Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Bonnies Arch

Overall Rating 4.25 out of 5

Access - Moderate; boat only and about 20 to 25 minutes from the hotel beaches on Seven Mile Beach
Depth to 100+ ft
Visibility - very good to excellent
Current - variable
Marine Species variety - Very good; Spotted Eagle Rays and Sharks (occasionally), Turtles and a very good variety of marine species
Reef health - Good to very good
Bonnie's Arch is one of the better dives on the west side of Grand Cayman. This wall dive is out towards the northwestern point of Cayman. The dive site is situated near my other favorite sites on this side of the island Northwest Point. The currents can be quite strong in the area and that is what helps to maintain the quality of the reef. That said, if the current is too strong the captain will take you to another location most likely Orange Canyon, Big Tunnels, Trinity Caves or similar site in the area. Another excellent choice but one that is not used often is Eagle's Nest since it is so close to the point where boats tend to leave shore from the Seven Mile Beach hotels, most captains give it a pass. But this is an excellent alternative wall dive. So do not worry there are many great spots in the area that will not disappoint..

The prominent feature of the dive is the coral archway. You will find a variety of tube and barrel sponges at the base of the archway along with a good variety of fishes and marine life including, an occasional Tarpon, Spiny Lobsters, cleaner shrimp, crabs, Nassau Groupers, Mutton Snappers, and much more. You will typically make your way down and through the arch and descend to around 100 feet and then make your way slowly back up the wall. Make sure to look into the "blue" as you come out on the wall as you may find a Spotted Stingray or even a shark cruising the wall. Depending upon how much air you have and if your no-deco time is good you will be able to spend a bit of time exploring around the base of the buoy anchor. You will usually see French Angelfish as well as Grey Angelfish in the area along with Trumpetfish, Sergeant Majors, various cleaning wrasses, Barracuda and much more.

This is a very good site for underwater photography as the water tends to be very clear. Some of my favorites shots are wide angel shots of the wall or the sun peaking over the wall with a larger fish, Eagle Ray or Shark silohetted against the sun. So plan your shots and key searching for compeling scenes and you will definitely be rewarded with some great images on this site. As in all dives I recommend going slowly and taking time to appreciate the site. Read other dive site reviews on my blog and see other underwater photography on my website and follow me on Twitter @ images2inspire. The pool is open...