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 The Cayman Islands are
situated in the Caribbean, 290km (180 miles) northwest
of Jamaica, and comprise Grand Cayman, Little Cayman
and Cayman Brac. Cayman's beaches are renowned to be
among the best in the world, in particular Seven Mile
Beach on Grand Cayman. Although in relative proximity,
each of the islands is unique in its developed infrastructure
as well as the type of topography found both on land
and underwater.
Grand Cayman is the main tourist destination and its
capital, George Town, is today one of the leading commercial
centres in the Caribbean region. The gingerbread-style
buildings lining George Town's harbour front are prime
examples of traditional Caymanian architecture.
Cayman Brac, northeast of Grand Cayman, is a much smaller
island, about 19km (12 miles) long and about 1.6 km
(1 mile) wide. The area is riddled with caves and dozens
of wrecks for divers to explore. It provided the basis
for Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel Treasure Island.
 11
km (7 miles) southeast of Cayman Brac, the tiny island
of Little Cayman is best known as a sanctuary for wild
birds and iguanas. It is also known as the world's best
location for bone fishing. The food and restaurants
in the Cayman Islands are excellent, in particular the
variety of local fish specialities. The Cayman Turtle
Farm, one of Grand Cayman's tourist attractions, now
undertakes strict conservation measures. The Cayman
Islands have a fairly limited number of nightclubs,
which sometimes feature international acts.
Diving
 Divers have been
making the trek to the Cayman Islands for many years.
The water is warm and visibility is super. The Caymans
offer divers of all skill levels something to remember.
Reefs, colorful and vibrant, with marine life in such
an abundance, it will bring out the best in every photographer.
You want walls? From all three islands, the wall diving
has become famous. How about wrecks? There are a number
of wreck dives, one of the most popular being the Captain
Kieth Tibbetts, an ex Russian warship, sunk in 1996
and now home to an abundance of reef fish.
Climate: 75 - 87F 24 - 30C
Water Temp: 77 - 82F 25 - 28C
Visibility: 100+ ft. 30+ m
Cayman Islands Diving
Description |
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Diving
/ Accommodations
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Cayman Breakers Condominiums
P.O. Box 202,SPO, Cayman Brac, B.W.I.
Tel.: 1-345-948-1463
Fax.: 1-345-948-1463
caymanbreakers@yahoo.com
www.caymancondosonline.com
The
Cayman Breakers luxury Condominiums. They are located
on Cayman Brac's South side, secluded east end where
the 140ft. towering bluff is your backdrop. The views
and privacy here make it a perfect getaway vacation
for honeymooners, anniversarys, scuba divers, snorkelers,
or just plain R/R. Easy access
to both shore and boat diving.
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Jeff's Grand Cayman Guesthomes
Mailing Address:
Jeff Kingstad
HC2 Box 865
Winchester, WI 54557
Tel.: (715) 686-2232
Fax.: (715) 686-2232
jkingstad@jeffsresorts.com
http://www.jeffsresorts.com
Two private 2 bdrm homes, newly furnished & fully
fitted, within 2 blks of the best snorkeling on all
of 7 Mile Beach. Located on a park-like third acre of
fruit trees & hammocks, grills & private deck
or gazebo for each home...truly "Cayman's Best
Value!" Check out our diving recommendations. |
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Getting
There
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Air
Travel
Island
Air based at Owen Roberts International Airport,
offers scheduled daily inter-island service between
Grand Cayman and Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
Island Air flies from Grand Cayman to the Sister
Islands four times each day via 19-passenger turboprop
Twin Otter, 9-passenger Navajo Chieftain and 9-passenger
Islander aircraft. Charter service is also available
upon request on a 6-passenger Lear jet B-20 and
19-passenger Jet stream. The flight between Grand
Cayman and the Sister Islands is approximately
40 minutes.
There are more than 108 weekly flights into Owen
Roberts International Airport including 70 flights
each week between Miami and Grand Cayman with
connections to Cayman Brac.
American
Airlines has three direct, non-stop daily
flights from Miami to Grand Cayman.
Cayman
Airways offers regular service from Houston,
Texas, Tampa, Florida and Kingston, Jamaica to
Grand Cayman and daily service to Cayman Brac.
US
Airways provides daily service from Charlotte,
NC and Philadelphia to Grand Cayman.
Northwest
operates direct service from Detroit from December
through April.
Delta
Airlines flies non-stop New York/JFK-Grand
Cayman, using a B737-800 airplane. Service is
daily from December-April. They also service Atlanta-Grand
Cayman daily using the B757 airplane. The Atlanta-Grand
Cayman service continues to operate year-round.
Continental
Airlines operates a Boeing 737-700 aircraft
equipped with 12 first class and 112 economy class
seats. Continental's New York flight departs from
Newark International Airport (Tuesday, Thursday,
Saturday and Sunday) at 9:15am and arrives in
Grand Cayman at 1:15pm. The return flight departs
at 2:00pm and arrives in New York at 6:00pm. For
more details contact your travel agent or the
airline directly.
Air
Canada provides direct twice-weekly service
to Grand Cayman from Toronto on Sunday and on
Wednesday. Flying southbound Air Canada’s flight
972 departs Toronto at 10:45 AM and arrives in
Grand Cayman at 3:05 p.m. Northbound flight 973
departs Grand Cayman at 4:05 p.m. and arrives
in Toronto at 8:05 PM.
