Caribbean Scuba Diving

Scuba Diving in the Cayman Islands is something special. The magnificent walls, spectacular soft and hard corals, great wrecks, easy access and warm water makes this a marvelous place for scuba diving. Whether you are an experienced technical diver or a recreational diver or an undewater photographer, there is something for you in the Cayman Islands. The variety of marine species and topography provides every type of scuba diver with what they want. With boat rides of 10 to 30 minutes to the dive site you can become easily spoiled to the warm, friendly and inviting waters of this Caribbean paradise.

There are a number of great scuba diving sites in the Cayman Islands such as Babylon, Andes Wall, the USS Kittiwake, MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts, Bloody Bay Wall and much, much more. With water temperatures requiring only shorts and t-shirt almost year around and abundant marine life, the Cayman Islands are hard to beat. Whether you prefer the slightly higher pace of life in Grand Cayman or the laid back atmosphere of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac the scuba diving here is marvelous. As an underwater photographer, I find this one of the most ideal places on the planet to see and interact with an extremely wide variety of marine life in a very relaxed and easy going environment. The conditions are rarely challenging, although the swell on some parts of the islands can be interesting if you tend to have sea sickness, these scuba diving sithes offer easy to access snd numerous high quality scuba diving for novices to professional divers.

I love to dive in Grand Cayman, as the variety of marine life and of diving sites around the entire island provides any scuba diver with dozens of high-quality scuba diving sites from which to choose. There are a number of reputable scuba diving operators in Grand Cayman, from very large such as Red Sail Sports or specialtiy scuba diving operators like Cathy Church (who is the queen of underwater photography). Most of these dive operations are of a high quality, but do use seasonal / short-term staff that will from time to time cause problems for individual divers.

My recommendation are:

1. Book as early as possible before you arrive at the island (you can usually get a discount if you book before you arrive and make sure you check the "rules" for the discount)
2. Think about what you want to accomplish on your dives such as going for a higher certification, taking amazing macro shots, night diving, wreck diving, just relaxing, etc., and make sure that those in your group have the same objectives
3. When you arrive on the island spend some time to review your itinerary with the dive shop and make sure that what they have on their schedule is what you want.

4. Inspect and check all of your gear before it is time to go to the boat
5. Bring extra straps, masks, etc., in case of problems and do not forget the sunscreen
6. Listen to the instructions from the dive master and boat captain
7. Adequately tip the crew for their work. These people are professionals, and they are professionals at what they do, they work by the hour and it is not a highly paid profession.
8. When the scuba diving is done, review the bill and charges a day or two before you leave the island so you can sort out any issues. It is always a good idea to review and validate any charges being made to a credit card or room charge before you have to leave.

If you follow these simple guidelines, then 99 times out of 100 you will have a great time and a great scuba diving experience and if you do not then.....

For more underwater photographs and information go to my website or my blog. The pool is open...