Dive
Centers & Accommodations
General
Information
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
Check
out a sample of Caymans
Dive Sites
Getting
There
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
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.
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.
Travel
Tips
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.
Language
English is spoken on all three
islands. The dialect of Caymanians
is somewhat of a mixture of
American southern drawl, English
slur with a Scottish lilt
to punctuate.
Money
The local currency, the Cayman
Islands dollar, is equivalent
to US $1.25. American currency
is generally accepted as are
major credit cards. Banking
hours are 9 am to 2:30 pm
Monday through Thursday, and
9 am to 1 pm, and 2 pm to
4:30 pm on Friday. The departure
tax when leaving Cayman is
US $12.50.
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 .
Bus
Service
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.
Sopeds/Scooters
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.
Shopping
Cayman is a duty-free destination
which means many exciting
opportunities for you to save
on such things as watches,
china and crystal, perfumes
and fine jewelry on Grand
Cayman and at a few stores
on Cayman Brac. Prices on
perfume, watches and select
luxury items may be as much
as 30% less expensive here.
In
addition to traditional duty
free selections, varied and
interesting shopping--from
chic European fashions to
outstanding local art--delights
visitors in speciality stores,
hotel boutiques and shopping
plazas.
You'll
find a small variety of Caribbean
crafts and products including
crochet work, paintings and
sketches of Caribbean scenes,
thatch work, pepper sauces,
Caymanite (the islands' own
semiprecious stone), jewelry,
sculpture and wood carvings.
Most of the items are made
in Jamaica, not in the Caymans.
Antiques and treasure-coin
jewelry attract an enthusiastic
clientele, though these items
can be expensive. You may
see items made from black
coral and sea-turtle products,
but we urge you not to buy
them: Both the coral and the
turtles are endangered, and
each sale encourages more
of these rare species to be
harvested (the gathering of
black coral is done in the
waters of other countries
-- it's prohibited in the
Caymans). Turtle products
are illegal in most countries.
Tipping
Many of the hotels and restaurants
automatically add a 10% to
15% gratuity on to the bill,
others do not. Be sure to
examine your bill.
Drinking
Age
The legal age for alcohol
consumption is a minimum of
18 years old. It is a serious
offence to drink and drive.
The legal limit is under .01.
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.
Medical
Facilities
Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac
have a full complement of
modern medical facilities,
including government run hospitals.
Private medical centres are
in Grand Cayman with a 911
emergency service. Medivac
services to the U.S.A. can
be arranged when necessary.
Vaccinations are not mandatory.
Time
Zone
The Cayman Islands are on
Eastern Standard Time all
year long.
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