Route Description - Best of the Cayman Islands
The Best of the Cayman Islands expedition showcases the Caribbean’s spectacular underwater landscapes, from the world-famous Bloody Bay Wall in Little Cayman to Grand Cayman’s dramatic drop-offs, coral reefs and swim-throughs. Explore iconic wrecks such as the Kittiwake and the Russian warship M/V Keith Tibbetts, alongside colourful coral gardens, underwater arches and winding caverns. With opportunities to encounter turtles, spotted eagle rays, tarpon, reef sharks and abundant tropical marine life, this route offers an unforgettable mix of wreck, wall and reef diving.
3 Fathom Wall (Mixing Bowl) — A meeting point between Bloody Bay Wall and a gentle reef slope, with schooling fish, yellowhead jawfish, lobsters, turtles, spotted eagle rays and occasional sharks.
Angelfish Reef — A reef of coral fingers and small coral heads, offering enjoyable diving by day and excellent opportunities for night dives.
Bonnie’s Arch — A scenic dive site featuring a beautiful underwater arch, with angelfish, occasional seahorses and channel-clinging crabs.
Bullwinkle East — A shallow reef named after the large elk-horn coral formation that crowns the site.
Devils Grotto and Eden Rock — Popular shallow dive sites near George Town, known for their network of underwater passages and swim-throughs.
Doc Poulson (Wreck) — A sunken cable-laying vessel surrounded by sandy seabed and nearby coral, providing shelter for juvenile fish, pygmy filefish and other marine life.
Eagle Ray Rock — A large coral formation outside Smith Cove, distinguished by its L-shaped passage.
Grand Cayman — The island offers diverse diving, from dramatic walls and spur-and-groove reefs to swim-throughs, with marine life including juvenile fish, turtles, southern stingrays, spotted eagle rays and occasional sharks.
Great Wall — A dramatic section of Bloody Bay Wall where a sheer drop begins in shallow water, with abundant gorgonians, hard and soft corals, rope sponges, turtles and juvenile reef fish.
The Meadows — A coral-head reef with resident snappers and a familiar grouper, featuring access to Jackson’s Wall, swim-throughs, possible Caribbean reef sharks and spotted eagle rays.
Joy’s Joy — A reef with numerous passages and swim-throughs, particularly around 70 feet, offering varied underwater exploration.
Kelly’s Cavern — A hardpan coral reef shaped by winding passages and rich coral growth, home to the elusive batwing coral crab.
Lea Lea’s Lookout — A fascinating reef cut leading to the wall and the Great Room, a large underwater passage with colourful formations, channel-clinging crabs and lobsters.
Lighthouse Reef — A wall dive named after the Lighthouse Restaurant in Breakers, where turtles, spotted eagle rays and occasional reef sharks may be encountered.
Little Cayman — Best known for the world-famous Bloody Bay Wall Marine Park, featuring dramatic walls, mini-walls, swim-throughs and pristine coral reefs. When conditions require, diving may take place on the southern reefs or at the Soto Trader wreck.
M/V Keith Tibbetts — A former Russian warship wreck off Cayman Brac, resting at depths of approximately 40–90 feet and offering photographic opportunities and penetration routes for experienced wreck divers.
M/V Kittiwake — A former submarine rescue vessel sunk as an artificial reef, with its upper structure accessible to snorkellers and divers. The wreck features open decks, internal rooms, the smokestack and access to deeper sections of the vessel.
Marilyn’s Cut — A narrow cut through Bloody Bay Wall’s reef, inhabited by diverse reef fish and occasionally visited by reef sharks.
Nancy’s Cup of Tea (Magic Roundabout) — A solid coral formation beyond the Bloody Bay Wall bight, with two historic anchors known as Paul’s Anchors in the shallows.
Neptune’s Wall — A gently sloping reef that leads towards a dramatic wall, where passing turtles are among the highlights.
Ore Verde (Wreck) — A wreck scattered along a coral reef, attracting schools of chub, jacks and snappers by day, with moray eels and midnight-blue parrotfish also possible sightings.
St Pedro’s Point — A wall-edge site distinguished by towering underwater pinnacles rising from the depths, best explored with careful depth monitoring.
Randy’s Gazebo — A spectacular reef featuring large barrel sponges, scenic swim-throughs and the distinctive Gazebo formation, with spotted eagle rays and turtles often seen nearby.
Trinity Caves and Round Rock — A reef featuring several passages and the famous Trinity Caves, whose lengthy swim-throughs have made the area popular with underwater photographers.
Rum Point Dropoff (White Stroke Canyon) — A North Wall site featuring coral plates and opportunities to encounter spotted eagle rays, turtles, channel-clinging crabs and lobsters.
Sensation Wall (Hammerhead Hill) — A North Wall dive centred on a distinctive coral formation, with spotted eagle rays and the occasional possibility of a hammerhead shark.
Tarpon Alley — Large sandy passages cut between coral fingers lead to the North Wall, where tarpon gather and barracuda, spotted eagle rays and occasional reef or hammerhead sharks may be seen.
Teachers Caverns (Bats Cave Reef) — A site with tall coral walls and attractive swim-throughs, featuring elkhorn and staghorn corals in the shallows and lobsters sheltering among nearby coral heads.