The Grand Cayman scuba diving operator, Don Foster’s, doesn’t just want you to have fun on one of their guided dives — they want you to become a better diver by the end.
Specifically, this dive team wants to share the tiny tricks for spotting the reefs’ macro wonders. In other words, they love pointing out cool critters and teaching divers how to find this marine life so that the next time they go diving anywhere in the world, they know how and where to look. Even longtime Grand Cayman divers might be surprised to learn that pygmy frogfish the size of a pinkie nail call these reefs home. They dwell on the sand near algae patches. Without guidance, it’s possible to swim past them hundreds of times without ever seeing them. Pipefish, pipehorses and seahorses can all be found on Grand Cayman. So, too, can the Atlantic long-armed octopus. The sand flats reveal yellow-headed jawfish, sometimes with eggs in their mouths. Divers can also see the banded jawfish, right in front of the Don Foster’s shop, atop the hardpan. With the banded jawfish, divers can occasionally see eggs large enough that it’s possible to spy the tiny fish inside.
Courtesy of Don Foster’s Dive CaymanDon Foster’s Dive Cayman also takes you to the USS Kittiwake, one of the best-known wreck dives in the Caribbean, if not the world.
The dive staff also likes to point out and explain fish behavior. If divers understand marine life behavior, they’re more likely to stay in one spot, watching an animal longer, and that allows them to witness things that not many people do. Understanding the clues and signs can mean observing fish or octopus mating—not everyday occurrences, but common enough. Most people will miss these things. They’re all happening at Casuarina Point Reef, the shore dive site in front of Don Foster’s dive center, adjacent to Devil’s Grotto. The shop is just half a mile south of George Town, making it easily accessible.
To take divers to sites across Grand Cayman, Don Foster’s has two dive boats, typically running one a day with small groups of no more than 12 for their morning two-tank trips. Afternoon trips are also available. Boat trips allow long bottom times, provided every diver stays within their dive computer limits. All divers must wear a dive computer. Rental gear comes with a computer, and they’re also available to rent separately. All dives are guided, but divers can explore on their own as well.
Of course, Don Foster’s also offers guided shore dives in Grand Cayman, their specialty. Guided shore dives give the staff more time to connect with divers and point out even more wonders.
Courtesy of Don Foster’s Dive CaymanDon Foster’s offers boat diving to walls and wrecks, scuba instruction, and day- and nighttime shore diving.
They also offer guided night dives for a minimum of two divers. For first-time or veteran night divers, it’s a chance to see different marine life and behavior. Best of all, the guides dive the sites every week and are familiar with the secret lairs of all the good stuff, from frogfish to octopuses. They know where the creatures are and what they are doing. It’s not magic, but it may very well seem like it.
Another offering that feels like magic is the black water night dive. With this unique experience, Don Foster’s takes the boat out over deep water. Divers stay shallow and wait as critters from the deep migrate to the surface. Guests see things most people will only dream of. Divers hover in the black water as clear, bioluminescent and oddly shaped creatures rise from the abyss. It’s akin to being in outer space.
One such fish that might appear is the tripod fish, a resident of the deep benthic regions. It has three ultralong fin extensions that allow it to rest on the seafloor. Divers have also seen the whale fish—not a whale, but a whale-shaped fish. It’s a bloated-looking creature, ruddy orange in color with no visible eyes. Paralava octopuses, shortfin squid and ribbon fish have all been spotted as well. Every night is different, with a unique parade of oddities on display.
Courtesy of Don Foster’s Dive CaymanThe black water night dive offers the chance to see new underwater creatures but also the creatures and fish we already know but in their larval or juvenile phase.
For divers who want to take their training to the next level, Don Foster’s has an oceanside pool for conducting confined water training dives. To complete open-water dives, divers need only walk out of the pool and a few steps into the ocean.
Whether someone is joining Don Foster’s for instruction, a guided shore dive or the black water night dive, it becomes quickly clear that this team works out of a desire to spread their passion for the reefs and their wild, incredible inhabitants.
Contact
345-938-4000
