Grand Cayman – Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands (a British Overseas Territory), is known for the Stingray City sandbars in the North Sound, the USS Kittiwake wreck off Seven Mile Beach, easy shore dives at George Town and a wall running around the island. Marine parks were first created in 1986; a 2021 expansion brought them to roughly half of the coastal waters, with zones including marine reserve, wildlife interaction and no-diving overlays (Department of Environment). Touching or taking anything within the parks is prohibited.

Facts

• Best season: Year-round diving; hurricane season runs 1 Jun–30 Nov
• Water temperature: About 27–29 °C (81–85 °F); a 3 mm wetsuit is usually enough
• Marine parks: Rules and zone maps from the Department of Environment (+1 345 949 8469, DOE@gov.ky); 2021 regulations list marine reserve, wildlife interaction and no-diving zones
• Kittiwake fee: KYD 25 marine park fee through a licensed operator (usually included in the price)
• Prevailing wind: South sides are rarely dived because of the prevailing south-easterly wind

Season

• Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
• Acceptable: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
• Water temperature: 27–29 °C

Diving is possible year-round; hurricane season (1 Jun–30 Nov) can cost days of diving. Water is 27–29 °C. The month ranking is based on hurricane season only, not on a separate visibility source.

Dive sites (15)

George Town shore dives

• Amphitrite (The Mermaid) statue – 9–14 m, beginner
• Devil's Grotto – 6–15 m, beginner
• Eden Rock – 6–15 m, beginner
• LCM David Nicholson wreck (Sunset House) – 14–16 m, beginner

North Sound & North Side

• Babylon – 18–40 m, advanced
• Julie's Wall – 18–35 m, intermediate
• North Wall (outside the North Sound reef) – 18–40 m, advanced
• Sandbar (Stingray City Sandbar) – 1 m, beginner
• Stingray City – 3–5 m, beginner

Seven Mile Beach & West Bay

• Doc Poulson Wreck – 10–18 m, intermediate
• Ghost Mountain – 18–35 m, advanced
• Guardian of the Reef (Lighthouse Point) – 15–18 m, intermediate
• Orange Canyon – 18–40 m, advanced
• Oro Verde Wreck – 12–15 m, beginner
• USS Kittiwake – 15–20 m, intermediate

Operators (4)

• Ocean Frontiers – dive centre, East End, Grand Cayman (344C Austin Conolly Drive)
• Divetech – dive centre, Cobalt Coast, 18-A Sea Fan Drive, West Bay (shore dives at Cobalt Coast and Lighthouse Point)
• Red Sail Sports Cayman – dive centre, Seven Mile Beach and East End, Grand Cayman
• Sunset Divers (Sunset House) – resort, Sunset House, 390 South Church Street, George Town

Site positions are approximate, drawn from operator maps and published guides, and are for orientation only – never for navigation; where a position could not be verified this is marked. Marine park rules apply: touch and take nothing, no gloves, no fishing or spearfishing in the parks; check the Department of Environment's current regulations and zones.