We went to Cayman Brac in March 2005 and stayed at Divi Tiara. The dive shop was really good--they let you know exactly which boat you were assigned to and when to be there. If you had any special requests as far as dive shops, they tried to accomodate. The dive sites were almost pristine, although Hurricane Ivan tried to mess things up in September 2004. Ivan did manage to take out the dive shop's pier but they rebuilt within a month.
The wind was rather strong the whole week we were there so we didn't get to dive the south side of the island at all. We did dive the north side and there was some excellent diving. We got over to Little Cayman to dive Bloody Bay Wall two mornings.
The water temperature was 78-79 degrees. Visibility was probably 80-100 feet most days, and the reef was very colorful, fish life fairly abundant, and varied. We saw a lot of little fish, but not a lot of big fish. Did see a couple of sharks, some turtles, and I got to see a Sailfin Blenny!
The people are fairly friendly, and the money is Cayman dollars. If you want to dive Nitrox, as we did, it is available. The dive crew was very good at their jobs, and helpful too.
Flying in from New Orleans, we went to Miami and then straight into Cayman Brac. Coming back was a different story. We left Cayman Brac, landed in Grand Cayman, went into one door and back out one beside it and then sat on the plane for over an hour making us late for our connections from Miami to New Orleans. It seemed as if not a lot of thought went into the way we were routed back, but I just may have not known the whole story!
The whole week was great--we went the all inclusive deal and the food was actually not bad at all, especially breakfast. There is not a whole lot to do besides dive--but since that was the reason we went, it really just didn't hurt my feelings. We were able to lay around and rest in the afternoons and even did a little shopping at one of the other hotel's boutiques. Our group did manage to paint a sign to hang on the tiki hut to commemorate the week, so that provided a little entertainment value. All in all, I would go back again--and in fact I am planning on going to the Cayman Islands on a liveaboard at Thanksgiving this year.
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