Snorkel off Ship in Grand Cayman???

[DolphinFan]

I know I have read "somewhere" on here about a place to snorkel right off the ship in Grand Cayman? Does anyone have any information on the name of place, exactly where its at, any pics :D, cost, food & drink available???

 

I would appreciate any information I can get!!

[bookbabe]

Are you maybe thinking of Eden Rock, a shore snorkel spot very close to the port area? Try searching for that name in this forum, and you should get all the information you seek...

[drew sailbum]

Eden Rock is very close to the piers where the cruise ship tenders put you ashore. It is just to the south. They rent snorkel gear and lockers. They are right next door to Abanks Dive Center which is at Paradise Bar and Grill. Sort of one stop shopping for snorkeling and food.

 

A short walk to the north of the tender piers is Divers Down at the wreck of the Cali. More snorkeling opportunity. They are next door to Hammerheads which serves up all your waterfront food and drink favorites.

[DolphinFan]

Sounds like a great day! Since we are only in Grand Cayman for such a short time, looks like this will work. Weve already done the stingray's and island tour and just wanted to snorkel.

[drew sailbum]

If you want you could start at Eden Rock and walk up to Divers Down to snorkel both sites. You can take the snorkeling gear from one site to the other. They are close enough to walk between in about ten minutes.

[DolphinFan]

If you want you could start at Eden Rock and walk up to Divers Down to snorkel both sites. You can take the snorkeling gear from one site to the other. They are close enough to walk between in about ten minutes.

Really? They will let you walk away with the equipment like that? Is there some form of deposit or do they need to hold a credit card, etc? That's great! Was wondering how you could do both and not pay twice!

[HAULNTA]

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Eden Rock is a very short walk from the tender pier. We saw some very nice fish as soon as wee got in the water. By far not the best snorkeling, but a good way to save some money at a port.

[Ph0kis]

Really? They will let you walk away with the equipment like that? Is there some form of deposit or do they need to hold a credit card, etc? That's great! Was wondering how you could do both and not pay twice!

 

You probably cannot do that as they are not that close together but if you take your own snorkel and mask it would make it a lot easier, more sanitary too.

 

If you have your own it would pay for themselves when you go to another stop and need to use them instead of renting.

[DolphinFan]

You probably cannot do that as they are not that close together but if you take your own snorkel and mask it would make it a lot easier, more sanitary too.

 

If you have your own it would pay for themselves when you go to another stop and need to use them instead of renting.

That's true..I brought mine last year and ended up loosing my mask coming out of the rocky water..probably cheaper if I just buy my own :-)

[drew sailbum]

Word on the street is that Eden Rock will permit you to take rented snorkel gear off site. You must, of course, return it or pay for any lost gear.

 

Eden Rock is at 124 South Church Street, about a 5 minute walk south of the South Terminal.

Divers Down is on North Church Street just past the intersection of Mary Street, about a two minute walk north of the Royal Watler Terminal.

[viking69]

Really? They will let you walk away with the equipment like that? Is there some form of deposit or do they need to hold a credit card, etc? That's great! Was wondering how you could do both and not pay twice!

 

I read they hold your ships card until you return the equipment.

[ninkb]

Will be in port Dec. 2 and see that 6 ships will be there that day. From your experience, will this ruin snorkeling from Eden Rock on my own? Will it be better to book a boat snorkel excursion?

[Sargent_Schultz]

I've walked farther than the Cali. Heck you can maybe even do Cheeseburger Reef (look for the Burger King).

 

I've done both in the same day - no problemo. I do have my own snorkel gear.

 

http://www.zydecocruiser.com/gc_dec_2005.htm

[mlbcruiser]

If what you see when you snorkel is very important to you, and you can afford to, I would suggest you take an independent snorkeling excursion that will get you out around the reef and coral gardens. There are companies listed on here and there will be some independent vendors right around the pier and info. booth areas in Grand Cayman who should have some decent prices. (Usually they are not as pricey as the ship's tours.) If you can, go w/someone that does out to a couple of stops. Several trips go out to about 3 places, often incl. Stingray City, a coral garden (at one commonly visited place there is usually a big, lime green ray hiding under a large coral mound!). You will usually see a lot more color, coral and sealife that way than where you are thinking of going. But if you still want to go in from shore in that area, it is still probably got better snorkeling than you will find at many such places.

 

Grand Cayman really is one of the best stops for snorkeling in the caribbean or many other heavily visited locations for that matter (and I am saying that as a pretty experienced snorkeler, having snorkeled at several great locations such as Bora Bora, other Polynesian islands, Maui both islands in the USVI and BVI, Cozumel, Belize, etc.).

 

Whatever you decide to do, hope you get a good day and that the current hurricanes this season do not tear up the sea bottom in that area!

[DolphinFan]

If what you see when you snorkel is very important to you, and you can afford to, I would suggest you take an independent snorkeling excursion that will get you out around the reef and coral gardens. There are companies listed on here and there will be some independent vendors right around the pier and info. booth areas in Grand Cayman who should have some decent prices. (Usually they are not as pricey as the ship's tours.) If you can, go w/someone that does out to a couple of stops. Several trips go out to about 3 places, often incl. Stingray City, a coral garden (at one commonly visited place there is usually a big, lime green ray hiding under a large coral mound!). You will usually see a lot more color, coral and sealife that way than where you are thinking of going. But if you still want to go in from shore in that area, it is still probably got better snorkeling than you will find at many such places.

