There are countless reasons to visit the Cayman Islands on a Caribbean dive vacation, but the three main ones are the islands themselves—Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. So how do you know which island matches your dive vacation style? If you want a getaway that is equal parts underwater excitement and topside fun—whether traveling alone, with your dive buddy, or with family or friends—cosmopolitan Grand Cayman offers endless adventure and activities above and below water, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. Cayman Brac is a delightful mix of natural beauty, quiet spots and adventure-filled possibilities—rock climbing, hiking and cave exploration—plus a nice selection of hotels and restaurants. Prefer total tranquility? You’ll be surrounded by unhurried bliss on Little Cayman so that you can focus on diving or snorkeling to your heart’s content.

Which island suits your vacation personality? This guide can help you find the perfect match.

Grand Cayman: Something for Everyone

What It’s Known For: The largest and most developed of the Cayman Islands, visitor-friendly Grand Cayman is vibrant, sophisticated and lovely. It offers a mix of luxury resorts, cozy guesthouses, family-friendly condos, dive resorts, local hotspots—and of course, breathtaking diving.

Don’t let the beachy vibe of Grand Cayman lull you into thinking the island’s reefs are as flat as the island. Yes, there are shallow, sunny coral gardens that are a delight to explore, but just offshore are the awe-inspiring dropoffs, canyons and swim-throughs that are the stuff of dive legend on an island that’s considered the birthplace of recreational scuba diving (the late Bob Soto, a pioneer in the scuba industry, opened the first dive shop in the Caribbean on Grand Cayman in 1957). Whether you’re diving the North Wall, West End or East End, the underwater topography is truly mind-blowing at sites such as Orange Canyon, Trinity Caves, White Stroke Canyon and Cinderella’s Castle. These sites offer intricate mazes and tunnels, recesses in the wall and canyons that are lushly adored with corals, sea fans and sponges and home to horse-eye jacks, tarpon, yellowtail snappers and turtles. A mere 800 yards off Seven Mile Beach lies one of the island’s most iconic and requested dive sites—the wreck of the ex-USS Kittiwake, a decommissioned rescue submarine. Its shallow depth and protected location make this beautiful wreck appropriate for any skill level.

You’ll run out of vacation days before you run out of things to do on Grand Cayman. Watersports abound on Seven Mile Beach, where you can also kick back and relax. Rum Point is another popular beach area with amenities including a restaurant and bar. At world-famous Stingray City, you can dive in shallow water while southern stingrays swirl about you. Plan a nighttime snorkel at Bioluminescent Bay to witness phytoplankton that glows. Young and old alike will love a visit to the Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Center that offers swimming alongside green sea turtles and a fun “Turtle Twister” waterslide.

The perfect island for: Families who want a fun-filled beach holiday, singles who enjoy nightlife and large groups that include nondivers.

Cayman Brac: Laid-Back Adventure

What It’s Known For: Stay in a dive resort, guesthouse or boutique hotel on laid-back Cayman Brac and get easy access to the island’s dramatic landscape—both topside and underwater. In addition to the diving, this island punches up the adventure with cave exploring and hiking.

Cayman Brac is surrounded by stellar wall diving off both coasts. Off the north side, sand chutes lead to the drop-off at 50 feet and the wall is a profusion of big barrel, strawberry and vase sponges. The southern wall is a sheer dropoff topped by a spur-and-groove reef. The fabled 330-foot Russian warship, the MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts, is visited by barracudas that patrol the bridge and upper decks and grouper shelter in the hull. Strawberry Sponge Wall could have been named for any of the sponges found on the drop-off, including the strawberry vase sponges that give this lovely site its name. Wilderness Wall is a dramatic drop-off with an immense pinnacle rising to within 100 feet of the surface. Here, turtles and stingrays often glide by, alongside snappers, groupers and jacks. Elkhorn Forest features crowds of tiny juvenile reef fish and beautiful stands of elkhorn coral.

The Bluff is the iconic limestone crag that rises 140 feet above the sea on Cayman Brac’s eastern tip. Only experienced climbers with specialized gear should attempt to climb the Bluff’s rock face, but there are other trails that visitors can hike, including the Lighthouse Footpath that runs along the top of the Bluff. You’ll be treated to breathtaking coastal views. The Parrot Preserve allows a glimpse into a protected parrot habitat along its two-mile trail. Hikers can follow the Hemmington Road Hiking Trail through endemic woodland. There are a number of galleries featuring the work of local artisans. Getting around the island is easy too—you can rent a car, moped or scooter.

The perfect island for: Nature lovers seeking an off-the-beaten-path experience. You’ll discover a haven of lush forests, caves and hiking trails as well as amazing gifts of nature underwater.

Little Cayman: Paradise Found

What It’s Known For: The smallest of the Cayman Islands, Little Cayman is a tranquil paradise with dive resorts, guesthouses and boutique hideaways as well as pristine diving and snorkeling sites. You’ll find your inner Zen whether you’re underwater or topside.

As soon as you settle in on Little Cayman, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into an island-sized tropical spa created by nature. This tranquil island offers visitors a serene escape from all the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives. Underwater, though, you’ll find excitement and prolific marine life on two walls—Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson Bight. These walls intersect at a site named Mixing Bowl, which offers a parade of jacks, chromis, snappers and grunts that swirl about you and a kaleidoscopic profusion of corals and sponges. The site also features a number of exploration-worthy swim-throughs. At Marilyn’s Cut, you can drop into two enormous crevices in the reef. Enter Cumber’s Caves in 50 feet of water from one of four entrances and exit at 100 feet to find a wall carpeted by corals and sponges. Putting on a show are turtles, rays, jacks, snapper, lobsters and even sometimes sharks. Little Cayman dive operators also take guests to sites off Cayman Brac, including the Tibbetts wreck.

It's easy to immerse yourself in the island’s sleepy and sweet pace of life (on roadways, iguanas have the right of way), but there are some fascinating places to discover during your surface intervals. Owen Island is a beachy escape in South Hole Lagoon that experienced kayakers can access—park your kayak and either explore the island on foot or snorkel in its shallows. Booby Pond Nature Reserve and Rookery has a resident colony of red-footed boobies. This is also the exclusive breeding site for the island’s magnificent frigatebirds. Point of Sand is an uncrowded and lovely beach on the island’s eastern end. And before you leave, be sure to swing by the Hungry Iguana for a cold beer!

The perfect island for: Divers who love solitude. Secluded and peaceful, Little Cayman delivers total rejuvenation of the mind, body and spirit—and, of course, fantastic diving.

No matter which island you choose, you’ll find sublime wall diving, exciting wrecks, tropical weather, 100 ft+ visibility and warm water, plus award-winning dive resorts and operators. All you have to do is consider your vacation preferences and then choose which island will give you the dive getaway of your dreams.

Contact Info:

Visit Cayman Islands (visitcaymanislands.com)