Dive Operator Recommendation for Grand Cayman

Our ship, Celebrity Eclipse, will be calling on Grand Cayman in January. We are a family of 4 certified divers and I would like a recommendation for a dive operator that will accommodate our ship's schedule of 9am-5pm.

You could try the people at Eden Rock and see what they have to offer. I have snorkelled there a number of times but their core biz is scuba.

http://www.edenrockdive.com/

what kind of diving do you want to do?

You can easily do a DIY shore dive or two at EDEN ROCK or SUNSET HOUSE; both have good web sites, a fully equipped dive shop, easy entry/exit to the water and afford excellent diving (depending on conditions) to a max depth of around 60 feet

If you want to dive 'the wall' you need a boat trip, so either use the ship's excursion or DIY ... a search here will yield many recommendations and check the Cayman port section too. A typical 'wall' profile is first tank to max of 100 feet and a second shallower dive .... you are really expected to dive by computer here but in the old days it was 100 for 20 ... surface interval around 50 minutes and then 50 for 40 (if I remember correctly, I did not pull my log out)

Living The Dream Divers reply to my email:

"No sorry, our trips do not work with the cruise ship schedule whether they are private charters or regular."

Deep Blue Divers looks like they can accommodate us. Here is the reply I received from them:

"Thank you for your e mail, we can do a 10.30 dive for 4 x divers for you, this will get you back in plenty of time to the dock. "

When we were on the Eurodam last November, we dove (as a 'shore excursion') with Don Foster's. Good operation, picked us up and dropped us off at cruise pier, dove the Oro Verde and another site in perfect, clear water.

I would recommend taking your own equipment though....I got a sore throat 6 hrs after using their reg and it developed into a full blown respiratory infection. I'm not saying it was their reg but it was certainly a coincidence.

Otherwise, no complaints about their dive operation.

I used Divers Down, both when staying on the island for a week and also from cruise ships with the same port schedule as yours. They had absolutely no problem accommodating our cruise ship schedule. I loved diving with them and would definitely dive with them again. One other advantage is that they are very close to port. Just exit the port area, walk about 300 yards and you're there. They are right between Casanova's and Rackham's, so there is easy access to a good lunch if you are so inclined.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your dives! I can't wait to get back there. :D

I've used Cayman Turtle Divers a couple of times and liked them. They pick you up at the Dairy Queen by the cruise terminal and take you to their dive boat. They are very personable and are quick with e-mail responses. They let you dive your computer/tank and not some pre-defined time schedule.

The next time we are in Cayman we'll definitely book with them.

Deep Blue Divers operates out of the Lobster Pot Dive Center a very short trip from the port.

I would describe the Lobster Pot Dive Center as a collective of a few smaller operators which share retail, classroom, and office space. Also operating from that location are Wall to Wall Diving and Off the Wall.

Each of these three operators have small groups and are probably flexible enough to work with cruise schedules.

I would totally recommend Of the Wall Divers in Grand Cayman. Stopped there on a cruise in August. Tom, the owner, ran a top notch shop. Not only did he accomidate this (at the time) brand new diver; he also allowed my (at the time) non-diving husband to snorkel the same location. His boat was full, so he took us to one of the best shore dives in GC, Turtle Reef. Prior to my arrival, he even called me 3 times (in Alabama) to assist with the planning of this diving adventure.

I found out about this shop via this forum (old thread) and read reviews on Trip Advisor. Not only will you not be disappointed, I plan to use this shop when I return!

Wife and myself used Deep Blue Divers a couple years ago during our cruise. They were great and pretty close to our ships port. I would recommend them.

Our ship, Celebrity Eclipse, will be calling on Grand Cayman in January. We are a family of 4 certified divers and I would like a recommendation for a dive operator that will accommodate our ship's schedule of 9am-5pm.

I can give you a semi recommendation. I was going to seek a private dive in grand caymen last May. I was going to dive while my wife went with friends to the Stingray excursions. Those friends canceled the cruise so I picked the shore dive offered through Royal Caribbean. Don Foster's was the facility that ran that excursion. They offered a learn to scuba, a guides shore dive, through Royal, but I didn't know they offered a 2 tank boat dive through Carnival at the same time. (I would have went with the boat dive).

I was the only one on the shore dive. I found thier facility to be nice, the guide knowledgeable and the equipment in good working order. The shore dive, in my limited experience was a bleak almost dead reef. Interesting topography, but not much life. I talked to the boat dive people later and they had a great time. I would go back and use them for the boat dive.