compiled tips - snorkeling

While researching my last cruise, I compiled these tips on snorkeling from the boards. Thought they would be helpful for others.

Rum Point

Rum Point and Cayman Kai has EXCELLENT off beach snorkeling. Just walk right in and swim only a few yards out and your off on a beautiful adventure. We found more Conch shells and large sea shells in this area than anywhere else in the world. There are the "romantic" rock outcroppings that seclude some small beaches just like you see in the movies, you know in those "love making on the beach" scenes. There are(were) many little native shops selling local crafts and coral jewelery in this area as well. You can head up the other direction as well and go to Hell where the land scape is more like a Moonscape and you can visit the "Hell" postoffice and souviner shop.

It's about 45 minutes from the cruise ports to Rum Point/Cayman Kai. That would be an excellent way to spend your day...and really get to see part of Grand Caymen that most cruiseship passengers don't get to see. Good stopping points would be Smith's Cove. The Blow Holes...with a guy across the street from them selling coconuts. He cuts them open and gives you the mile in a cup. And then he carves out the cocnut meat, sprinkles it with brown sugar and sends you on your way. If you like to snorkel, there is great snorkeling around Morritts Tortuga Club's pier/dock. Lastly, you are at Rum Point...and it is really, REALLY nice. There's a great outdoor restraunt, and very good shallow snorkeling.

Eden Rock

To minimize costs and not having to deal with excursions you could go snorkeling by the Port, Eden Rock is really nice, we have all enjoyed it very much. If you go to Paradise they have great snorkeling and a bar! You can then take a taxi to Royal Palms for $3.00usd each way and go to the beach bar

(Eden Rock is not a beach area, they have convenient swim steps leading from the ironshore into the sea).

Went snorkeling at Eden Rock, which he said, was some of the best fish he's ever seen. I did some shopping while he was there. Right in town by the ship. Great place, even without the beach to snorkel.

Cemetary Beach:

a note about cemetary reef, I did think it offered awesome snorkeling, BUT, it was so shallow that i felt in most of the areas that the coral was actually touching my stomach. Because of this, I didn't like it, I like at least 5 ft. of water to snorkel in.

If you want to snorkel off the beach, the best places on Grand Cayman are Cemetary Reef about 15 minutes drive from the Cruise Ship Terminal.

No, there is no place for food or refreshments at Cemetary Reef. (one of the things that makes it so nice. It's never very crowded due to lack of ammenities.)

There is a small grocery store about a 10 minute walk from cemetary reef called Fosters Food Fair, ideal for refreshments. You can catch the bus back to George Town from Cemetary Reef. Mon - Sat they are great and run every 15 minutes or so. They charge US$2.50 per person.

There is a small grocery store about a 10 minute walk from cemetary reef called Fosters Food Fair, ideal for refreshments. You can catch the bus back to George Town from Cemetary Reef. Mon - Sat they are great and run every 15 minutes or so. They charge US$2.50 per person.

The public transportation is much cheaper than a taxi, and very accessable. Cemetary beach is a great place to go if you want a nice quiet beach. The snorkeling is wonderful and there are trees if you get too hot in the sun.

Cemetery Beach is located about 3-4 miles north of the cruise ship terminals... a bit too far to walk . You can grab a bus at the library... much cheaper than a cab. Just ask anyone where the library is once you get off the tender. The buses are parked and waiting right next door... a short 5 minute walk from the dock. $2.50 US per person rather than $5 US or more for a cab.

For more info: http://caymanislandsdiscounts.com/OffshoreSnorkeling.htm

Thanks for posting the info. My wife and I have been to GC several times, but have never been to Rum Point. Sounds like this may be where we go when we visit again the end of this month(11/28).

happy1:

Are you a snorkeling veteran at Grand Cayman? My wife and I are trying to decide whether to book a snorkeling/stingray city tour or just snorkel from shore. We don't own full equipment (no fins or vests) but the cost differential between the two options could be substantial, especially if our daughters decide they want to snorkel. It could be the cost of a taxi ride to a good shore snorkeling venue (about $40) vs. the cost of a tour for two to four people ($60 to $120). I was just wondering if a comparable snorkeling adventure can be had from shore vs. what you experience on a tour?

