Your Guide to Diving in the Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman is the main island in terms of population, economic activity and number of dive sites. There are sites all around the coast of this island making up the majority of the diving sites for in the Cayman Islands and they include fascinating wrecks, shallow reefs, dramatic precipitous walls, and impressive canyons. Whether you are new to diving in the Cayman Islands or a seasoned veteran, Grand Cayman delivers.

The North Shore provides a combination of shallow reefs in North Sound plus vertical drop-offs along North Wall. Among the best known of all the dives sites is Stingray City, an unforgettable 12m deep site ideal for divers and snorkelers alike. Southern stingrays, habituated to being fed squid over the years, flock to this site and swarm gently all over anyone in sight. It is a quintessential Cayman dive experience.

The North Wall runs parallel to The North Shore and drops vertically from 40 ft (13m) into the abyss. There are many wall dives in this area which end in shallow coral gardens atop the wall. Overhangs and swim-throughs are decorated with plenty of hard and soft corals. In the blue you may see larger creatures passing by including eagle rays and Caribbean reef sharks. One notable site here is Tarpon Alley a large sandy channel through 2 large coral fingers where schools of the eponymous tarpon can be seen alongside other visitors such as barracuda, turtles, eagle rays and the occasional shark, maybe even a hammerhead! Big Tunnels are a series of large swim-throughs and caverns starting at 18m, home to glassfish sweepers and resting nurse sharks. Excellent for wide-angle photography. Ghost Mountain is a deep pinnacle rising from 30m to 15m, often visited by eagle rays and reef sharks. Advanced Cayman Islands diving territory.

The West Side is home to an incredible number of dive sites and is the most frequently dived area since it is geographically sheltered and therefore can be dived throughout the year. This is where you will find some of the best known wreck dives in the Cayman Islands. The wreck of the Oro Verde is a disintegrating mass sheltering a vast array of marine life including various species of moray eel, jacks, snapper and midnight blue parrotfish. The jewel in the crown is likely the USS Kittiwake a former Navy submarine rescue ship that was scuttled to form an artificial reef in 2011. It now lies between 15-64 ft (4.5-19m) so is shallow enough to be snorkelled. There is plenty to explore on this wreck including the smoke stack that goes right down to the bottom of the hull and the engine rooms. Other notable wrecks in this area include Doc Poulson, The Gamma, The Cali and The Balboa.

There are many excellent reef and wall dives on the west side too including Devils Grotto and Eden Rock - considered to be among the best diving sites in the Cayman Islands and responsible for putting it on the map. Both have vast schools of silversides lurking in sheltered caves attracting tarpon and grouper who swoop in on lightning raids to snack on them, particularly during April to September.

Grand Cayman's most popular area for scuba divers is off Seven Mile Beach. Many of the sites here, including Orange Canyon, Trinity Caves, Eagle Ray Rock and Aquarium, are in no more than 60 ft (18m) of bath-warm, clear blue water. Trinity Caves is an interesting array of canyons and swim-throughs running perpendicular to the shore and leading you out to an exposed vertical wall. Cemetery Reef is a long, shallow reef crest with abundant juvenile fish, turtles, and occasional eagle rays. Ideal for beginners and photographers.

The South Side is among the more exposed areas of the Gran Cayman coastline. Only during winter months can these waters be reliably calm. Outside of this time winds can hammer the coast and create significant swell. The harsh conditions have, over time, created caverns and overhangs and archways with strong corals capable of withstanding the pressure. Noteworthy South Side dive sites include the descriptively-named Kent's Caves, Pedro's Pinnacle in the west, and Breaker's Cutback and Grouper Grotto in the east. Channels, overhangs and caverns are what make this area stand out but there are also deep walls that top out at around 70 ft (21m) and drop down from there into the deep.

Other sites of repute include Japanese Gardens with topography including a jumbled maze of archways tunnels, chimneys and coral heads which make it seem like you never dive this site the same way twice. Bullwinkle is renowned for its impressive floor or staghorn and elk coral with channels housing lobster and lionfish. Given the spines of the creatures and the tips of the corals, it is definitely a site for employing good buoyancy control. At Pallas East & West the wreckage of The Pallas breaks the water's surface and has done since it crashed into the reef during Hurricane Cuba in 1910. The reef nearby has a fantastic swim through, 30 ft (9m) vertical walls, and is home to eagle rays and nurse sharks.

The East End is home to dive sites such as Snapper Hole, a maze of snapper-filled caves and tunnels, and Babylon which has a magnificent pinnacle and wall in the same dive. Sand Chute is a deep sandy gully cutting through the reef from 15m to 30m, often patrolled by turtles and reef sharks. Excellent for drift diving. Lighthouse Point is a dramatic wall with deep overhangs and large barrel sponges. Frequently visited by eagle rays and occasional hammerheads in winter. For those seeking solitude in their Cayman Islands diving, this is the place.