scuba in grand cayman or jamaica??

[LinDon]

My 19 year old son will be certified by the time of our July 2007 cruise and this will be his first time to scuba other than his certification he will do this coming spring. He will scuba in cozumel for sure but unsure of the other two ports. We have never been to any of them and I do not scuba. We were thinking of doing the sting rays as a family in Grand Cayman and having him scuba in Jamaica but I want him to have the best scuba experiences he can so - any recommendations???:confused:

[bruce-r]

There is no comparison between the quality of diving in Grand Cayman vs. Jamaica. The diving in the Cayman Islands is great and the diving in Jamaica is the exact opposite. In the CA, there are marine preserves where fishing is greatly restricted or even forbidden because the islands' place a high value in attracting divers as in industry. In Jamaica, the population eats everything they catch and the lack of marine life around the island is the result.

 

Personally, I'd stay on the ship in Jamaica if I ever found myself on a cruise that stopped there, which would be highly unlikely.

 

I'd go to the Cayman Islands for a land vacation just for the diving, in fact, I have and it was great.

 

I recommend diving with http://www.neptunesdivers.com in Grand Cayman.

[sportsterjohn]

I agree with Bruce about the diving. GC is great, Jamaica not good. However, I disagree with the advice to stay on the ship. You don't want to walk around in Jamaica or go anywhere on your own but there are a few shore excursions that are a blast. We did the canopy tour there last year and had a great time.

[LinDon]

Thank you for the advice about scuba diving in Grand Caymen vs Jamaica. We will proboably have him go there and then do a family thing in Jamaica since we have never been there. Any other suggestions besides the canopy tour? If you do Dunn River Falls is it worth it if you do not climb the falls. Due to health issues my husband and I would not climb but the kids might like it.

Thanks again, Linda

[sjbowler]

Well, I have to agree with everyone else. Scuba diving is good in Grand Caymen. Jamica is a place I never want to return to but when we were there we did the Dunn River Falls tour and it was a great experience if you can handle all the high pressure tactics to give out tips. The tour guides had their hands out ALL THE TIME. It was not just at the end of the tour but all through out the tour. Then when you leave you have to go through all the shops and everyone has their high pressure sales tactics as well. You can not even walk on the beaches or pier because you don't feel very safe.

[thedebbied]

Is there someone else in your group who will be scuba diving with your son? It makes a difference in the recommendations I would make.

[vtxriders]

Don't waste your time in Jamaica! Reef is dead! Fish are sparse!

[bruce-r]

I agree with Bruce about the diving. GC is great, Jamaica not good. However, I disagree with the advice to stay on the ship.

Actually, I didn't really make a recommendation to stay on the ship. I only said what I would do, not what anyone else should do. If someone was to get off the ship, I would probably recommend doing a ship's excursion even though I normally recommend avoiding them. Jamaica would be the exception.

 

Is there someone else in your group who will be scuba diving with your son? It makes a difference in the recommendations I would make.

Why don't you make 2 recommendations, one for each situation.

[thedebbied]

I have done extensive diving in both Grand Cayman and Cozumel, all while land based. I would suggest that if he is going to dive in Cozumel, it would be good to dive in Cayman the day before to get used to the open water, weighting, etc. Boat dives in both locations generally include a wall dive (80+ feet) and a shallow dive (40-60 ft). Cayman has relatively no drift or surge and is a good place for new divers. Cozumel is definitely more challenging in that there is quite a drift. You are constantly moving and it can take a bit getting used to, especially at the safety stop. Judging from the RCCL site, it looks like they do Palancar Reef (Gardens?) first and then another reef. This should be good for a new diver. One thing I noticed when doing cruise ship diving as a single (Aruba, Curacao), is that the buddy system is not always enforced. He should let the divemaster know his experience level and make sure he is buddied with someone.

 

An option for Grand Cayman is to do an early Stingray City trip and then go back to town. Just south of town is Eden Rocks/Devils Grotto. He can request a guide (built in experienced buddy). There is a little waterside restaurant (Paradise ?)right next door where everyone else can hang out while he dives.

[Middleager]

Agree with the diving recommendation in Cayman. I'm going there at the end of this month (Carnival Miracle0. Neptune (as recommended by Bruce-r) has good reviews but don't pick up from cruise terminal, so I booked with Wall to Wall diving (picks up from Hammerhead restaurant near cruise terminal). After the diving, I'll meet up with wife and friends at Eden Rock. Will snorkel there, and I might even do a 1-tank shore dive there too. You can also hire a DM (as a private guide) for the shore diving there.

