Dive Review of Reef Divers/Cobalt Coast in
Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman

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Reef Divers/Cobalt Coast: "Cobalt Coast. The water was warm.", Oct, 2017, by Steven Y Davidson, FL, US ( Contributor 15 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 9881 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Our flight was uneventful and we got into Grand Cayman with our luggage. We were met at the curb by a Cobalt Coast greeter and were spirited off to the resort. Its a 30 minute bus ride to the resort and, aside from passing through to Little Cayman or catching the Aggressor, this was my first visit to Grand Cayman in 25 years. I won't go back. Its not like being on an island. Cobalt Coast is owned and operated by the Tibbets, the same family that does such a great job at the Little Cayman Beach Resort. The dive operation here in Grand Cayman was well run, great Newton dive boats, valet diving, great reefs and excellent service. The Stingray City dive was an extra $75 as was the Kittiwake. Shore diving was available although they admitted that it was a long swim to the wall. Our room was nice. It was a suite type room. King bed in the bedroom and a sofa and chair in the den area. The was a large bathroom with dependable hot water. The only real negative on the room was the AC unit had no thermostat. Only a switch to turn it off or on. Friends stayed in rooms with puddles of water on the floor during their whole stay. The hotel said it was the AC unit and they could do nothing about it. The really weak point is the restaurant. Everything was served buffet style but they had no proper buffet unit so everything was served in hotel pans with sterno cans underneath. The food really didn't stay very warm. Most of the food was frozen product from their food supplier. I had to eat raw hamburger that appeared to have been baked from frozen in a pile on a hotel pan so that the outside was a pale grey and the inside was raw. We had frozen chicken tenders on more than on occasion and one of the few times the cook did actually cook, chicken fajitas, they were so overcooked it was like eating jerky. The dining area is "poolside" which is marketing speak for "outside". And the flies were everywhere. You literally could not keep them off of your food. And you learned to look before you took a drink to make sure there were no flies in your drink. The kitchen door stayed propped open most of the time. I can't imagine the population of flies surrounding our food preparation. One guest ordered a frozen drink and when the bartender got ready to pour from the blender into the glass, he looked up and said, "thats the fourth drink today that had a fly in it". He poured the drink into the sink, quickly rinsed the blender and started over. Yuck The bartender was a personable Irishman named Colin. He kept the rum punches flowing. I did see him on more than one occasion with a funnel pouring from one liquor bottle into another. I asked if he was watering down the rum. He said yes. Go figure. The internet was barely sufficient to check your email. It tested out consistently at .33M. Note the decimal. Thats 33K. I asked the front office if there was something wrong and they offered to reset the routers. But the wifi was fine. They just need a more robust internet connection. This was a one and done for me. Its back to Little Cayman Beach Resort.
Websites	Reef Divers Cobalt Coast
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Bahamas, Belize, Bonaire, Curacao, Cocos Island, Tahiti, Fiji, Cozumel, Cayman, Utila, Roatan, etc.
Closest Airport	Grand Cayman	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	All dives limited to 100 feet. First dive was 60 minutes, the second was 50. They didn't get bent out of shape if you were a little longer.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Greg Bruce in WA, US at Oct 18, 2017 12:19 EST

Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience. Sounds pretty awful. I have been to GC multiple times and only have had great experiences, albeit at a different establishment and different dive operator.

By report author: Steven Y Davidson in FL, US at Oct 18, 2017 12:51 EST

I hope I didn't convey "awful". The diving was great as was the dive operator and my room was fine. If they had a real chef and an enclosed dining room it would be great. It is awful to have flies walking on your food though.

By Greg Bruce in WA, US at Oct 18, 2017 13:05 EST

I totally get it and you came across as fair and balanced in your review- Much appreciated. Food is such an important part of any vacation and can really make or break an experience, even when the diving is awesome. Not to mention, in this day and age, a reliable internet connection should be a given- even on vacation.

By report author: Steven Y Davidson in FL, US at Oct 18, 2017 13:16 EST

By Craig A Wood in PA, US at Oct 19, 2017 12:25 EST

Sad to hear about the food. My son and I went to Cobalt Coast twice, 2007 and 2008. This was when the owner, Arie Barendrecht, met you personally when you arrived and then checked on your satisfaction during your stay. The food during our visits was quite good, lunch and dinner were served at the table off a reasonably diverse menu. We ate outside, I don't remember any problem with insects. Sound like things have not gone in the right direction.

By report author: Steven Y Davidson in FL, US at Oct 19, 2017 16:26 EST

We dove LCBR a lot and the food there is awesome. Or was the last time I was there a few years ago. Our expectations were high since Cobalt Cove is now owned by the same family. And I was astounded that the bartender openly admitted to watering down the rum. The diving was good though.

By Craig A Wood in PA, US at Oct 19, 2017 16:43 EST

Sounds like Cobalt Coast did not make a smooth transition from the old system (table service off a menu) to the usual buffet service of LCBR and CBBR. In addition, they don't have an indoor eating facility. If I were them, I would take this criticism to heart and make things better. If they want a buffet, it has to be good. They should give customers a comfortable place to eat.

By report author: Steven Y Davidson in FL, US at Oct 19, 2017 18:36 EST

We ordered off the menu for a late lunch when we arrived. WE ordered chicken tenders. If only we had known.....

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Dive Review of Reef Divers/Cobalt Coast in Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman

Reef Divers/Cobalt Coast: "Cobalt Coast. The water was warm.", Oct, 2017,

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Reef Divers/Cobalt Coast in
Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman