Grand Cayman is divided into the touristy side of the island (West End) and the quiet side of the Island (East End). We opted to stay on the island's East end at the Wyndham Reef Resort (https://wyndhamcayman.com) and take advantage of the all-inclusive package. The resort was immaculate and well-maintained, with good food and friendly staff. The beach is lovely, with a dock and a set of stairs for snorkeling right off the beach, but more later. #wyndhamcayman #cayman
Wyndham Reef Resort at Sunrise
Having selected the island's east end, we opted to rent a car to explore the island. They drive on the left side of the road here, and there are mostly traffic circles instead of traffic lights. We found the streets well maintained and traffic laws well enforced. People were very friendly and were happy to give directions as needed. The average drive time from the island's east end to the west end was about 40 mins. We were told it could take up to 2 hours during rush hour, but we didn’t experience significant traffic jams. #CaymanTraffic
Grand Cayman Map
Snorkeling the reef in front of the Wyndham Reef Resort can be excellent if the conditions are right. We had winds out of the East 15-30 knots throughout the week, stirring up the bottom in the reef area. Luckily the first day we arrived, we went snorkeling and found the conditions to be ok. The Wyndham feeds the fish from their dock every day at 4:30, so there is plenty of fish around the dock during this time. We found the best snorkeling area around Morritt’s Tortuga Club Dock, about 100 yards south of the Wyndham. We snorkeled from the Wyndham dock to the Morritt’s dock and had to fight a powerful current along the way. Later we walked done the beach, but there were significant rocks along this walk, and we ended up entering the water and snorkeling to get around them. Your best bet may be to walk the road to Morritt’s and enter the beach from their property. They also have a nice set of stairs to walk into the water. Many fish were under and around the dock, including four sizable Tarpons unafraid of us. When Snorkeling in this area, there are several things to be aware of: 1. the current can be significant, and the further out from the beach you get, the worst the current gets. We came close to being swept down the reef and out the inlet. Fortunately, we were paying attention and could swim out of the current with some effort. Later talking to the locals, I heard stories of people clinging to the inlet markers until someone could rescue them. 2. Take a dive flag with you as there is some boat traffic around the area, and it will help people see and track you. # CaymanSnorkeling #Morritt’s #TortugaClub #CaymanWyndham
Tarpon by Morritt’s Tortuga Club Dock
Morritt's Tortuga Club
Spotts Beach is a public beach located on the island's south end. The entrance to this beach is next to Spotts cemetery. Park, walk down to the beach, enter the water, and look for the short grass. These are the areas where the turtles feed regularly. The best times to go are in the early morning when the turtles feed. You usually can see 4-5 turtles feeding on the grasses. There is a lot of marine life to see here, including peacock flounder. #SpottsBeach
If you're on the island's east side, the Blowholes are worth a visit at sunset. The day we visited the waves was impressive, and the Blowholes performed exceptionally well. You can drive along Sea View road until you see the hand-painted blowholes sign. Park on the side of the road, out of traffic, and walk down to the rocks. The area is ragged and covered with iron stone, so ensure you have good shoes! #CaymanBlowholes
Grand Cayman Blowholes
The Wreck of the Gamma can’t be beaten for snorkeling from the shore. It is about 20 ft from the beach in 10-15 ft of water. The best way to get to the Gamma is to walk to Pageant Beach via the Beach Access path near Harbour view apartments. Parking can be tricky here. We were able to be dropped off and then picked up later. You will see an inlet carved from the rock when entering the beach. Enter the water here, swim out to the channel, and enjoy the coral as you swim north to the wreck. There are lots of fish and coral hanging on the wreak. There is a lot of information on the web about the Gamma. From what I can find, the ship was a grain carrier that sprung a leak, and its cargo of rice got wet and expanded, splitting the vessel. #WreckGamma #SnorkleingCayman
You can not visit the Cayman Islands without trying scuba diving. Grand Cayman has some of the top wall dives in the world. The water was 80 degrees with very little change with depth, so there was no need for a wet suit. Just so you know, you can NOT wear gloves when diving in the Caymans, which was gently pointed out to me as I pulled them out on the boat. I went diving with Ocean Frontiers (https://www.oceanfrontiers.com/) on the island's west side. The staff and the dive guides were fantastic, safety-oriented, friendly, and helpful. I went on a two-tank dive trip to Babylon and Omega Reef. The diving did not disappoint Babylon is about a 100ft dive with sheer plunging wall faces and massive pinnacles jutting off the walls. The water is crystal clear. We had 80-100 ft of visibility. I photographed here using a 16-35 mm lens to capture the wall's vastness.
Omega reef is 30-60 feet deep with coral boulders and sandy patches in between. Lots of sea life in the coral. If I were to dive here again, I would switch to a macro setup as the area is full of macro life. #OmegaReef #divecayman
We booked a private half-day snorkel/fishing charter with Jake at Cayman Offshore Adventures (https://www.caymanoffshoreadventures.com/). Jake and his mate were great, very knowledgeable, and accommodating. We could snorkel on a local reef for about an hour, fished for about 2-3 hours, and finished our trip off with a trip to stingray city. It was rough for snorkeling, but the fantastic scenery couldn’t keep us away. Once we finished, we trolled the weed lines along the island's north end wall and caught three barracuda. Jake was kind enough to let me put my Gofish camera rig (https://gofishcam.com) on one of the lines, and I got the video below. #CaymanOffshoreAdventures
We arrived at Stingray City and anchored up, and within seconds there were 30-plus stingrays under the boat. I quickly grabbed my camera rig and hopped in the water, where stingrays swarmed me. A little overwhelming at first, but after a few seconds, I realized they wanted to be petted under their wings and fed. The rays have been fed twice daily for over 30 years at a sandbar. You are not allowed to wear anything on your feet to protect the sting rays, so you shuffle around in the sand as you move. This was a fantastic experience, and watching all the different personalities of the rays was interesting. Some were very aggressive while others were gently nudging into you, yet others were slightly stand-offish. We spent about an hour here and could have spent an entire day. Finally, it was time to wrap it up and head home to pack my gear and prepare for the flight home. #Stingraycity
Stingray city
