The Cayman Islands are always a great scuba trip. They are very accessible from the mainland U.S. and offer a diversity of diving sites that are easy and fun. From wrecks and walls, big to small, wide angle to macro – the Caymans has it ALL! I’ve done three trips aboard the Cayman Aggressor IV – two of these trips were part of Aggressor’s Jim Church Schools of Underwater Photography with Mike Haber and Mike Mesgleski. During the one-week of diving, we were treated to a variety of diving sights. On the sandy flats of Three Fathom Wall off of Little Cayman, you can find yellow-headed jawfish incubating his eggs – you could see each embryo! Cleaning stations are abundant and fun to observe – especially those of the large groupers and barracudas. Flamingo tongues were moving about on their sea fans. And, turtles are usually spotted on many of the dive sites off of Grand Cayman and Little Cayman.
On the bigger side of things, we dove several wrecks including the #356 Russian destroyer the M/V Keith Tibbetts off of Cayman Brac and the recently suck M/V Kittiwake. The Kittiwake was a submarine rescue vessel and sunk in 2011 to form and artificial reef. All of the wrecks hosted a variety of fish life with sponge and coral growth. Off of Grand Cayman, Sting Ray City and The Devil’s Grotto are always a fun experience that never gets old. The dive sites off of Little Cayman are my favorite: the Bloody Bay Marine Park offers a fantastic variety dive experiences. 3 Fathom Wall, Nancy’s Cup of Tea, and Randy’s Gazebo are just some of the great sites off of Little Cayman. We spent four days diving Little Cayman. There are both great macro and wide-angle opportunities for photographers.
During our entire trip, we had daily help and workshops on photo tips and ideas. Whether you are a beginning photographer or have had a lot of experience, there is always something to learn on a Mike & Mike trip. And the crew aboard the Cayman Aggressor IV is simply outstanding and extraordinarily helpful and competent. And the cuisine was outstanding.
Although I prefer diving liveaboards because of the ease of having all of your equipment in one place and not having to carry anything anywhere, there are some great land based dive resorts on Grand Cayman and Little Cayman.
