Snorkeling question

[Maho.B]

Hi all, sorry if this is WAY off topic for this forum, in a week we are heading to the Grand Cayman islands. Much of our time will hopefully be spent snorkeling. As much as I love fish, I primarily want to go to reef areas with somewhat healthy coral reefs for a chance to get some coral viewing in. Does anyone have experience with snorkeling charters and areas to visit in the Caymans? Every search gets you the typical tourist places that take you to stingray bay, starfish point, etc. any experiences appreciated. Thanks.

 

[the#1alphafishguy]

I have never personally been snorkeling but I know people who have. They said that they saw a barracuda while snorkeling, so watch out for those. Good luck!

 

[Maho.B]

Ha! Appreciate the tip. We saw them once in awhile in St John actually, the first time was unnerving but it turns out they didn't care about us whatsoever. Thankfully!

 

[fltt]

Try Snuba diving. I liked it way better than snorkeling. I did it in Aruba last year. They float a tank on a raft above and give you a 20 foot airline, resperator, fins and mask with a weighted vest. Just like scuba with no gear and no certification needed.
Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Reefer Brent]

I did a week dive vacation In grand cayman. The reefs with the most life are pretty deep for snorkeling. The snorkel shops usually take you to dead coral wastelands or stingray city(which is pretty neat) I would try to contact local dive shops to see if there are any shallow-er reef dives you could tag along on. Or if they have any suggestions for reef snorkeling.

The hotel I stayed at gave us unlimited tanks to jump off the back concrete wall and swim out the some reef activity. Was still 20+ feet though if I can recall.

 

[Maho.B]

Excellent info and ideas. Thanks

 

[rhitee93]

I would second the SNUBA option. I did that in Hawaii last year and it was more fun than snorkeling. (Which I also love to do) You'll eat up an hour just getting used to it though, so you might look for a tour that gives you more than one tank of air.

 

[Maho.B]

I'll definitely look into snuba, we did that in St John and I liked it, but there were lots of shallower healthy coral reef areas there, sounding like maybe not so much in the Caymans. Snuba here we come!

 

[OrchidMiss]

@Stang67
@Slocke

 

[Slocke]

Unfortunately, there was a massive coral die-off two summers ago, so be aware that wherever you go, you will see a lot of dead coral. My tip is to find a good snorkeling charter or, if they have it, a protected area. Unprotected reefs near tourist areas are wrecked by people touching the corals and chemicals like sunscreen. Charters usually take you somewhere that is hard to get to otherwise.

If you are a strong swimmer, then you may consider free diving. This is like snorkeling but with weights to allow you to stay down more easily and see deeper reefs without SCUBA or SNUBA.

 

[jimk60]

As stated above I have never been to any great snorkeling spots in the Caymans. Mostly pull up to a mostly dead reef and throw out some food to attract some fish. But Stingray City is a blast! I would definitely check it out if you haven't been there.

 

[Stang67]

When I dove in GC we used Lobster Pot. But that was pre cv19. Is there a reason you cant do a try dive to see how you may or may not like diving?. I would recommend that more then the snuba option. Also please protect the reefs and use reef safe sunscreen whenever you partake in water fun. I recommend Stream2sea. Even better just wear a rashguard.

 

[Maho.B]

Thanks everyone, bummer about the coral die off. Much agreed on the proper sunscreen. We have found/booked a private boat to bring us to less known reef areas, will also be booking snuba as well. Should be fun! Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Reefer Brent]

Thanks everyone, bummer about the coral die off. Much agreed on the proper sunscreen. We have found/booked a private boat to bring us to less known reef areas, will also be booking snuba as well. Should be fun! Thanks for the suggestions.

If it's anything like it was when I went you will not be disappointed!