 

When I dove in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, there was little to see. Little reef, sparse fish.

 

The Dunns River Falls would be a blast for the kids. It's interesting to walk up. At various stops you can take interesting pictures such as water falling on your head making a "fan". If the ship stops in Ocho Rios I'd recommend that tour. If the ships stops in Montego Bay, it'll be 2-3hr bus ride each way. My inlaws did that (including the 2-3hr bus ride) and liked it. But others may not like to bus ride.

 

In Jamaica, don't forget to buy Blue Mountain coffee. It's guite good.

[sgetto]

I too was a newbie diver last year when we went to GC. I dove with Neptune (Thanks Bruce-r) and they were great. We also visited Jamaica and did a tour that had Dunns River falls and a river rafting trip through Phil Lafayette. He was great and we had a great day out. I would highly recommend both Neptune and Phil. Hope you have a great trip and the diving in GC is excellent.

[thedebbied]

Niddleager-You should be happy with Wall to Wall. I haven't used them personally but have heard good things about them. We use Red Baron, they generally don't pick up cruise guests, though. You have a good day scheduled-enjoy!

[Sandgnat]

I just stayed a week in Ocho Rios. We dove one day and it was horrible. I was sorry I took all the dive gear and had to lug it around. Diving in Cozumel is great. We will dive in Grand Cayman in December. In Ocho Rios we took a tour with Phil Lafayette. Google his name and read all the wonderful things people have to say. He was wonderful. I loved tubing the white river and we were the first ones up Dunns river that day and it was beautiful. We are two plus size girls in our 40's and had no trouble climbing the falls. I highly recommend Phil and would use him again if I return to Jamaica. He answered my e-mail with a phone call to my home and a e-mail prior to leaving, call our hotel upon arrival and e-mailed us to make sure we ahd a good and safe trip home. He is proud of his country and makes sure you enjoy your trip with him or he doesn't want to be paid. I don't know how you could not be pleased with his services. I had been to Jamaica on a cruise ship prior to our stay and was leary of spending a week there but we got such a great deal we went any ways. We had a great time. Just learn to say no thank you and keep walking. Go to the Jerk Centre for some of the best Jerk food available.

[panddcruiser]

I too was a newbie diver last year when we went to GC. I dove with Neptune (Thanks Bruce-r) and they were great. We also visited Jamaica and did a tour that had Dunns River falls and a river rafting trip through Phil Lafayette. He was great and we had a great day out. I would highly recommend both Neptune and Phil. Hope you have a great trip and the diving in GC is excellent.

wow we are headed out weds on crown princess. We are booked with Phil in Ochos Rios and my DH and DS are diving with Neptune divers. How did you get to them? Did you take a cab?

[sportsterjohn]

there are little shuttle buses that go to sea grape beach. neptune will pick you up on the beach.

[LinDon]

Finally got a chance to get back on the boards. Our son will be diving without us which is why I think we will use the ship excursion route. Thanks for the info on Jamaica vs Grand Caymen. We will definetly use GC. Also I am glad to have the info that he will need to be sure he has a buddy - and reports his level of experience. He is so excited to get started in his class. It won't be until after the New Year. Right now we are adjusting to college life. Thanks again. I really love these boards and all the great advice.

Linda:)

[Skinsdiver]

Finally got a chance to get back on the boards. Our son will be diving without us which is why I think we will use the ship excursion route. Thanks for the info on Jamaica vs Grand Caymen. We will definetly use GC. Also I am glad to have the info that he will need to be sure he has a buddy - and reports his level of experience. He is so excited to get started in his class. It won't be until after the New Year. Right now we are adjusting to college life. Thanks again. I really love these boards and all the great advice.

Linda:)

 

You won't be sorry....the only problem with diving Grand Cayman, is that it will raise the bar for many of your future dives....glad to see him getting into the sport!

[MauiLvrs]

We dove both off of the Sun Princess a few years ago. GC wins hands down. However, at the time the Jamaca dive, while not the best, was ok. In large part because it was a cool set up by Princess. We got off of the ship walked across the peer and got onto the dive boat. Did 2 dives and the boat dropped us off on the peer. If it wasn't for that, it would not have been such a good dive.

Interesting note: Princess doesn't list Jamaca on their dive destinations (http://www.newwaves.com/)

 

Also,

we have no interest in returning to Jamaca.