Diving and Snorkeling in the Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands have some of the most sought after waters for diving and snorkeling in the world.  The deepest point in the Caribbean Sea is located here, reaching farther than 25 thousand feet below the surface of the ocean.

The Cayman Islands are situated at the top of an underwater mountain range, allowing for endless navigable nooks and crannies for divers and snorkelers.  The Cayman Trench surrounds the islands, which begins its vertical decent with the Cayman Ridge about 100 yards from shore. 

Diving and snorkeling is superb no matter where you dive, with a regular visibility of about 150 feet, and favorable diving weather about nine months out of the year.  During the winter, diving and snorkeling is still possible, but cold fronts can make waters rough.  If this is the case, stick to the southern coast.  Regardless of when and where you dive or snorkel, you can expect to see a variety of tropical marine life, including eels, sea turtles, blue tang, and tarpon.

Even if you are a diving or snorkeling veteran, consider planning a diving or snorkeling tour during your Cayman Islands vacation.  For a cost of between $60 and $500(USD), depending upon the length of your tour and dive, knowledgeable guides will take you straight to some of the top underwater destinations that surround the islands, and brief you on what you can expect to see.  The cost of transportation, equipment, and often snacks and beverages are included in the price. 

Though diving and snorkeling can be done in many of the same locations, the two activities require different levels of skill and preparation.  Snorkelers float just below the surface of the water, wearing a dive mask, fins, and breathing through a tube known as a snorkel as they explore shallow marine habitats.  You can obtain snorkeling equipment for as low as $10(USD) at a dive shop, and often for free at your resort.

Diving, however, requires training.  Because an air tank is required to allow divers to reach depths far below the water’s surface, divers must be taught how to properly use it before they may be permitted to jump in.  If you plan to dive with an experienced diver, you can take a day course for around $100(USD) to learn the basics.  More extensive certification can be obtained for about $500(USD) and a weeks’ worth of training.  This will allow you explore on your own.

Diving and Snorkeling Opportunities in the Cayman's

Dive and/or Snorkel Vendor	Phone Number
Absolute Divers	345-916-4133
Ambassador Divers	345-743-5513
Beach Club Divers at Beach Club Colony Hotel and Dive Resort	345-949-8100
Brac Aquatics Dive and Photo Centre	345-948-1429
Captain Bryan's Sail and Snorkel Tours	345-949-0038
Cayman Diving School	345-926-4729
Cayman Marine Lab	345-916-0849
Conch Club Divers	345-948-1026
Deep Blue Divers	345-916 1293
Dive 'N Stuff	345-947-2822
DiveTech	345-946-5658
Don Foster's Dive	345-945-5132
Eden Rock Diving Center	345-949-7243
Ezona's Aquatics Snorkeling Charters	345-943-9662
Indepth Watersports	866-476-2195
Indigo Divers	345-525-3932
Living the Dream Divers	345-526-3483
Neptune's Divers	345-945-3990
Ocean Frontiers	345-947-0000
Off the Wall Divers	345-945-7525
Peter Milburn's Dive	345-945-5770
Red Sail Sports	345-945-5965
Reef Divers at Brac Reef Beach Resort	800-594-0843
Seasports Diving	345-949-3965
SeaTrek Cayman	345-949-0008
Snuba Cayman	345-949-0008
Sunset Divers at the Sunset House	345-949-7111
The Lobster Pot Dive Center	345-946-8685
Wall to Wall Diving	345-945-6608

Sites

There are dozens of diving and snorkeling sites in the Cayman Islands, and many dive experts would say that there is no such thing as a bad dive site in the Cayman Islands.  Listed below are just a few worth visiting.

Snorkel and Dive Sites

Site	Location	Diving or Snorkeling	Description
Sting Ray City	George Town	Diving and snorkeling	13-foot dive site and sadbar for snorkeling
Devil's Grotto	George Town	Diving and snorkeling	Marine park
Cemetery Reef	Seven Mile Beach	Snorkeling	Reef
Wreck of the Cali	East ed of Grand Cayman	Snorkeling	Shipwreck and reef
Smith Cove	George Town	Diving and snorkeling	Reef
Wreck of the Ten Sails	East end of Grand Cayman	Diving	Shipwreck

Artificial Reef

In 1996, an artificial reef was created off the Northwest coast of Cayman Brac with the intentional sinking of the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts .  The 330-foot Russian war ship put Cayman Brac on the diving map at the time.  Today, the haunting site of the sunken ship is even more spectacular due to the sponges and coral that have grown to coat the vessel. 

Hoping to recreate the success of the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, hired contractors began sinking a U.S. Navy 1945 submarine rescue ship off of Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman on January 5, 2011.  The U.S.S. Kittiwake sits at a depth of 62 feet below sea level, and will similarly become encrusted with sponges and coral the longer it remains submurged. 

Tips

•    Be aware of currents and stay watchful of your location. Getting too far off course can make returning difficult.
•    Wear a watch so you don't lose track of time - it's easy to do underwater.
•    Don't feed the fish or touch the animals or coral. Their protective layers can be stripped away.
•    Never stand or walk on a reef, and tread carefully in shallow water around reefs. (Shuffle your feet to avoid stingrays, and watch out for sea urchins, spines.)
•    Never wear jewelry. Caribbean fish, barracudas especially, seem to be drawn to shiny objects that look like their natural prey, small silver fish.
•    Avoid jellyfish, fire coral, and other stinging creatures.
•    Never reach into holes or crevices; animals - especially moray eels - like to make their homes in them.
•    Shark sightings are rare, and sharks that are spotted are usually passive. If you do see a shark, stay calm, and if necessary, move slowly out of the water.
•    Never remove anything from dive sites and reefs; it is illegal to do so.

If diving or snorkeling is your passion, a trip on your Cayman Island’s trip is a must; and if you’ve never dipped your head underwater before, there is no better place to start.