Grand Cayman - dove with Dive Tech, stayed at Cobalt Coast
**The Dive Op
**We decided to return to Dive Tech, not only because they certified us, but because we liked the idea of a combination of morning boat dives and unlimited shore diving available from their two locations. We dove on their larger boat, the Atatude, which could hold up to 22 divers, but was never full - usually about 13 divers. Lots of room on the boat.
Their standard limitations for diving - 130 feet max depth, 60 minutes from surface to surface, 5 minute (not 3 minute) safety stop at 15 feet, dive with a buddy, everyone must dive with a computer, and never have less than 5 minutes of No Deco time on your computer. If you don't have a computer, they will lend you one for no charge.
Each day there was a mix of staff as captain, divemaster, and shop help. All seemed friendly and knowledgeable. Typically morning routine for those staying at Cobalt Coast was meet up at 7:45am, put gear in a truck, get in assigned van, drive to boat dock, carry gear to boat, and start gearing up. This isn't "valet diving". You carry your gear and set up your own tanks. Dive sites were often just a few minutes away.
They are clearly set up for technical divers, rebreathers, and free divers. But most of the people there during our stay were recreational divers, although most used Nitrox. One family that didn't use Nitrox decided to get the training, so that they could enjoy the long bottom times like everyone else. We watched some folks training for free diving - very cool to watch below (as I enjoyed my deep breaths!). Also a few people with rebreathers.
The Hotel
We stayed at the Cobalt Coast dive resort right next to Dive Tech. Good package deal combining room, breakfast, two tank morning boat dives, and unlimited shore dives. We were only there for four nights, so opted for one of the smaller hotel-style rooms. I was pleasantly surprised. Plenty of space in the room, lots of storage, refrigerator, and roomy bathroom. We were also only a few steps away from Dive Tech in one direction, and food/bar in the other direction.
Unlimited Internet access is available at no additional charge. It's wireless and is available around the bar and pool. Our room was very close, so if we put the computer near the window, we could access the Internet from our room. I used Skype to call home every day, so this was convenient.
The Restaurants
We ate at Cobalt Coast for many of our meals, although we didn't get the meal plan. Breakfast was very good and convenient before diving. Lunch was also good - but expensive. It was $8.50 CI for most sandwiches - about $10.63 in US dollars. Yikes. But it was convenient! If you are going to eat there, the meal plan for $55 per day would be worth it.
We went to Pappagallo's for dinner one night. It's only a short drive from Cobalt Coast. Very pleasant setting and good food. Also expensive.
Just plan on spending lots of money for food...
The Dives
Here are some notes from my dive log:
5/26 - Cobalt Coast shore dive; in at 4:18pm for 49 minutes; max depth of 73 feet
We flew to Grand Cayman from Virginia in the morning and arrived at the dive resort in time to do our first shore dive. Can't beat that! Goal of dive was to check out all equipment and just "get wet". It's quite a swim out to the reefs. I saw a young turtle within a few minutes of reaching the reefs. I noticed several fish swimming straight up - the start of the breeding behavior. I watched one male Yellowhead Wrasse breed with several females. Other fish were doing the same. I guess it was that time of the day.
5/27 - Grand Sand Chute; in at 8:36am for 46 minutes; max depth of 99 feet
Very cool geography. Steep canyon walls with very wide (maybe 50 feet?) and steep sand chute. It looked like you could go downhill skiing on the chute! Lots of very nice swimthroughs. Zillions of garden eels - they looked dark green, but I'm guessing that they were Brown Garden Eels. Also saw a medium sized Southern Stingray with a fish cruising about it. Saw a tight group of Horse Eyed Jacks patrolling together in a circle under a ledge.
5/27 - Round Rock Canyon; in at 10:14am for 55 minutes; max depth of 72 feet
More swimthroughs and canyons. Yeah! Saw beautiful anemone with purple tips and one with green tips. Saw a Midnight Parrotfish that must have been 2.5 feet long - cruising through a narrow passageway. Absolutely no current on safety stop.
5/27 - Turtle Reef shore dive; in at 3:39pm for 58 minutes; max depth of 61 feet
Long afternoon nap left us foggy as we prepared for our dive. Not surprising that we had a few problems with gear at start of dive. Fortunately we were in a protected cove in 5 feet of water. Soon everything was straightened out, and we were ready to enjoy the site. This was the site we did our initial check out dives in 2002. I remembered some aspects of it, but not all. Saw school of large tarpons - in same spot as in 2002! Saw two Sergeant Majors guarding eggs in the sand. One was trying to attract a mate for more eggs by swimming vertically. Nearby I saw a group of 20-40 Sergeant Majors engaging in similar mating behaviors. We watched people in training for free diving down to 60 feet. Yikes!
