Diving the Cayman Islands is the easiest diving in the world. Short boat trips and shore diving provide dives in calm water. The protected reefs, where marine life and coral grow in an almost pristine condition, have given the Cayman Islands the rating of number one diving site in the world. Conditions like these usually can only be seen in very remote virgin coral reef islands, yet in the Caymans its an every day event. It's possible to dive the very same reef, over and over again and see marine life not seen the time before.

Around the island of Grand Cayman are five different regions of aquatic ecosystems. The most popular areas are off Seven Mile Beach, which offers wall dives from 70 feet to 100 feet with abundant brain coral, deep sea fans, and large sponges. This is usually your first dive of the day.

The second dive of the day is usually a 50 foot dive on the mid reef area. There you will see abundant varities of Angelfish, Trigerfish, Tangs, of 8 to 14 inches in length to the smaller reef fish which are cleaner type fish of 2 to 3 inches which will tranquilize your eyes at the activity and overwhelming numbers with colors of the rainbow dancing in an endless movement of feeding. This area is usually a glass calm and dive operators mostly use pontoon boats off the beach to transport divers to dive sites within 3 to 10 minutes along the beach. Mooring buoys are used at all dive sites which allows easy descents and ascents with views of marine life during safety stops with 150 to 200 foot visibility. When north wind in the fall and winter occur, dive operations move to around to South harbor which then offers the calm seas.

The Next most popular area is the North Wall which includes the famous Tarpon Alley, Eagle Ray Pass and is where Sting Ray City is located just inside the reef. The deep reef starts in 60 to 70 feet with canyons and valleys which offer 4 to 5 foot tube sponges leaping from the walls, plate coral forming half cones growing along the walls sheltering cleaner fish of all shapes and colors.

The points of each ridge offers gleam's of Eagle Rays, Hog nose Rays, Manta rays and other schools of Jack fish. The best time to see sharks along this wall is in April though June of each year.

Tarpon Alley usually is home to 100 to 500 3 to 4 foot long Tarpon. Best time to dive this area is June through August. The deep reef also offers the most spectacular reef on top with Stag horn coral growing to 5 to 6 feet of hiding places for reef fish like the rare Blue Indigo Damsel fish. The mid reef offers a large population of Lobsters of two main varieties. The Spotted Lobster and the colorful Spiny Lobsters. There are nooks and cracks where they hid and also will offer up nurse sharks resting in slumber around most corners.

Eden's Rock and Devil's Grotto is the most photographed reef around the world. Either from a boat or from shore the diving of the reef starts in 5 ft of water and plummets to 50 feet with awesome caves and tunnels covered with silver sides in schools of 1000 (note these are a 2 to 3 inch minnow like fish.) to the massive 5 and 6 foot long graceful Tarpon gliding over the reef. Sea Anemone's abound at about 35 to 40 feet with parrot fish gouge the algae to make room for new coral growth. Usually I dive this site twice a day on my trips and get at least three night dives from shore which results in every dive different and spectacular than any other dive.

South Sound Best dove when north winds flow to the island resulting in flat seas. This area offers fields of 5 foot tall gorgians swaying with the gentle role of the sea. Large Barrel sponges of heights of 5 to 6 feet are numerous around the deep reefs of 70 to 100 feet close to the light house. Nurse sharks lurk in the 30 to 50 foot reefs by the edge of the sand where slight groves indent the bottom of coral mounds of 20 to 40 foot tall. French Angelfish and Queen Angle fish are numerous around every edge of the reef. Schoolmaster Snapper congregate at the leading edge of the reefs or on the up current side watching for easy meals a drift in the current.

East End offers the best diving when calm seas abound. The Elk horn coral forms the barrier reef just off shore making home to numerous marine fish of all colors and sizes.