British
Airways offers service four times weekly Boeing
777 service from London (Heathrow) to Grand Cayman
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
with an intermediate stop in Nassau, Bahamas.
Air
Jamaica and Cayman Airways offer regular service
to Kingston, Jamaica and Montego Bay. Islena connects
Grand Cayman with La Ceiba, Honduras, and Cubana
Airlines offers weekly flights from Grand Cayman
to Havana.
A number of charter flights also operate from
various US cities and Canada year-round.
Entry Requirements
United States, British, Canadian citizens as well
as citizens of British Dependent Territories Do
Not Require passports, but must present proof
of Citizenship and a return or ongoing airline
ticket. Note: a Voter's Registration Card or a
Social Security Card is not considered valid proof
of US citizenship and is therefore not valid Identification
for re-entry into the United States. Proof of
Citizenship include:
Passport or Birth certificate with a raised seal
&
Photo Id (i.e. Driver's License)
* Photocopies of Birth Certificates need to have
the copy notarized by a Notary Republic.
Commonwealth citizens, and citizens of the following
countries must have passports but do not require
Visas to enter the Cayman Islands:
Andorra Argentina Austria Bahrain
Belgium Brazil Chile Costa Rica
Denmark Ecuador El Salvador Finland
France Germany Greece Guatemala
Iceland Irish Republic Israel Italy
Japan Kuwait Liechtenstein Luxembourg
Mexico Monaco Netherlands Norway
Oman Panama Peru Portugal
San Merino Saudi Arabia Spain Sweden
Switzerland Venezuela
All other countries not noted above should contact
the nearest British Consulate or High Commission
Office to inquire about entry requirements or
receive applications for Visas. Entry is granted
for up to six months. Resident aliens of the US
who show a valid US Alien Registration Card (green
card) may be permitted to enter and remain in
the Cayman Islands for up to 30 days.
For Specific Questions regarding entry into the
Cayman Islands contact the Cayman Islands Department
of Immigration: (345) 949-8052
Upon arrival please keep the pink Immigration
slip given to you! This is our equivalent of a
tourist identification card. Visitors should keep
it with their travel documents and present it
when departing. Anyone who wishes to extend their
stay after arrival must visit the Department of
Immigration and obtain an extension and may be
asked to show proof of financial resources to
permit an extension.
Departure Tax: There is a CI $20.00 or US$25.00
departure tax for the Cayman Islands that is included
in the price of your airline ticket.
Getting Around
Taxis
Taxis are available at Owen Roberts International
Airport on Grand Cayman and offer a fixed rate
per vehicle or per person to all points on Grand
Cayman. This information is available from the
taxi dispatcher at the curb. Hotel vans cannot
provide courtesy arrival pickup at the airport.
Taxis are also readily available from all resorts
.
The bus terminal is located adjacent the Public
Library on Edward St. in downtown George Town
and serves as the dispatch point for buses to
all districts. Daily service starts at 6 a.m.
from the depot and the schedule is as follows
from George Town to:
West Bay - every 15 minutes, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.,
Sunday - Thursday; 6 a.m. - midnight, Fri. &
Sat. Fare is CI$1.50 each way.
Bodden Town - Every 30 minutes, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.,
Sunday- Thurs.; 6 a.m. - midnight, Fri. &
Sat. Fare is CI$1.50 each way.
East End and North Side - Every hour, 6 a.m. -
9 p.m., Sunday - Thurs. and Saturday. On Friday,
buses will operate until after Midnight. Fare:
CI$2 each way.
Rental Cars
Driving in the Caymans is on the left side of
the road. The law also requires mandatory wearing
of seat belts. In order to rent a car, you must
obtain a temporary drivers license from the police
station or car rental agency, easily granted upon
presenting a valid drivers licence from their
home state, county. The fee is US$7.50. You must
be 21 to rent a car in the Cayman Islands, and
some rental agencies' insurance will not cover
renters under 25. Check with your rental company
in advance to determine.
Many major rental car companies are located in
Cayman, as well as a number of local agencies.
A variety of models of rental cars are available,
most with right hand drive. Rentals are also available
on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, mostly jeeps
and 4 wheel drives.
Mopeds and scooters are also available on Grand
Cayman and Cayman Brac. Riders are required by
law to wear a helmet at all times. Remember to
stay on the left. Average daily rate is US$25
which includes helmet and permit.
Vistor Tips
Dress
Most restaurants require shoes and shirts, and
shorts instead of long pants are generally acceptable.
Some of the upscale restaurants may require slacks
for evening dinner. Please do not wear bathing
suits or "skimpy" beach wear beyond
the beach or cruise ship. Note that there are
no nude beaches in the Cayman Islands and that
public nudity and topless bathing are prohibited
by law.
Electricity
The Cayman Islands use the same electrical standards
as the USA - 110 volts, 60 Hz.
Water
Public water in the Cayman Islands is safe. All
hotels and condos, and most restaurants and private
homes are connected to the city water supply.
The water is pumped from the sea and then purified
by reverse osmosis. |
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