Category: Blog

There are two types of snorkeling activities on Grand Cayman and that is snorkeling by the shore or going snorkeling on a boat.

On a boat, your boat captain will be able to tell you the ideal snorkeling spots depending on the water current and time of year. They know all that information so this blog will only answer: What is the best shore snorkeling spot on Grand Cayman?

There are quite a few and it will depend on your swimming skills and comfort level in the water. For beginners I want to recommend Cemetery Beach along Seven Mile Beach. Right by the shore, probably in 4ft of water you will find a rock mound with cracks and crevices that have a myriad of fish. This is ideal for young kids just learning to swim.

For the more advanced snorkelers you may want to swim around 200 ft out on Cemetery Beach. Look for the yellow house (presupposing they haven’t changed the color of the house yet), this house is the first house on your right from Cemetery Beach facing the water. Follow that house in a straight swim out 200 feet and you will come across a huge boulder and right beside it is an artificial reed made of huge upside-down flower pots. Its pretty cool when you first see them. On this same spot we have seen turtles, eagle-rays and of course the ever present bermuda chubs and lots of other species of fish. We hope this blog was helpful in deciding where to go snorkeling on Seven Mile Beach, please contact us if you have any questions.

Cruise ship passengers only have about five hours on Grand Cayman from the time the ship docks to the time when it leaves so this is an apt question.

We have a lot of favorite things to do in Grand Cayman but if you only have 5 hours, this would be time well spent.

The first recommended thing to do in Grand Cayman is Stingray City — for some reason someone called it a “City” but beware, this isn’t a city for people — there are no restaurants, bars or shopping centers instead Stingray City is a Sandbar. It is located via a 30-minute boat ride from Grand Cayman. You can book tours directly from your cruise ship but please be aware that there are many Stingray City Tour Operators that are not listed on your Cruise Ship directory but offer equal value and are less crowded on their boats.

How much time is it going to take: About 2 to 3 hours depending on the number of stops your tour takes. Some tours offer additional stops for snorkelers.

Why its worth it?

Stingray City is the defining adventure in Grand Cayman and perhaps the Caribbean as you won’t experience this anywhere else in the world. Swimming with wild Stingrays is a once in a lifetime experience, except ,of course, if you lived in Cayman where it has become something of a regular trip. The Stingrays are wild, they are not in captivity, they are free to leave anytime they choose to but they have been domesticated and are gentle enough to be handled.

What is Stingray City like?

Initially its daunting because there are so many of them and in your mind Stingrays are wild animals. But good advice would be to listen to your boat captain, the instructions that they give and you should be fine. Remember the Stingrays are accustomed to being with people and taking food out from their hands. In Cayman they are likened to puppies because they are “trained” to come to you when you have a treat, in this case a squid.

In my own personal experience its better to come to the Stingray City Sandbar when the water is calm vs. when its too windy. When the day is windy its a little more difficult to keep your feet on the sand and thats something that you need to do so that you don’t accidentally step on one. When the water is calm your mind can focus on the experience vs. trying to keep both feet on the ground.

What to do with the remaining hours on Grand Cayman?

After Stingray City, you may have a couple more hours on your hands. We suggest going to Seven Mile Beach and more specifically Governor’s Beach for some sunbathing. Governor’s beach is right next to the Governor’s house and is not usually filled with other tourists. Its a wonderful place to relax. If you want to try local cuisine, we suggest looking for a restaurant that serves Conch Fritters. Done right, these fritters are delicious.

Remember because you need to ride a boat tender back to the ship you need to give yourself time to line up. The lines are usually long so the earlier you get back to the ship, the less time you have to line up.

We hope this blog was helpful in helping you decide what to do with your time in Grand Cayman. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman is not actually 7 miles long.  It’s only 5.5 miles and runs from Grandview Condos (a little before those properties) and goes all the way to West Bay Public Beach.

A first time visitor to Grand Cayman may think that all there is to Seven Mile are:  Governor’s Beach, Public Beach, Cemetery Beach and West Bay Beach but there is so much more to it than that.  Obviously those are the four public beaches but the entire front beach is actually public domain.  You will see trespassing signs on the beach when you overstep your bounds.  But not to worry, I’ve never actually seen a guard that will reprimand you for walking on their beach.

Not all the condos on Seven Mile Beach have a great location.  Personally I have favorites along the stretch.  I prefer the white sand vs. the rocky beach and so if you are like me, you want to rent condos along the center to the northeast of Seven Mile Beach.  Most of the condos / hotels in the beginner part of the beach don’t have the same great white expanse.

The rocky shoal at the beginning of Seven Mile Beach is ideal for vacationers who want to snorkel right off their beach.   Some of the better snorkeling on Seven Mile are at the beginning of it, the center and end are not as idyllic for snorkeling unless you are strong enough to swim at least 200 yards out.

Snorkeling Spots on Seven Mile Beach

On Governors Beach you need to swim out to the white buoy in the distance.  It is visible from the beach.  You need to be an intermediate swimmer to get out there as sometimes the water can be rough.  Make sure you bring your flippers and goggles for this trip!

On the Public Beach — there is no snorkeling to be had… its like a large swimming pool really.

Cemetery Beach — not everyone who comes here finds the reef and it can get tricky.  But I’ve discovered that if you swim straight from the Orange house on the beach, it will take you directly to the reef.  There is a welcoming committee of Bermuda Chubs (fishes who look like they are smiling at you).

First of all, we wanted to welcome 2015 with a bang and a new website design! After all doesn’t the most visible website deserve some attention? We thought so.

And so for 2015 we are also accepting smartly designed Adverts for special landing pages throughout the site. Need online visibility? We got you covered.

So for the none-business visitors and are specifically here for the weather and the beach, Welcome! You have made the right decision in choosing the Cayman Islands as your winter-vacation-land. If its your first time here, check out some of the activities we recommend.

1. Stingray City — the thought of swimming with real stingrays is scary at first but when you get here, it will seem as natural as it is breathtaking. If you manage to get a photo while kissing one, it is guaranteed to replace your Facebook profile photo for about a month, maybe more.
2. Scuba Diving — if you are going Scuba Diving, make sure you go with highly rated dive operator. Check out Tripadvisor.com for reviews and listen to your gut. Nothing can be as frustrating as going scuba diving in the best diving destination in the Caribbean (IMHO) and feeling like you could have gotten better service elsewhere. The North Wall is a personal favorite for Boat Dives and for Shore diving, I love, love, LOVE — Turtle Reef or whats commonly called Macabuca because of the bar in the same location. BTW Macabuca has some amazing food (jerk chicken) and their beers are always cold. Best drunk after the dive (not before!)
3. Kayaking from Kaibo to Starfish Point — so one of my favorite activities on island is renting a Kayak in Kaibo (Rum Point) and paddling it all the way to Starfish point. It is important to NOT do this on a weekend as so many party boats dock on Starfish point. Do this on a weekday — bring a picnic basket and have an awesome day!

If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll be sure to answer you right away.