving this Russian warship -formally known as simply "number 356" is Cayman Brac’s most awe inspiring dive. Sunk in 1996 as an artificial reef, the MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts shipwreck on Cayman Brac is the only Russian warship in the Western Hemisphere available for scuba diving.

The MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts shipwreck on Cayman Brac rests on an even keel among a gentle slope of white powder sand. Her propellers now almost half buried in sand at 56 feet, they have become home to thousands of colorful Grouper, Grunts and over 100 species of fish and coral. Measuring near the length of a football field, the Keith Tibbetts bow rests a mere 100 feet from a small plateau, leading directly to the wall descending vertically to thousands of feet. Two cannons protrude from protective turrets at 50 feet. This awe inspiring piece of naval architecture lying fully in tact in crystal clear blue water is a Cayman Brac dive site to be seen.

Cayman Brac shore diving options include about a dozen sites. One of the most popular shore diving sites on Cayman Brac is Cay Charlie’s Reef on the north side of the Brac. Named after a six-foot green moray eel, this Cayman Brac dive site is also known for its large and often friendly schools of Spanish Grunts – many allowing very close encounters and photo opportunities.

Be sure to check our forums and Activity Guide magazine online for the latest discounts, coupons and special offers; book your dives prior to arrival and save money on all of your diving in the Cayman Islands.

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