Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ECO ALERT
:
Every year, members of CIWOA
organize and participate in reef and ocean floor
clean-up projects. The organization also works
to encourage young Caymanians to consider a
career in the dive industry by offering free PADI
certification courses and snorkeling lessons for
local schoolchildren and scout groups during
special programs. Call the CIWOA at
345-949-
8522 for more information.
Over 200 sites lure divers of all abilities, from beginners looking for shore
excursions and shallow reef dives to advanced divers seeking wreck and
cave explorations. You'll find professional assistance from dive operators
on each of the three islands. These include resort courses, where you can
sample diving after a one-day course; full certification courses, which will
award you a “C” card; and advanced courses to teach you the use of scuba
computers, the skills of drift diving, and even underwater photography.
Incredible visibility, measured at 100 to 150 feet, helps make these islands
such spectacular dive destinations. With year-round water temperatures
of 77
, visitors can dive comfortably and enjoy an underwater play-
ground that's filled with marine life.
Grand Cayman
offers approximately 130 dive spots, many less than half
a mile from shore. The island is surrounded by approximately 60 miles of
drop-offs. One of the most popular shallow dive sites is
Stingray City
on
the North Sound. This 12-foot dive is memorable for presence of many
southern Atlantic stingrays that divers and snorkelers can feed by hand.
Cayman Brac
also offers drop-offs as well as coral gardens and caves.
Little Cayman
is especially noted for
Bloody Bay Wall
, a drop-off that
begins at just 18 feet below the surface and plunges to over 1,000 feet. Visi-
bility here often ranges to 200 feet.
°
to 83
°