5/28 - Eagle's Nest; in at 8:49am for 57 minutes; max depth of 98 feet
There are several plaques on this dive site from people who were cremated and had their ashes buried here. I was only near 100 feet for about 4 minutes. Average depth was 55 feet.
5/28 - Wreck of the Doc Poulson; in at 10:46am for 62 minutes; max depth of 71 feet
Lots of other boats waiting for this site. Very nice wreck - lots of nooks and crannys to explore, but also not so big that it was overwhelming. Large groupers and snappers hanging out under the bow. Good growth of corals, gorgonians, and sponges has started, but I expect it will be a lot better in a few years. It was intentionally sunk in 1990. One of the divemasters put a pocket mirror in the sand near a blenny. We watched it trying to attack its reflection. How funny to watch!
5/28 - Turtle Reef shore dive; in at 4:34pm for 58 minutes; max depth of 69 feet
I hit 100 hours of bottom time during this dive. Picture taken near the spot where our open water certification dives were completed. Slight current, so dove into the current for first part of dive. Lots of cool critters at bottom of mini wall, but sand was blowing a lot, so pictures suffered. More breeding behavior - happens every afternoon. As we were about to surface in the protected cove, I was surprise to spot a Peacock Flounder. They say that there is an octopus that also lives in the cove, but I wasn't fortunately enough to spot him.
5/28 - Turtle Reef shore dive; in at 7:04pm for 45 minutes; max depth of 69 feet
As we were heading out, two divers warned us that there was some current. Wow - were they right! The current was so strong in the sand flats that I tried pulling myself along in the sand. We made it to a marker buoy and rested for a few minutes. Then on to the mini-wall. Once we got down past the edge of the wall, the current lightened up a lot. Saw a Spotted Moray Eel hunting. He snapped at a grunt, but didn't get him. Also saw a very thick Green Moray Eel - maybe 9 to 12 inches in diameter. Fortunately the current had died out while we were out and we returned uneventfully.
5/29 - Valley of the Turtles; in at 8:52am for 43 minutes; max depth of 89 feet
As the dive site name promises, we saw several turtles -Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles, each about 18 inches in diameter. I saw a Tiger Grouper with several cleaning gobies and shrimp on him. I tried to take a picture, but he took off with an annoyed look. So much for his spa time! Dive didn't seem too deep, but people on air were really limited by No Deco Time. I had forgotten how nice Nitrox is.
5/29 - Leslie's Curl; in at 10:42am for 46 minutes; max depth of 82 feet
I really wanted to dive the North Wall, so they took us over there - 45 minute ride with 3 to 5 foot waves. Not sure that everyone was happy with this decision. Things settled down to 1 to 3 foot near the dive site. But after the dive everyone talked about how great it was. I've done many other walls, but nothing can compare to the North Wall. My favorite thing to do is go out over the wall, spread my arms and feel like I'm floating in space. When I wasn't gazing into the abyss, I did check out all of the life on the wall. I was surprised to see a Juvenile Spotted Drum out in the open - swimming in circles on a ledge. After taking several pictures, it was still out so I showed it to a few other divers. Usually they dart away so quickly! Trip back to the dock was much shorter as we went to Morgan's Bay where the folks from Dive Tech were waiting to take us back to Cobalt Coast.
5/29 - Cobalt Coast shore dive; in at 1:24pm for 47 minutes; max depth of 75 feet
Our last dive of the trip... Rainy and surgey when we went in. Was thinking that we should have skipped this "final dive". Then I saw a huge barracuda - 3 to 4 feet long. I was trying to take a picture when I realized that I was only about 1.5 feet away. Oops! He cruised calmly by me. We had drifted quite a bit due to the surge going it, so it took about 11 minutes for us to get to the reef. Finally got to the reef and within a few minutes, Jim (my husband and buddy) pointed out a Spotted Eagle Ray, cruising gently along. It was right in front of me, so I tried to swim faster than it, to get ahead of it, but no such luck. At this point, I was certainly glad that we had made this final dive!
Bottom temps were 82 degrees for almost every dive.
**Final Thoughts
**We weren't sure that it was worth going to Grand Cayman for such a short trip - just four nights. Staying at Cobalt Coast and diving with Dive Tech allowed us to get into a relaxing and fun routine very quickly. I was very glad that we went!
