Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Orange Canyon

Overall Rating = 3.5 out of 5

Orange Canyon is one of the more well known and visited scuba diving sites on the west side of Grand Cayman. The dive site is near the west end of the island and is very close to several other well know sites, such as Big Tunnel. This scuba diving site is typical of the better dive sites on the west side and is great for underwater photography. You start on the mooring ball and descend through a break in the coral and emerge on the wall around 100 feet. The dive moves along the wall where you can look out into the blue for large pelagic species such as sharks and Spotted Eagle Rays and then finishes at the top of the wall where you can explore various coral, sponges, fish, moray eels and sea turtles.

Depth to 105+
Visibility - good to excellent
Current - variable
Marine Species variety - Moderate to high
Reef health - Moderate to healthy

This scuba diving site compares very well with other west side dive sites, but I admit my favorite (non-wreck) dive sites are on the north wall. However, I definitely like this site and I dive it regularly. It is especially good when there are large "swarms" of Silversides on this Grand Cayman dive site. There are also likely to be several Tarpon in the canyons as you explore the site. This site gets its name from the spectacular Elephant Ear Sponges. These colorful sponges make a great backdrop for photos and if you explore closely you will likely find various cleaner shrimps and blennys on the sponges. You will also likely find a cleaningstation with a grouper exposing his gills for servicing. The site can have a current and can have a good bit of turbidity but normally the visibility is quite good and the diver operator should check this before you enter the water.

I recommend taking this dive very slowly and actively looking around at the wide variety of life that can be found here. View other underwater photography images on my website or visit my blog or follow me on Twitter @ images2inspire.

The pool is open...