Great site for snorkel info! Wondering about good snorkel spots near the cruise ship port – Eden Rock / Devil’s Grotto / Cheeseburger and also West Bay, Cemetery Beach? I will be in Cayman in Aug on a cruise, unfortunately…not Cayman, the cruise.
I’m an avid diver and have dove Cayman and dozens of other spots around the world. (I smiled when I read your comments about St. John – I lived there about 20 years ago.) Now that I have two little kids, my husband and I rarely get to dive so we are trying a cruise since it has a kid program (babysitting!!!).
We are looking for good snorkel spots that won’t be overrun with our fellow cruise ship passengers, maybe get the kids in the water, and have it be a low stress location to reach, given that we’ll be confined to this cruise ship schedule.
If you had a few hours and two little kids and needed to get to and from somewhere easily but wanted the best possible snorkeling….where would you go on Cayman? We’re not opposed to a taxi or bus as long as we can get back to the ship on time. Thanks!
AnonymousSnorkeling many of areas of Grand Cayman is a vastly different experience than St. John. While St. John tends to be a very intimate encounter with the marine life, I liken snorkeling on Grand Cayman to be more Shock and Awe inducing due to the scale of both corals and size of marine life.
If I were on a diver visting on a cruise I think Eden Rock/Devil’s Grotto would be a good bet, even with some fellow cruises in the water. It is a really big coral mass, I mean really big. If you head over towards Devil’s Grotto (ask at the Eden Rock Dive shop for a map or see a recent post here):
The snorkel/diving area is large enough that unless there are 6 or 8 ships in port you should be able to leave the crowds behind. The water is usually very calm, so while the good stuff is a little far from shore for beginners, with proper supervision they should be alright. Plus, it is completely walkable from the tender area, so no need for a cab or public mini-bus. Cheeseburger reef is a moderate walk from the tender area, heading towards Seven Mile Beach. You can hit both Eden Rock/Devil’s Grotto and Cheeseburger Reef with time to spare for some light shopping. Here is a link to the popular, easy to reach site around George Town: http://www.grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/grandcaymansnorkeling.htm
Another poster requested a guide for Eden Rock, so I did get there this trip. Visibility was really poor due to recent rains, but here are some images to give you an idea of what to expect. I will be publishing a mini-guide for the area shortly.
Cemetery Beach is a short cab or bus ride up Seven Mile Beach. It is a very beautiful spot with no nearby amenities. While many rave about the snorkeling here, other than the food trained Sergeant Majors and Chubs, I have found the area rather lacking much else interesting. But if you want to snorkel from the beach it is about as good as it gets on Seven Mile Beach. May even be a better bet for the younger snorkel crowd. If you pay attention to the time and factor in a 20 minute wait period for a bus or pre-arranged taxi you should have no issues getting back to the tender area on time.
!!!
