I would like the opinions of the experienced divers....I am visiting Grand Cayman Island in a few weeks, and am thinking of booking a dive trip with Divers Down. Does anyone have opinions/experiences with this dive operator? Also, what is the best stingray city tour? (Please no super-tourist cruise ship operators! I know it is a super-tourist place to go, but I would like to avoid the crowds if possible). Finally, I would appreciate tips for reasonably priced restaurants. I am not into the gourmet, have a few sticks of asparagus and pea-sized meat type of meal I am active and hungry!!!

We have been to Grand Cayman 2 times and both times we used Captain Marvin. Each time there were no more than 8 tourist on the boat with 2 or 3 crew members. We are going back to GC in October and we plan to use Capt. Marvin again. We took the tour that makes around 4 stops for snorkeling, stops at Stingray City and stops at Kaibo for lunch. The lunch was great and the snorkeling was outstanding.

We've also used Capt. Marvin twice and will do so next time we go to Cayman. Reasonable restaurants--Chicken, Chicken and Eats, but don't know if either is up and running since the hurricane.

I used Divers Down, and had a very good experience. They are a smaller operation, and we went out with only 6 people which was great. The staff was nothing short of professional & also a lot of fun.

Stingray City operators all basically do the same thing. The biggest difference is the number of people they take out. Just try and avoid the "cattle boats" that take large groups out.

There are a ton of restaurants to choose from in all price ranges. And no need to worry about portions, as even the better restaurants will serve you plenty. Stay with the pub-style places for more reasonable prices. Try going to Caymanrestaurants.com for a list of what open & closed since last years hurricane.

If you want a very small group with a very experienced dive master, it's Quabo formally known as Quabon. Atley is the man to talk to. My husband and I have been going to Cayman for over twenty years and he is the only one we use. I don't have the phone number but your accomodations will have it. Atley is famous for being the first Cayman PADI instructor. If you can't find his number, email me at [email protected]