Scuba excursion from Freedom ship, Caymans

[FreedomToMove]

We will be on FOS, embarking August 30. One of the ports of call is Georgetown, Grand Cayman, at 8am. As I have never scuba dived in the Caymans, I wanted to find a good operator to go out with. Has anyone ever dived with the Caymans outfit which Royal Caribbean offers as an excursion? I was looking at another dive outfit, Ambassador Divers, which takes small groups departing at 8am; however, I don't know if I can get to their location on time. So, the RC excursion is the most convenient, as to location and schedule. I just have no idea as to their group sizes, quality of equipment, dive masters, sites, etc.

 

Any suggestions or comments would be very much appreciated!

[FreedomToMove]

OK, I'll reply to my own posting, to benefit future divers on FOS (Western Caribbean).

 

- SeaTrek, the onboard dive outfitter: equipment rental (good quality BC, great reg with decent dive computer, neoprene shorty thrown in, all bundled into a mesh backpack) - US$40/day or US$70/cruise. The bright green backpack will temporarily stain your white shirts. SeaTrek staff seem very competent - they accurately appraised my weight requirements for the local buoyancy.

- Resort Sports, the Caymans local dive outfit arranged through SeaTrek: good staff imported from various english speaking countries, including the USA.

- You don't need a wetsuit/neoprene outfit, unless you get chilled easily. On this cruise, you won't be diving enough.

- Deep (1st) dive was not memorable, but the shallow (2nd) dive was better. Saw a lionfish which the divemaster caught for removal. Boat had a roof. My tank had a worn looking O-ring, but was in working condition.

- Total trip time was about 4hrs - back on board FOS by 1:30pm. That does make me wonder why other local outfits have a longer trip - are they taking time to travel to better dive sites? Are they pulling a 3rd dive?

- SeaTrek will tell you they only sell dive t-shirts at Labadee, Haiti. That shirt has a SeaTrek logo over the heart, and a big dive flag and RCI splattered on the back. $10 each t-shirt. However, Resort Sports (Cayman) will sell you shirts at the end of their trip. The $15 t-shirt has a basic Resort Sports Caymans BWI logo on the front and back. The $20 polo shirt has the Resort Sports Caymans BWI and a dive flag logo over the heart. The dive polo is the better deal. There's also the non dive flag polo.

 

I think, if you are cruising on FOS and want to dive in the Caymans, then it's fine to arrange your equipment rental and dive trip through SeaTrek. However, I'm sure a dedicated dive vacation at a land based resort will provide an overall better dive experience than tripping from a cruise ship.