SCUBA Dive Travel – About Grand Cayman
The Cayman Islands occupy a part of the Caribbean just south of Cuba and are part of the British West Indies. One of the things in its favor is that it’s neither a remote nor a third world island. Power stays on 24 hours a day, grocery stores have the brands we’re used to, and you can get KFC or Subway for your picnic lunch. There are hospitals, malls, Costco and Wal-Mart.
Of course, you may not want all of those things and it’s great that, despite the fact that the island is so “civilized” and developed, there are still many places where you can get away to remote areas. But to go anywhere on the Grand Cayman pretty much requires a rental car and, since this is part of the British West Indies, driving on the “wrong” side of the road is a challenge. I never got used to it and was relegated to the back seat where I could flinch and squirm at oncoming traffic without disturbing the driver or other passengers too much.
Airfare to Grand Cayman is within the expected Caribbean fares, and flights leave regularly from Miami, the closest major US airport. Cayman Airways also flys out of Newark, NJ and some other hubs, so now matter where you’re flying from, it’s not too much trouble to find a schedule that will work for you.
An important thing to know, and one that I was surprised to learn, was how much things cost on the island – especially food. From fine restaurants down to roadside BBQ stands, (which you MUST try when you see as you're driving along) food costs a bundle. Outside of KFC or Subway, two people for lunch – burgers, fries and drinks – could easily run $30, and dinner was never under $50 per person, even for a plate of pasta.
We offset some of the meal costs by making a trip to the grocery store for breakfast foods and snacks, but even the trip to the store was costly. I never travel without peanut butter and jelly from home (A jar of each goes in each fin in my dive gear bag. Don’t laugh. I haven’t lost a jar yet.) and boy, was I glad to have it.
Souvenirs cost more. Tee shirts and hats cost more. Feeding your rental car was off the charts, with gas over $1.50 more per gallon than the most expensive fuel here in California.
But don’t let the expense deter you from experiencing all Grand Cayman has to offer. Grand Cayman was voted the 4th Top Dive Destination in SCUBA Diving magazine’s 2007 Reader’s Choice survey.
The Cayman Islands occupy a part of the Caribbean just south of Cuba and are part of the British West Indies. One of the things in its favor is that it’s neither a remote nor a third world island. Power stays on 24 hours a day, grocery stores have the brands we’re used to, and you can get KFC or Subway for your picnic lunch. There are hospitals, malls, Costco and Wal-Mart.
Of course, you may not want all of those things and it’s great that, despite the fact that the island is so “civilized” and developed, there are still many places where you can get away to remote areas. But to go anywhere on the Grand Cayman pretty much requires a rental car and, since this is part of the British West Indies, driving on the “wrong” side of the road is a challenge. I never got used to it and was relegated to the back seat where I could flinch and squirm at oncoming traffic without disturbing the driver or other passengers too much.
Airfare to Grand Cayman is within the expected Caribbean fares, and flights leave regularly from Miami, the closest major US airport. Cayman Airways also flys out of Newark, NJ and some other hubs, so now matter where you’re flying from, it’s not too much trouble to find a schedule that will work for you.
An important thing to know, and one that I was surprised to learn, was how much things cost on the island – especially food. From fine restaurants down to roadside BBQ stands, (which you MUST try when you see as you're driving along) food costs a bundle. Outside of KFC or Subway, two people for lunch – burgers, fries and drinks – could easily run $30, and dinner was never under $50 per person, even for a plate of pasta.
We offset some of the meal costs by making a trip to the grocery store for breakfast foods and snacks, but even the trip to the store was costly. I never travel without peanut butter and jelly from home (A jar of each goes in each fin in my dive gear bag. Don’t laugh. I haven’t lost a jar yet.) and boy, was I glad to have it.
Souvenirs cost more. Tee shirts and hats cost more. Feeding your rental car was off the charts, with gas over $1.50 more per gallon than the most expensive fuel here in California.
But don’t let the expense deter you from experiencing all Grand Cayman has to offer. Grand Cayman was voted the 4th Top Dive Destination in SCUBA Diving magazine’s 2007 Reader’s Choice survey.
The water is warm. The diving is abundant and varied, with some amazing locations. There is shore diving and boat diving, reefs, walls and huge swim throughs that are filled with shoals of silversides and darting blackjacks. You can sit on the bottom of the ocean and be enveloped by stingrays at the world famous Stingray City dive site, or you can hold baby green sea turtles at the turtle farm. You can even go to Hell if you want. Literally.
So come to Grand Cayman and sing along with the Barefoot Man “I need a couple of doses, of nitrogen narcosis…” For more Grand Cayman info click here
Next up? Where to stay.
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