Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Dragons Hole

Overall Rating - 2.7 out of 5

Scuba diving Dragon's Hole can be quite a varied experience. I don't dive on this site very often and on most dives it is average at best when compared with the other wall dives on the west side. I much prefer, Hepp's Wall, Northwest Point, Orange Canyon, Bonnie's Arch, or even Big Tunnels. If you cannot dive one of these scuba diving sites there, I would recommend asking the boat captain to head back to Round Rock or Trinity Caves. I have found over a number of years that these sites tend to be the best on the west side. The current is always a consideration but Hepp's Wall, Bonnie's Arch and Northwest Point are some of the best dives on Grand Cayman so don't miss them if you get a chance.

That said Dragon's Hole can still be a very good dive depending upon the current and the amount of particulates in the water. This dive site tends to be a bit more "cloudy" than other wall dive sites on the west end of Grand Cayman but still has a lot of good features. Backscatter can be a real problem so if you are an underwater photographer or if you are just trying to get a few photos to show friends back home, remember to keep your strobes very wide on this scuba diving site or you could end up with a lot of photos that are not worth printing. This is definitely better as a "first/deep" dive and is typical of other scuba diving sites on the west side. You will find a number of Orange Elephant Ear sponges along with Roe Pore Rope sponges, brain corals and numerous other soft and hard corals along with a good variety of fish. The coral condition on the site is fair to average but on top of the wall the condition of the coral would be a bit less than average especially if compared with the scuba diving sites on the north side of the island.

On our last dive we found several Lionfish and one of the dive masters promptly dispatched them. While some people may feel some angst about killing these fish, it is something that must be done. Lionfish are definitely a danger to the Caribbean and other areas since these fish have few if any natural predators in the Caribbean. These fish are voracious hunters and could significantly impact the reefs if not dealt with now. So if you do not like this, please do not hinder the work of the divers. It is important.

I have gotten some amazing shots on this sites including this Green Moray Eel. So my advice is to take this site as a second or third choice, but if you do dive on this site, please enjoy it as you never know quite what you may find.Visit my website or my blog to view more underwater photographs and other information on scuba diving in Grand Cayman. Visit my website or my blog to see more underwater photographs and find additional informatin on scuba diving in Grand Cayman. The pool is open.....