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Seasports Diving - Diving in Grand Cayman - Dive Sites

Grand Cayman has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the world's premier dive destinations with a reef system that almost entirely surrounds the island. There are hundreds of dive sites, each appropriately named and most are described by one publication or another. But Grand Cayman is best known for its fabulous "wall" dives. Within a short distance from shore the depth plunges dramatically to over 6,000 feet, making for a number of truly impressive and memorable wall dives. With visibility of 100' (33m}, little current and water temperatures between 78F and 85F (25C to 30C) it is little wonder why Grand Cayman is a diving mecca.

Seasports dives in three areas: West Wall, North Wall, South Wall and Stingray City, depending on the weather. Each area has its own distinct character but they all have one thing in common - an unsurpassed diving experience.

 
West Wall Dives
Most of Grand Cayman's best-known dive sites are located on the West Wall just off Seven Mile Beach. The West Wall is known for spectacular swim-throughs, unspoiled reefs, an abundance of fish, mysterious wrecks and gently sloping walls. The calm seas and excellent visibility make the West Wall ideal for both the advanced and novice diver. With almost 50 dive sites, you'll have plenty of destinations from which to choose. Seasports divers heading for the West Wall are picked up from the beach in front of their hotel, if possible, and all our dive sites are less than 10 minutes away. Some of our favorite sites are:
Big Tunnel
Big Tunnel is an extremely impressive drop-off with a coral archway. The top is at 105 feet, the bottom at 120. This is a sheer wall approximately 300 feet in length and etched by many winding channels and canyons. While there are many smaller tunnels, crevices and overhangs, the real thrill of this dive is the arch. In addition to the swim-through opportunities, this site is also noted for a school of large Tarpons that hang in the canyons.
 
Trinity Caves
Trinity Caves is a system of three coral canyons that converges on the face of a vertical wall. The canyons begin in approximately 60 feet and slope gradually to 100, where they exit together. Just south of the twin tunnels is a slightly shorter and more meandering tunnel. It also leads to the drop-off but exits into a deep coral crevice directly in front of a spectacular towering pinnacle.
 
Royal Palm Gardens
Royal Palm Gardens is a small, flat topped coral reef loaded with more than a dozen separate schools of reef fish. Here, divers can swim with and photograph groups of Blue Striped Grunts, Schoolmasters, Sailor's Choice, Horse-eye Jacks, Bermuda Chubs and Mahogany Grunts. Always a favorite site for photographers.
 
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North Wall Dives
The North Wall boasts spectacular drops-offs and fascinating marine life. It is not uncommon to spot Eagle Rays, Tarpon, Sea Turtles and Hammerheads during the summer months. The exotic marine life clinging to the vertical sides of the wall make it an exciting destination for even the most experienced divers and photographers. North Wall dives leave from the Yacht Club.

White Stroke Canyon
White Stroke Canyon is a coral wall that almost defies description. The immense formation literally dwarfs the diver and vividly portrays the grandeur of the North Wall drop-offs. Two giant coral ramparts jut outward from the vertical wall with a gaping chasm of clear blue water in between. It is about 150 feet from one rampart to the other, and the rim of the wall curves sharply inward, forming a u-shaped indentation.
 
Eagle Ray Pass
Eagle Ray Pass is a deep chasm leading to the wall. It's an awesome formation with towering coral heads, coral archways and narrow crevices – filled with magnificent sponges, gorgonian fans and black coral. This magical spot is also a regular gathering place for Spotted Eagle Rays that cruise along the face of the wall. Divers frequently encounter groups of two to six rays in a single formation.
 
Tarpon Alley
Tarpon Alley is where more than 100 giant Tarpons school together in a narrow coral canyon near the edge of the drop-off. Divers can swim through the canyon, almost touching the Tarpon that are slowly cruising back and forth. Most of these silvery fish measure three to four feet long, but there are some giants that reach five feet, and weigh approximately 150 pounds.
 
Click on map to zoom in.
{gallery}Northwall{/gallery}

South Wall Dives
When the weather makes the West Wall inaccessible, our dive boats visit the South Wall. Shallow dives feature a reef structure with deep ravines that have fused together in places to form tunnels, archways and swim-throughs. Here, divers will see an abundance of Elkhorn coral. South Wall's drop-off begins deeper than the other walls and many sites feature large pinnacles of coral rising up from the wall. South Wall is popular for its shallow sites such as Japanese Gardens and Oriental Gardens.

Japanese Gardens
The lavish stands of Elkhorn and Staghorn coral, found only sparsely elsewhere on the island, resemble a neatly trimmed bonsai garden and lend the site its name. Wave action on this side of the island has carved tunnels and caverns into the ironshore that fill with silversides in the breeding season, and the elegant tarpon that come to feed upon them.
 
 

Eco Stingray City
The Stingray City Dive is known as the best shallow-water dive in the world. Stingray City is located in the shallow sandy bottoms in Grand Cayman's North Sound. It sits alongside a channel which passes through the barrier reef. Stingrays are bottom dwellers that frequent sandy bottoms such as that found at Stingray City. It is there that they find an abundance of their food.

For many years fisherman would seek shelter in those calm waters behind Grand Cayman's barrier reef. They would flock there after a long day of fishing, relax and clean their catch, tossing fish remains into the sea. This added an even more concentrated food source for the Stingrays, many of which made Stingray City their home. Divers eventually discovered Stingray City and found that the Stingrays were willing to take food from their hands. Articles appeared in Scuba magazines, popularity grew and Stingray City became what it is today – known throughout the world and featured on many television shows.

While we love to take divers to Stingray City, we will no longer be feeding them. Wild animals should not, in our opion, ever be fed – on land or in the sea. The rays are thriving and so are the hoards of fish that come to feed as well. The fish have become accustomed to divers and as a result, have become increasingly aggressive when food is in the water. Our dive crews and our guests have all been bitten many times in the ensuing frenzy.

Rest assured, the Stingrays will still show up and can be gently touched by the divers. There is even a green moray that usually comes by to play as well. Not feeding the rays is the right thing to do and besides, food or no food, it’s still the best ten foot dive in the world!

 

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