going to Grand Cayman for the first time next month. How's the public transportation? Do we need to rent a car? Staying on 7MB and plan to scuba - any suggestions?

..how adventurous are you? Willing to try driving british style?...left side of road with right side steering wheel? We rented a gypsy (an extended jeep) for two days,put 8 of us in it and had a blast exploring the island,,constantly shouting "stay left" to the driver at each turn.(it was a stick shift too!) Traffic isn't too bad and there aren't many roads so that part was easy although the hotel and dive center provided transportation when we didn't have the car, and there were plenty of restaurants within walking distance on 7MB. Reserve ahead though, there aren't that many rental cars on the island. Have fun and good luck!

In a word.. yes

mmartin598 puts it well, we do drive on the left but the roads are few and relatively quiet, so no stress and tough to get lost.

A couple of other thoughts :
- If you do get lost, look on it as part of the adventure.... it is a small island, so you won't stay lost for long, and Cayman is the type of place where you don't worry about straying into the "wrong" area (the natives are friendly!)
- There are LOTS of rental cars in Cayman, just that right now it doesn't seem that way, as business is booming this winter across the island... but it will slow down a little after Easter, so more cars available then
- Car rental is very inexpensive in Cayman compared to any other Caribbean destination, and even compared to most cities I have come across in the US

Definitely rent a car. We used ours every day. It's nice to have the freedom to just pick up and go.

It takes a bit to get used to driving on the other side, but by the last day, you'll have the hang of it.

Totally agree with Meta. Rent the car. I remember at one point in the middle of our last trip, that I grew SO accustomed to driving on the left, that I might forget how to drive on the right when we got back home! It's MUCH easier than people think it is to drive in Cayman. I was totally worried before I tried it the first time. After 3 minutes, it became totally intuitive: just stay left.

Yes, rent a car!!
If you are divers you can pick up tanks and do a shore dive. You will be able to explore the island. Pick up a cheap cooler and pack water/drinks and munchies and hit the road. 7MB is nice but the rest of the island is wonderful. Have a great time.

My husband and I were just talking about this - we were in Cayman last summer -- we rented a convertable. We are going to Aruba this summer - and decided not too -- it was nice to have the car - but it felt like we spent more time driving around and not really relaxing and enjoying the island. We would not drive it when we went out at night -- as we did not want to drive it after drinking -- so we ending up taking the taxis anyway.

Has anyone tried exploring the eastern part of the island by scooter. My main concern is safety. Are the roads wide enough? Do people speed?

Call me crazy but I have done both-rented a car and used a cab....I think that you can do it easily without a car if you are on the beach...a lot of things are in walking distance and you can even rent bikes. The cabs are all very friendly and the people are great. We ended renting a car for one day to explore the other side of the island--I am so jealous... I love grand cayman