Hi - Read your posts and I have collected others on great places to snorkel in Grand Cayman, but I have a question. My husband and I would be going together and would want to snorkel at the same time. What do you do with your "stuff"? I don't think we'd feel comfortable just leaving it unattended. What have some of you done???

On our first trip to Grand Caymen we took a tour w/ Captain Marvin's to Stingray City. Had a great time & they provided all equipment etc.

We haven't done other snorkeling trips in the Caymans (which is why I started collecting info) but have done it in Cozumel. I agree about not leaving any valuables on shore. We've always headed out to snorkel with just our gear, swimsuits, and ship cards so the only thing left on shore was our clothes & shoes. My husband has a zippered pocket in his swimtrunks for our ship cards.

From what I've read, we plan to head to the Eden Rock area to snorkel, then return to the ship for lunch before heading to 7 mile beach for swimming/relaxing, and into town for shopping.

Having your own equipment can save you lots of money as you can often purchase it at Costco for the price of just one rental.

What about Sea Grape Beach? I heard that was a great place to snorkel and had amenities. Just curious if anyone had been there, and what all it had, and what they liked/disliked about it.

happy1:

In your post, in the Cemetery Beach section, you talk about Cemetery Reef being too shallow in the first paragraph. Then in the next paragraph you mention the best place to snorkel is at Cemetery Reef. Did you mean to write Cemetery Beach in the first paragraph, as the place that is too shallow?

Great info, thanks. :)

The compiled tips were not my actual experiences. They were snorkeling tips I'd pulled from posters on this board to prepare for my actual trip. Like everything opinions vary, so I've read both good & bad about the snorkeling at Cemetary Beach. Everything seems to vary based upon weather conditions (and the hurricane has made things a bit different than usual). Sorry I can't be of more help with this.

This is for Sandy..... I agree, don't take too much stuff with you. However, we always take a snorkling excursion from the ship & I have never seen anyone go into someone else's bag, but you don't want to take that chance. We bring our ship's cards & just a little cash with us. I'd say $20 to $40 max. In Grand Cayman, we snorkled with the string rays & they take the family's picture with a giant string ray. If you wanted the picture, it was $10 for a computer floppy disc containing the picture, so you do need some cash. And depending on the excursion, some include free drinks & snacks & some don't. Read the description. You would hate it if you wanted a soda & had no cash. Do bring your sun tan lotion, sunglasses, towel, & I would recommend an underwater camera. You can get them very inexpensively. Buy at home rather than on the ship.

Have fun!

Does anyone know if there is snorkeling at Sea Grape beach?

Is Cemetery Beach close enough to walk to any of the hotels for services once you finish snorkeling?

I would also like to know if anyone has any info on Sea Grape beach and also what the cost of a cab would be to Run Point. Are you better renting a car if you want to stop at a few of the reefs to snorkel?

We were at Sea Grape last Saturday and it was beautiful! Lots of water sports available for rent. Also services there - bar, food (VERY expensive, but good, food), restrooms. No snorkeling here that we could see.

We snorkeled at Cemetery Beach before going to Sea Grape. It was great snorkeling there! However there are no services at Cemetery Beach.

What do you know about Smith Cove for snorkling?

cruiselovin- Are there still trees for shade at Cemetary Beach, or did the hurricane destroy all of them?

We were told many of the trees were destroyed. But the beach was not at all crowded when we were there and we found a nice place on the beach under the shade of a tree with no problem at all! My family of 4 had plenty of room, not at all crowded, and all in the shade. We ate lunch and then snorkeled.

Is Cemetary beach and cemetary reef the same place?

We are renting a car and plan on hitting a few beaches. We have small children, so definitely need the beach access for snorkeling.

Thanks for the help!

Is Cemetary beach and cemetary reef the same place?

 

We are renting a car and plan on hitting a few beaches. We have small children, so definitely need the beach access for snorkeling.

 

Thanks for the help!

