Going to the Caymans
 

We are going to the Caymans in Sept. for the first time and have several questions. How is the fishing? We love to deep sea fish, however if it is not good in the Caymans we don't want to waste our money. Any suggestions? We are also interested in the submarine dives. What do you see at each level? Are the deep dives (800-1000ft) any good? Sunset cruises? We have been on several on other vacations but have never tried one with dinner. Any suggestions? One more question, what is the different between stingray city and stingray sand bar? Thanks for any help.

My husband also likes to deep sea fish, but after trying it once in the Caymans decided Cayman is not the place to deep sea fish. You'll notice there aren't a whole lot of fishing charters in Cayman that can guarantee the big fish. As to a sunset cruise, we really liked the Jolly Roger. We just did the appetizers/drinks one but saw other people getting the dinner. In my opinion it wasn't worth the extra cost. Great drinks too - top shelf and definitely not light on the liquor (did I mention unlimited?)! Was able to get the most awesome sunset photos too.<BR>http://www.jollyrogercayman.com/

Heather,<BR><BR>There are 3 types of fishing in GC, Bonefishing (inconsistant I've heard), Reef fishing, and Offshore fishing. You can expect a lot of small fish if you go reef fishing. It is geared more for action, and the fish sizes will be small, probably 1-3 pounds on average. The offshore trips are for the big game fish like Marlin, Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo. Most of these charters troll for these bigger fish, and the catch will depend on the season, and weather. Let's face it, fishing is good some days, and crappy other days. You could probably expect to catch anywhere from 2-5 fish on these offshore charters, but the fish will be big and exciting. Just remember, there's simply no guarantees, so you could pay big bucks, and catch nothing. That's simply a risk you take no mater what part of the world you charter a boat. <BR><BR>As far as dinner cruises, try Red Sail Sports, their dinner cruise gets excellent reviews. The one you want to avoid is the Pirate ship dinner cruise as it is over-run with kids. There are also cruises that don't serve dinner, and you just go out to catch the sunset, and have cocktails, also offered by Red Sail Sports I believe.<BR><BR>The difference between Stingray City & Stingray sandbar is water depth. Stingray City is 8-12 feet deep, and is best enjoyed by scuba diving. Stingray sandbar is only 3-4 feet deep, and is the most popular area to enjoy the rays. You can just jump off the boat, swim to the shallow bar, and not need any equipment at all. We usually wear our mask and snorkel (without the fins) so we can go underwater to check out the rays as they swim all around you, brushing up against you like a cat would. <BR>Can't help you on the submarine rides, as we haven't done it.

thanks for the infor.

The downside to the Sandbar is that it is often PACKED with people. A huge crowd can ruin the experience. I'd suggest inquiring with your tour operator before booking a certain day & time. Because Stingray City is for scuba divers, it is almost always less crowded. <BR><BR>Because I'm an avid diver, I've never tried the submarine excursions, but I've heard from several others that they're disappointing and not worth the money. <BR>

Hi Heather,<BR>I live in Grand Cayman, and among many other jobs, write for a local tourist magazine.<BR><BR>1. Deep sea fishing here is a crapshoot, but if you want to go, I can strongly recommend Chip-Chip charters with Capt. Phil. He doesn't have a huge boat, but you cannot beat the man's knowledge and his personality. He and his wife are wonderful with a great sense of humour, and a true Caymanian friendliness that is sometimes missing these days. He'll be thoroughly honest with you as to whether the fishing is good or not, and although there are no guarantees, you'll at least be armed with a bit more knowledge to help you make your decision.<BR><BR>2. If you're not a scuba diver, I would recommend either the Atlantis submarine (goes to about 100ft), or, for a more personalised trip to depths of about 40-50ft (tons to see, you won't be missing out at this shallower dive), Cayman Submariners has a two-person sub where the passengers sit in a glass globe that, I swear, seems to disappear as you descend into the water. You have an intercom so you can communicate with the diver steering the sub outside, which is very convenient when you want him to turn around to take a closer look at something. My best friend, who has never learned to scuba dive, loved this excursion.<BR><BR>If you are a scuba diver, then you could go on the 800-1000ft Atlantis Deep Submersible, although we took it to 1000ft, and frankly, considering the extra money for the added 200ft, I would just go with 800ft. This is not a cheap trip. Two people have to go at the same time (if only one wants to, a person will be called from their standby list to join them) and it's about US$300 per person, give or take $50.<BR><BR>3. Spirit of Ppalu run by Red Sail at the Hyatt is a lovely cruise on a big catamaran, but the drinks are not cheap, and it can sometimes be quite busy. I don't know how many of you are coming down, but if you're willing to spend a bit extra and you don't have to mingle with others, I'd contact Red Baron cruises and get Mike to take you out for a two-hour sail on his sailboat. He fits with your schedule, will sometimes give you a deal, and has the perfect laidback personality for his job. He has a nice stereo system on board, and if you can fit in your sail with a full moon, there's nothing like sitting on the front of the boat with the sails up, music playing through the speakers as you move across North Sound. I've lived here for most of my life, so it takes something special for me to appreciate the island all over again. Red Baron was that something special. I am part-owner of an entertainment company down here, and we always send our visiting entertainers from the U.K. and New York out on Red Baron. They inevitably consider it one of the highlights of their trip. You can take all your own alcohol and food onboard - Mike provides a cooler of ice. There aren't that many dinner cruises on the island, and even those are you trying to find a space where you can sit down with your plastic plate of food and eat it. It's not, in my opinion, worth the money.<BR><BR>4. Just as the person before said, the only difference between Stingray City and the Sandbar is depth. The two are quite close together, and even as a diver, I would recommend the sandbar. It doesn't take any effort, and sometimes when the currents are strong underneath the waves, it's tiring trying to keep your balance on the bottom of the sea with your dive gear etc.. The sandbar can, indeed, be very packed, but if you're staying here, just book it for a time when the cruise ship trips are not going, or there are fewer. Any local company will understand that you don't want to mingle with crowds, and most of them know the times when the sandbar is at its busiest, so they can steer clear of them.<BR><BR>Any other questions, feel free to bring them on.