Ellen Cuylaerts is an underwater photographer who lives on Grand Cayman. Here are her picks for the top 10 dive sites off Grand Cayman Island.

Devil’s Grotto

A shallow dive close to Georgetown with swim-throughs and crevices. When it’s crowded with tarpons and silversides in summer, it’s a memorable dive site.

Babylon

Deep dive around a pinnacle, Babylon features colorful ropes sponges and black coral everywhere. Conditions have to be excellent, which makes this North Wall dive a treat.

Ironshore Gardens

Ironshore Gardens, located in Frank Sound on Grand Cayman's East End, is a photographer's delight.

Doc Poulson

This anchor barge was sunk deliberately in March 1991 as an addition to the existing reef, which teems with all kind of hamlets. Macro life is blooming lately at the Doc — mission accomplished!

USS Kittiwake

The latest addition to Grand Cayman diving, sunk in January 2011 and lying on a white sandy bottom. Horse-eye jacks abound, and if you're lucky, some stingrays or an eagle ray may be in the vicinity.

Lighthouse Point

This is the second shore-diving location of Divetech, located close to Northwest Point. It’s an excellent place to spot a lot of macro life and have long shallow dives. Blennies are found everywhere, and for those who like bigger fish, head out to the mini wall.

Sunset House

Sunset House has its own excellent shore diving, highlighted by the wreck of the Nicholson and Amphitrite, a nine-foot-tall bronze mermaid. (Mermaids do exist!) And if you’re lucky, you’ll be in the water when Cathy Church is teaching underwater photography.

Kathleen’s Reef

Another North Wall site, Kathleen’s Reef begins in 20 feet of water and is 60 feet to the sand. If you explore a bit toward the wall, chances are you meet the guys in the gray suits, cruising along the sandy patches.

McCurley’s Wall

Very colorful North Wall dive with excellent visibility on calm, flat summer days. There is some coral damage from winter storms but still very pristine.

Cobalt Ridge (Cobalt Coast house reef)

Another macro heaven where you can find an abundance of fingerprint cyphoma, flamingo tongues and blennies, but if you’re lucky, you might also encounter a school of Caribbean reef squid, big barracudas, morays and more.

Bonus: Sandbar snorkel

If you don’t mind getting on a boat before sunrise, book the dawn stingray snorkel at Ocean Frontiers. You enter the water snorkeling with these beautiful creatures at dawn, when they are still foraging for food on the sandy bottom. You’ll witness their natural behavior and be awake by the time you get out of the water.