Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Angelfish Reef

Overall Rating 3.13 out of 5

Access - Moderate; boat only and 15 to 25 minutes from west side hotels
Depth to 60+ ft
Visibility - moderate to good
Current - variable
Marine Species variety - Good
Reef health - Moderate
Angelfish Reef is located on the west side of Grand Cayman and makes a good second dive site after scuba diving on Grand Cayman's west wall. The west side of Grand Cayman is a very easy dive as the bay is quite protected and access to dive sites is 10 to 20 minutes by boat.

French Angelfish and Grey Angelfish, like all of Grand Cayman fishes, faces the threat of the Lionfish. These beautiful non-native, invasive fish multiply rapidly and have very few if any natural predators in the area. Local Dive Masters are constantly culling these fish to help limit the impact on the local ecosystem.

There are a good variety of fish and coral on Angelfish Reef and usually the visibility is reasonably good. The corals show some damage on this side of Grand Cayman primarily due to the number of divers visiting the Seven Mile Beach sites. The dives are still quite nice but the corals will not be as healthy as they are close to Northwest Point on the west side or on the North Wall.

There is no current on this dive site and the depth is reasonably shallow with a max depth of around 60 feet. This dive site can become a little "hazy" or cloudy later in the day as can many of the second dive sites on the west side. You can see Green Sea Turtles and of course the ever present French Angelfish as well as Grey Angelfish along with Trumpetfish, Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors, Long-Spine Soldierfish, and many more fishes along with a good variety of sponges and soft corals. The beautiful French Angelfish usually come in pairs and are quite easy to photograph and there are some very nice Orange Elephantear Sponges that make some very nice photos and can serve as good background if you can find an accommodating fish.

You will also find a few nice brain corals here including some very nice Grooved Brain Corals and some good examples of sea rods and sea whips. Take your time and make sure to look in the various "pockets" in the coral and you will find Spiny Lobsters, shrimp and crab.

The site is reasonable for general photography and quite reasonable for close up wide angel photography or macro underwater photography. 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...