Snorkeling from Paradise Cafe/Restaurant??

[CajunGroover]

On my last cruise, I was told of a place right off of the cruise terminal area called Paradise cafe. The lady told me that every time they are in Grand Cayman, they just walk over and snorkel from the restaurant. I did not get many details from her, so I was wondering if anyone else has been to this place, and if so, is the snorkeling good? What should we expect and plan for? Exactly how to we get to Paradise cafe from terminal? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[caribsun]

This info is from the "sticky" above your post.

 

Snorkel at Eden Rock Dive centre - to the right of the tender dock, within walking distance, a few hundred yards from the pier, its the second place you come to walking from the pier. ..about two blocks. 5 ships in port , it was not crowded at all...a good place to spend a couple of hours.... they do have a rental place, restaurant, bathrooms, picnic tables and a few loungers. There are steps going into the water we wore water shoes as they are slick... It's not a bad place to snorkel. It's not a good place for a beach though as most of it's rocky. The water is choppy too so this could be a bit intimdating if someone's a first timer. If you are going to Cozumel, Chanakaab would be a better option for snorkling and beach if you want both. One of the best diving sites for novices. The snorkeling is pretty good there. It is a fair swim to some of the nicer looking spots. I would not do it without a vest. Close in there is plenty of marine life to see though. When getting in the water I'd wear gloves or booties. There are LOTS of small sea urchens that have lots of spines. Nothing to scare you off, but something to be aware of. It was great lots of fish.... I would def. rent a vest so you fell more comfortable.....They rent them for $5.00. Nov 2006 We snorkeled at Eden Rock …had a fantastic time. The snorkeling was incredible. seas were very smooth, not much (if any) current, and the sun was out. Wow! I'm glad we choose to snorkel there as it was very convenient. We went to the Eden Rock dive center, rather than stopping at the Paradise restaurant - as Eden Rock seemed to have more space, had lockers available, and had a fresh water shower by the water. We rented fins there We have some cheap neoprene socks that help walking on rocky areas into the water a little, but have no sole, and also keep the full foot snorkeling fins from chafing our ankles & feet. The people at Eden Rock were very helpful and pointed out where the Eden Rock reef and the other different reefs were. We saw tons of fish, varied kinds, and some common ones (parrot fish and yellow snappers) that were larger than we've seen before. Also saw several large schools of fish. The people at the Eden Rock dive shop are very helpful and can inform you of what to be concerned about.Their are channel markers to keep boats out of the area. At some points the rocks are only a few feet below the surface. While there is good snorkeling all around the area, the actual Eden Rock reef was the best. It is a fair ways out, but not too far to snorkel out to, so you need to know where to go…. rent a locker …tey are all outside. We just left our towels and stuff sitting by a wall outside of the Eden Rock shop. Actually this time we rented fins from the shop and they kept our ship cards until we returned the fins.There were a few places to enter the water, we picked one that had a small beach and beach chairs. (Right next to a small bar/restaurant with a bathroom. Renting the chairs was not necessary as the area was not crowded but for $4 US you are guaranteed a chair. If you rent equipment, a beach chair is free. No charge to use the entrance. As soon as you put your face in the water there are fish everywhere. 4ft Tarpin to little Nemo and all his friends. If you venture away from the entrance, the water can get deep(45ft) but most of the area was 15-20ft. To top it off, shopping is right across the street. It is not like a nice beach area you snorkle off of. It is basically a town entry down a flight of steps into the water with the cruise ships as a backdrop. Eden Rock is just not a pretty place to snorkle, if you are thinking sandy beaches or a nice reef this is not it.

 

Some pics found online.......http://www.zydecocruiser.com/eden_rock.htm

[packedandready]

Paradise Restaurant and Eden Dive Shop are 2 different places. We've snorkeled Paradise several times and tried Eden in April.

 

Eden is definitely less crowded and the cost to rent equipment is a lot less. Paradise has the restaurant and a small "beach" area. Paradise seems to have more fish closer to shore, with Eden, you have to go further out.

 

When you get to the terminal, take a right. You will get to Paradise first, just keep walking and you'll find Eden.

 

I personally prefer Paradise, but DH likes Eden Rock. It'll be interesting to see where we end up our next cruise in april