**The Dive Op
**We decided to return to Dive Tech, not only because they certified us, but because we liked the idea of a combination of morning boat dives and unlimited shore diving available from their two locations. We dove on their larger boat, the Atatude, which could hold up to 22 divers, but was never full - usually about 13 divers. Lots of room on the boat.
Their standard limitations for diving - 130 feet max depth, 60 minutes from surface to surface, 5 minute (not 3 minute) safety stop at 15 feet, dive with a buddy, everyone must dive with a computer, and never have less than 5 minutes of No Deco time on your computer. If you don't have a computer, they will lend you one for no charge.
Each day there was a mix of staff as captain, divemaster, and shop help. All seemed friendly and knowledgeable. Typically morning routine for those staying at Cobalt Coast was meet up at 7:45am, put gear in a truck, get in assigned van, drive to boat dock, carry gear to boat, and start gearing up. This isn't "valet diving". You carry your gear and set up your own tanks. Dive sites were often just a few minutes away.
They are clearly set up for technical divers, rebreathers, and free divers. But most of the people there during our stay were recreational divers, although most used Nitrox. One family that didn't use Nitrox decided to get the training, so that they could enjoy the long bottom times like everyone else. We watched some folks training for free diving - very cool to watch below (as I enjoyed my deep breaths!). Also a few people with rebreathers.
The Hotel
We stayed at the Cobalt Coast dive resort right next to Dive Tech. Good package deal combining room, breakfast, two tank morning boat dives, and unlimited shore dives. We were only there for four nights, so opted for one of the smaller hotel-style rooms. I was pleasantly surprised. Plenty of space in the room, lots of storage, refrigerator, and roomy bathroom. We were also only a few steps away from Dive Tech in one direction, and food/bar in the other direction.
Unlimited Internet access is available at no additional charge. It's wireless and is available around the bar and pool. Our room was very close, so if we put the computer near the window, we could access the Internet from our room. I used Skype to call home every day, so this was convenient.
The Restaurants
We ate at Cobalt Coast for many of our meals, although we didn't get the meal plan. Breakfast was very good and convenient before diving. Lunch was also good - but expensive. It was $8.50 CI for most sandwiches - about $10.63 in US dollars. Yikes. But it was convenient! If you are going to eat there, the meal plan for $55 per day would be worth it.
We went to Pappagallo's for dinner one night. It's only a short drive from Cobalt Coast. Very pleasant setting and good food. Also expensive.
Just plan on spending lots of money for food...
The Dives
Here are some notes from my dive log:
5/26 - Cobalt Coast shore dive; in at 4:18pm for 49 minutes; max depth of 73 feet
We flew to Grand Cayman from Virginia in the morning and arrived at the dive resort in time to do our first shore dive. Can't beat that! Goal of dive was to check out all equipment and just "get wet". It's quite a swim out to the reefs. I saw a young turtle within a few minutes of reaching the reefs. I noticed several fish swimming straight up - the start of the breeding behavior. I watched one male Yellowhead Wrasse breed with several females. Other fish were doing the same. I guess it was that time of the day.
5/27 - Grand Sand Chute; in at 8:36am for 46 minutes; max depth of 99 feet
Very cool geography. Steep canyon walls with very wide (maybe 50 feet?) and steep sand chute. It looked like you could go downhill skiing on the chute! Lots of very nice swimthroughs. Zillions of garden eels - they looked dark green, but I'm guessing that they were Brown Garden Eels. Also saw a medium sized Southern Stingray with a fish cruising about it. Saw a tight group of Horse Eyed Jacks patrolling together in a circle under a ledge.
5/27 - Round Rock Canyon; in at 10:14am for 55 minutes; max depth of 72 feet
More swimthroughs and canyons. Yeah! Saw beautiful anemone with purple tips and one with green tips. Saw a Midnight Parrotfish that must have been 2.5 feet long - cruising through a narrow passageway. Absolutely no current on safety stop.
5/27 - Turtle Reef shore dive; in at 3:39pm for 58 minutes; max depth of 61 feet
Long afternoon nap left us foggy as we prepared for our dive. Not surprising that we had a few problems with gear at start of dive. Fortunately we were in a protected cove in 5 feet of water. Soon everything was straightened out, and we were ready to enjoy the site. This was the site we did our initial check out dives in 2002. I remembered some aspects of it, but not all. Saw school of large tarpons - in same spot as in 2002! Saw two Sergeant Majors guarding eggs in the sand. One was trying to attract a mate for more eggs by swimming vertically. Nearby I saw a group of 20-40 Sergeant Majors engaging in similar mating behaviors. We watched people in training for free diving down to 60 feet. Yikes!
