Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Chinese Wall

Overall Rating - 3.1 out of 5

Scuba Diving Chinese Wall can be done as a first / deep dive on the wall or as a shallow / second dive. This site is a better wall dive, but diving as a second dive is usually ok, but it can be a bit "cloudy" if there have been recent / continual rains. It is located fairly close to one of the cuts in the coral reef near Stingray City and can get a good bit of "run-off" from the mangroves after a rain. The boat captain should check the visibility on the site before the dive so this will usually not be too much of a problem. However, if it has been raining a good bit I would be sure and suggest another site if you have the opportunity. Typically go to the sites towards Rumpoint and beyond if possible as they will tend to be out of the "run-off" area.

This site is typical for dive sites on the north wall. As a deep dive you will head down close to the buoy and then swim as a group down towards the wall. You will descend through a channel in the coral reef and exit at about 100 ft on the wall. Then you will swim along the wall for a few minutes and gradually make your way back to the top of the wall. Scuba divers will sometimes be treated to a Spotted Eagle Ray or even more rarely a Hammerhead Shark as you swim along the wall. You will often find sea turtles on the site and as with all north wall sites there is a good variety and number of fish on the site. Also due to its proximity to Stingray City you can often find Stingrays cruising at the top of the wall or resting in one of the sand channels on top of the wall.

There is a good variety of hard and soft corals on the site although the sites from Rum Point and past tend to have much better soft corals. The varieties of coral range from Knobby Cactus Corals to the Slimy Sea Plumes to encrusting Lettuce Coral and much more. You will also typically find a number of Moray Eels on this site along with Princess Parottfish, Black Durgon, Blue Chromis, Yellowhead Wrasse and a variety of other fish. You can also find Spiny Lobsters and a variety of other crustaceans if you take your time on the dive.

If I am scuba diving this site as a deep dive, after enjoying the wall, I will usually take one section or area near the buoy and examine it very carefully for small creatures. It is usually time well spent. See my dive site reviews for information on other Grand Cayman scuba diving sites or visit my blog and/or follow me on Twitter @ Images2Inspire. The pool is open.....