 

Grand Cayman really is one of the best stops for snorkeling in the caribbean or many other heavily visited locations for that matter (and I am saying that as a pretty experienced snorkeler, having snorkeled at several great locations such as Bora Bora, other Polynesian islands, Maui both islands in the USVI and BVI, Cozumel, Belize, etc.).

 

Whatever you decide to do, hope you get a good day and that the current hurricanes this season do not tear up the sea bottom in that area!

I'm hoping the weather cooperates as well!! I've paid to snorkel in Grand Cayman before and this time I figured I would just get off the ship, spend a little time in the water and head back to the ship when it's empty and relax in the Serenity Area!!

[KCMarie]

Word on the street is that Eden Rock will permit you to take rented snorkel gear off site. You must, of course, return it or pay for any lost gear.

Eden Rock is at 124 South Church Street, about a 5 minute walk south of the South Terminal.

Divers Down is on North Church Street just past the intersection of Mary Street, about a two minute walk north of the Royal Watler Terminal.

 

Really? They will let you walk away with the equipment like that? Is there some form of deposit or do they need to hold a credit card, etc? That's great! Was wondering how you could do both and not pay twice!

 

I read they hold your ships card until you return the equipment.

 

Three of us going to Eden Rock in October have snorkeling gear, but the others don't. We very possibly may be interested in walking from Eden Rock to another location nearby.

 

So, those of you in the know...how does this work? We totally are not comfortable with anyone handling our S&S cards, nor credit cards.

Will cash be king for a deposit?

[MonkeyBiz]

i am considering captain marvin's tour when i'm in GC in December. How many people are usually on these trips? is there a place to safely secure my items while i'm out in the water. i'm very anal about keeping my documents secured. i'm considering buying one of those water proof pouches i can wear around my neck.

[dakwriter]

Three of us going to Eden Rock in October have snorkeling gear, but the others don't. We very possibly may be interested in walking from Eden Rock to another location nearby.

 

So, those of you in the know...how does this work? We totally are not comfortable with anyone handling our S&S cards, nor credit cards.

Will cash be king for a deposit?

 

We've gone to Eden Rock several times. And, yes, they do hold your S&S card if you rent equipment from them. They also have small wooden lockers you can rent a lock for to store your towels, wallets, etc. They will tell you that using an inflatable snorkel vest is required by law. We hadn't brought ours with the rest of our snorkel gear, so got stuck renting those at $5 a pop. The problem with the rental vests became quickly obvious, though, as they fill up with water while you're snorkeling! Some safety measure that is! No refunds given for this big defect, though, and they just shrugged off our complaint and after we turned them in so we could get our S&S cards back they simply rented the leaky vests to the next people. If you can, bring your own safety vests and save the hassle.

 

Regarding the snorkeling at Eden Rock, it's okay for being free and very easy to get to from the tender docks -- a simple two block walk. The best snorkeling here, though, is out near the perimeter buoys, which may not be far, actually, from where your ship is anchored. We found ourselves much closer to our (Carnival Legend) ship than to the shore. Of course, not all ships anchor in the same place. Anyway, that far out you'll probably see scuba divers in the depths below you -- a couple of scuba excursions come here -- and they are there for the same reason as you, to see far more interesting rock formations and fish than you'll find closer to shore. There is some interesting stuff to see along the way and back, though, so take your time in getting there, wandering around here and there wherever you see other snorkelers clustered.

 

There are barracuda, sharks and other predators in this area, but none of them seem to pay much attention to all the people in the water. The sea urchins near the exit ladder can be more of a concern. So pay a bit of attention to where you're putting your hands, feet and other bare body parts.

 

Enjoy Eden Rock. We always do! It's an experience that doesn't cost much, if anything, and a fun thing to do if you just want to get off the ship for an hour or two. :cool:

[TurtleTagger]

As far as I know, it is not a legal requirement to have a vest or other floatation device while snorkeling in Cayman waters. Might just be the dive shop's policy.

[DolphinFan]

As far as I know, it is not a legal requirement to have a vest or other floatation device while snorkeling in Cayman waters. Might just be the dive shop's policy.

I would like to find out as I hate wearing those vests! Would rather bring my $1 raft and lay across it!

[navybaby1113]

I hope it's not a requirement to wear vests. I'm actually a better swimmer without them.

[dakwriter]

We hate those vests, too. They're a pain in the neck (literally) even when they don't fill up with water. But the attendant at Eden Rock INSISTED that Grand Cayman REQUIRES them by law. And how many cruise ship passengers or other tourists are going to research that?

 

My suspicions aside, it seems ironic that this place insists that people rent the vests but then doesn't provide safe equipment. Makes me wonder what the Grand Cayman "authorities" would say about that. I'm all about respecting the law, but it seems to me those supposedly enforcing it should uphold the law's intent. Leaky vests endanger lives.

[KCMarie]

Hey, thanks for the good info Dakwriter! Appreciate it.

We won't be renting anything since we are not about to let loose with our S&S cards.