Yes, Cemetery Reef and Cemetery Beach are the same place. Just park by the cemetery almost at the end of 7 Mile Beach. It is on your left as you approach it from the cruise ship dock. You will see the sign for beach access to walk to the beach.

The Reef is about 200 yards from the beach where we saw the stingray and the coral and many beautiflly colored fish. There were some fish closer to the shore, but they were mostly 100 yards or more out too. There were some smaller fish closer to the beach that small children would like seeing. Take along food for the fish, but I would recommend having an adult feed them, not the kids, as it may scare the children. If the fish come in closer to the beach like they did further out, they were all around us when we were feeding them! We used canned cheese. There is an IGA grocery store about 2 blocks further along 7 Mile Beach where we bought the cheese, sandwiches for lunch, water, etc.

It is a very beautiful beach. There are no services or restrooms at Cemetery Beach.

Cruislovin,

Thanks for the tips. Also looked it up on line and looks like a really nice area for us to take the kids to.

Did you snorkel anywhere else? The Wreck of the Cali seemed good too, but I was wondering if it is still in the same condition after the hurricane.

From what I've read here, Smith Cove also seems to be highly recommended.

Cruislovin,

 

Thanks for the tips. Also looked it up on line and looks like a really nice area for us to take the kids to.

 

Did you snorkel anywhere else? The Wreck of the Cali seemed good too, but I was wondering if it is still in the same condition after the hurricane.

 

From what I've read here, Smith Cove also seems to be highly recommended.

This year we only snorkled at Cemetery Beach. Last year we snorkeled off a boat (trip with Captain Marvin) at the Barrier Reef and one other location. They were both very nice as well, but not accessible from the beach. We also enjoyed Stingray City on that snorkeling excursion.

Just bumping up this very useful thread for others. :)

Hello All - my hubby and I were just in Grand Cayman in June and going back in October. We also like to snorkel on our own. This past June we visited Cemetery Beach (great place to snorkel) and then headed back to the cruise ship area to snorkel the Wreck of the Cali and Eden Rock. Next month we are planning to visit again the same spots and may also try to snorkel Cheeseburger Reef (also by the cruise dock). Let me know if I can help or if you have any questions. When I was doing research for our last trip there I found this site/map to be helpful and they also have a forum if you go to the main page:

Dive Sites Map: http://www.*******************.com/DiveSites.htm

Main Website: http://www.*******************.com

If link doesn't work try "Cayman Activity guide.com"

Jesse could you give us some more info on the Cali wreck? ... was it all broken up into pieces, a bunch of junk, or did it resemble a ship? Was there a surface platform anchored at the site for resting? Did you swim out from shore? Thx,

-Bob

happy1:

Are you a snorkeling veteran at Grand Cayman? My wife and I are trying to decide whether to book a snorkeling/stingray city tour or just snorkel from shore. We don't own full equipment (no fins or vests) but the cost differential between the two options could be substantial, especially if our daughters decide they want to snorkel. It could be the cost of a taxi ride to a good shore snorkeling venue (about $40) vs. the cost of a tour for two to four people ($60 to $120). I was just wondering if a comparable snorkeling adventure can be had from shore vs. what you experience on a tour?

I think you would be disappointed if you didn't go on an excursion to Stingray City. It is one of the top things I have done in my life! A previous poster said they say stingrays at other places, but there are soooooooo many at Stingray City. We took a private excursion and got to snorkel at 2 other places, too, where we even got to see a Moray eel. The girls would have an awesome time! Save your pennies and do it! You won't be disappointed.

Jesse could you give us some more info on the Cali wreck? ... was it all broken up into pieces, a bunch of junk, or did it resemble a ship? Was there a surface platform anchored at the site for resting? Did you swim out from shore? Thx,

-Bob

Hi Bob - The pieces did resemble a ship. Wreck is about 30 yards offshore. We did swim out there from shore - right behind Rackums Pub. There is no platform for resting. It's a little bit of a swim out there but once you get out there you can just float on the surface and look around. Here are some pics from our trip in June and you will see some we took at Cali. The weather was not that great when we were there so they are probably not as bright and clear as they could have been. Let me me know if you have any other questions....

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2125298192&code=18123641&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite