Dive Review of Cayman Turtle Divers in
Cayman Islands/West Side, Seven Mile Beac

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Cayman Turtle Divers: "It's the little things...", Nov, 2022, by Rene Cote, VA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports with 14 Helpful votes). Report 12202.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	It’s the little things that distinguish a great dive operation from a good one, a good operation from a mediocre one, and a mediocre one from… well, you get my meaning. This was my second trip to Grand Cayman this year, and my 12th to the Cayman Islands since 2009. When I visited in January, the dive shops were just coming back to life after nearly a 2-year hiatus due to covid. Covid protocols were strict in January, with testing required every few days - which I didn’t mind since it meant that ALL visitors were getting tested a lot and thus reduced my risk of catching covid. Now it’s November 2022 and all those protocols have been lifted. More restaurants have opened, tourism is on the rise, and as result, dive operators are getting busier. In January I had dived with Living the Dream Divers. It was my first experience with them, and I was not disappointed. They are well run, and the guides were professional and fun – it was a good week of diving. I contacted them for this trip, but unfortunately, they were fully booked, WEEKS in advance. I read reviews of other dive operators that offer small group charters, my preferred way to dive. One company was putting their boat in dry dock in prep for the holiday onslaught, another had no availability either, many had bigger group sizes, and some seemed to offer only 40-minute dive profiles. After a bunch of googling, I selected Cayman Turtle Divers. They advertise max group size of 6 divers and most importantly, had availability for my week! I travel with my own equipment so prior to arriving I asked via email about DIN tanks. The dive shop manager responded that yes, they would have DIN nitrox tanks for me – COOL, everything was all set! We arrived at Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) on Saturday afternoon, at about the same time as a couple of other flights. In previous years, going through immigration was a long, slow process. GCM has recently (since January) installed some kiosks where you scan your passport, answer some questions about customs declaration, and then get a slip of paper to bring to the immigration officer. The line was long, but the kiosks were easy to use, and it seemed to speed up the process. We eventually made it through the queue, got our luggage, and took a taxi to our condo. Travel Alert: You can download an app from the Cayman Government that will calculate the regulated taxi fare… I learned later that we got overcharge by about $5. Get the app here: [cigo.ky link] The dive shop had sent me the pickup schedule and I was ready to go the next morning. Most shops, including Cayman Turtle Divers, offer free pickup/drop off within a certain distance. We were in a condo on Seven Mile Beach which was well within their pickup zone. One of the dive guides who was also the day’s shuttle driver came by arriving right on time. We headed to the boat, picking up a few other divers along the way. They have 3 boats according to their website, the one I boarded was their bigger boat, a 36-foot Newton. It can accommodate about 20 divers, has a large dive deck with a center storage table that has a camera rinse tank, plus a freshwater hose at the stern. There’s a fly bridge with seating as well as covered seating below, and a marine head. The boat was very roomy for our small group size. I laid out my gear, grabbed my O2 analyzer and went to check my tanks. One tank had the removable insert for DIN, but to my dismay, the other tank had a yoke valve - “It’s the little things...” I mentioned the missing DIN tank to the boat captain, who on this day happened to be the same person who had confirmed by email that they would have DIN tanks on board. He apologized, made mention that it was his fault, that he had “partied hard” the night before and was a little hung over - “It’s the little things...” Alright I said, I’ll connect to DIN on the first tank, and will use my adaptor on the second. The crew looked for a hex wrench to remove the insert, but none could be found. So even if both my tanks had DIN inserts, neither would have been usable as DIN since they couldn’t remove the inserts - “It’s the little things…” On the third day I got a prompt yet unenthusiastic pickup; perhaps she was having a bad morning or had not had enough coffee yet; she had mentioned not being very alert the previous day due to lack of coffee. Oh well, it’s tough to be “on” every day…. I get it. After diving we reboarded the shuttle and headed back, but she drove us to their dive shop. Not because anyone was going there, but rather because, in her words: “I have no idea why I drove to the shop”. She apologized for not paying attention to what she was doing - “It’s the little things….” The fourth day my pickup was late, so I called the dive shop and was reassured the van would arrive in just a few minutes. Five minutes later I watched the van drive by… without picking me up. I called the shop again, and the van came back several minutes later - “It’s the little things...” During the week our group was led by 3 different guides. I felt that two of the guides went a little fast and strung out the group with some divers trailing way behind, hardly able to see the guide. It wasn’t terribly distracting, but I think that some of the slower divers did not get to see the things the guides pointed out. “TJ” was the best guide for the week – professional, knowledgeable, and the big PLUS is that he guided SLOWLY, allowing divers time to observe, photograph, and even keep up. Beyond the “little things”, Cayman Turtle Divers delivered TOTALLY on the thing that means the most to me - they let me dive my experience. For the most part I followed the guides, did my photography stuff, and when the other divers ended their dive and went up, I was permitted to continue my dive based on my NDL and air consumption. Grand Cayman diving is not ‘spectacular’, in my opinion, but what it offers is easy diving. Short boat rides, fairly good visibility most of the time, and the occasional encounters with turtles and eagle rays. If you have a non-diving travel companion, there’s the exceptional Seven Mile Beach, warm waters and sunset views, and many excellent restaurants that will deliciously fill your tummy while emptying your wallet. It is very consistent diving and easy to get to from the U.S., but it is not inexpensive. If you are planning a trip to Grand Cayman, be sure to reserve your diving early, things are heating up! Here’s a link to the short video of week’s diving: [youtu.be link]
Websites	Cayman Turtle Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	FL, Morehead City NC, most of the Caribbean, Cenotes MX, La Paz, Socorro, Okinawa, Palau, Yap, French Polynesia, Komodo Islands, Bali, Maldives, Hawaii, and Fiji
Closest Airport	GCM	Getting There	Easy flights connecting through Charlotte or Miami.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	83-85°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	NDL
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Fresh water hose at the stern, and a camera rinse tank.

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Dive Review of Cayman Turtle Divers in Cayman Islands/West Side, Seven Mile Beac

Cayman Turtle Divers: "It's the little things...", Nov, 2022,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Cayman Turtle Divers in
Cayman Islands/West Side, Seven Mile Beac