So I'm going to Little Cayman from Jan 20-27 with my LDS. It is sort of a 'graduation trip' for my Divemaster class since all but one of us are going on this trip.
We're staying at Little Cayman Beach Resort and I believe the plan is to get in 17 dives....
This will be my first trip to the Caymans and I know very little about the dive sites other than 'get ready for some great vis and incredible wall diving' on Little Cayman.
Can somebody give me some tips/pointers--dive sites, water temp this time of year? Should I pack a 3mm full suit or just a shorty?
CrackedConch, I see you've named yourself after one of my favorite restaurants! It's the one at the Turtle Farm Reef shore dive on Grand Cayman.
Anyway, to get back on topic:
I would expect water temps even a little warmer than those mentioned by iDiveChick. I measured 81 degrees at depth on Sunday, and the temps probably won't drop any more. Like a number of locals, I don't wear any exposure protection at all in these temperatures. YMMV, but a shorty should be fine unless you get chilled rather easily.
With any luck at all, viz should be 100 feet plus.
At this time of year, you may well get some windy days. Later in the year, you can pretty much count on calm weather.
Currents are mostly mild to non-existent. As you can see, it doesn't get much easier than this.
You will be diving (if the wind permits) on Little Cayman's famous Bloody Bay Wall. It's a sheer wall, starting in 30 to 50 feet of water and plunging straight down to, Oh, several thousand feet, anyway. Common sightings include Southern Stingrays (check out http://angelfishphotography.com ) Eagle Rays, Green Sea Turtles & Moray Eels, as well as the usual Caribbean suspects. You have a reasonable chance of a shark sighting. The wall is cut by a number of interesting swim throughs. The wall dives provide the dramatic scenery while the shallow dives on top provide more small marine life and better light for photography.
DiveChick: You have no need to envy me...You're invited!!
Alex: Thanks for the info. I'll just bring my shorty, which makes packing very easy! Although CrackedConch might be a restaurant too, it means something else for me... I live and work in South Carolina, but my family is in South Florida and the Keys, so I spend a lot of time in the Keys. The Keys are known the Conch Republic and residents call themselves 'Conchs'. Cracked is because maybe I'm a little crazy and incidentally Cracked Conch with Mango Salsa is also one of my favorite ways of eating Conch...
Little Cayman
It is sort of a 'graduation trip' for my Divemaster class since all but one of us are going on this trip.
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