5/28 - Eagle's Nest; in at 8:49am for 57 minutes; max depth of 98 feet
There are several plaques on this dive site from people who were cremated and had their ashes buried here. I was only near 100 feet for about 4 minutes. Average depth was 55 feet.
5/28 - Wreck of the Doc Poulson; in at 10:46am for 62 minutes; max depth of 71 feet
Lots of other boats waiting for this site. Very nice wreck - lots of nooks and crannys to explore, but also not so big that it was overwhelming. Large groupers and snappers hanging out under the bow. Good growth of corals, gorgonians, and sponges has started, but I expect it will be a lot better in a few years. It was intentionally sunk in 1990. One of the divemasters put a pocket mirror in the sand near a blenny. We watched it trying to attack its reflection. How funny to watch!
5/28 - Turtle Reef shore dive; in at 4:34pm for 58 minutes; max depth of 69 feet
I hit 100 hours of bottom time during this dive. Picture taken near the spot where our open water certification dives were completed. Slight current, so dove into the current for first part of dive. Lots of cool critters at bottom of mini wall, but sand was blowing a lot, so pictures suffered. More breeding behavior - happens every afternoon. As we were about to surface in the protected cove, I was surprise to spot a Peacock Flounder. They say that there is an octopus that also lives in the cove, but I wasn't fortunately enough to spot him.
5/28 - Turtle Reef shore dive; in at 7:04pm for 45 minutes; max depth of 69 feet
As we were heading out, two divers warned us that there was some current. Wow - were they right! The current was so strong in the sand flats that I tried pulling myself along in the sand. We made it to a marker buoy and rested for a few minutes. Then on to the mini-wall. Once we got down past the edge of the wall, the current lightened up a lot. Saw a Spotted Moray Eel hunting. He snapped at a grunt, but didn't get him. Also saw a very thick Green Moray Eel - maybe 9 to 12 inches in diameter. Fortunately the current had died out while we were out and we returned uneventfully.
5/29 - Valley of the Turtles; in at 8:52am for 43 minutes; max depth of 89 feet
As the dive site name promises, we saw several turtles -Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles, each about 18 inches in diameter. I saw a Tiger Grouper with several cleaning gobies and shrimp on him. I tried to take a picture, but he took off with an annoyed look. So much for his spa time! Dive didn't seem too deep, but people on air were really limited by No Deco Time. I had forgotten how nice Nitrox is.
5/29 - Leslie's Curl; in at 10:42am for 46 minutes; max depth of 82 feet
I really wanted to dive the North Wall, so they took us over there - 45 minute ride with 3 to 5 foot waves. Not sure that everyone was happy with this decision. Things settled down to 1 to 3 foot near the dive site. But after the dive everyone talked about how great it was. I've done many other walls, but nothing can compare to the North Wall. My favorite thing to do is go out over the wall, spread my arms and feel like I'm floating in space. When I wasn't gazing into the abyss, I did check out all of the life on the wall. I was surprised to see a Juvenile Spotted Drum out in the open - swimming in circles on a ledge. After taking several pictures, it was still out so I showed it to a few other divers. Usually they dart away so quickly! Trip back to the dock was much shorter as we went to Morgan's Bay where the folks from Dive Tech were waiting to take us back to Cobalt Coast.
5/29 - Cobalt Coast shore dive; in at 1:24pm for 47 minutes; max depth of 75 feet
Our last dive of the trip... Rainy and surgey when we went in. Was thinking that we should have skipped this "final dive". Then I saw a huge barracuda - 3 to 4 feet long. I was trying to take a picture when I realized that I was only about 1.5 feet away. Oops! He cruised calmly by me. We had drifted quite a bit due to the surge going it, so it took about 11 minutes for us to get to the reef. Finally got to the reef and within a few minutes, Jim (my husband and buddy) pointed out a Spotted Eagle Ray, cruising gently along. It was right in front of me, so I tried to swim faster than it, to get ahead of it, but no such luck. At this point, I was certainly glad that we had made this final dive!
Bottom temps were 82 degrees for almost every dive.
**Final Thoughts
**We weren't sure that it was worth going to Grand Cayman for such a short trip - just four nights. Staying at Cobalt Coast and diving with Dive Tech allowed us to get into a relaxing and fun routine very quickly. I was very glad that we went!
