Port #3: Georgetown, Grand Cayman

This is a tender port, and the cruise ships anchor or electronically hover very near the port terminal. The water is crystal clear and azure blue. The coral reefs are close to the shore. Grand Cayman is a low island, much drier and flatter than Haiti or Jamaica. We had a wait for the tender, but that’s a different topic for another post.

Tender boat leaving the ship

We had booked the RCCL Reef and Wreck Snorkel trip and were given the 11:00 tour. We chose this as it was the least expensive of the snorkeling excursions offered, and only lasted  2 hours. We finally got on a tender to the pier and landed at the port terminal area where there are a few shops and a patio bar. There was also a Carnival ship in port that day, so the area was crowded with people trying to find their excursions.

We finally got in the group for our tour and a guide led us out of the port terminal, across the parking lot, and onto the street. No bus was waiting for us. We walked down the street, around a corner and down another block to a different pier area and then onto our boat.

The lower level had a glass bottom with places to sit and watch the underwater sights. The middle deck had bins with the snorkeling equipment, and the upper deck was open to the sun. We got our gear, then went on top and claimed places on the side benches. Our captain talked to us about safety and what we’d be doing on this trip.

The boat moved away from the dock and slowly made its way across the harbor, past the tender pier, close to the shore until he dropped anchor within 200 yards of the tender pier. Underneath was the “wreck” portion of the excursion, a transport boat that had sunk in the harbor about 60 years ago. We got in the water and had about 30 minutes to cover the area.

 

We saw lots of fish, and the wreckage of the boat was interesting. Back on our boat, I realized that I still had on my pedometer. Oh dear. At least it died a scenic death.

We motored west for about 15 minutes, until we were between the cruise ship anchorages and the shore. This is the “reef” portion of the dive. We saw several barracuda and lots of colorful parrotfish, angel fish, and other species of reef fish. The reefs aren’t that pretty, but we saw brain coral and some tube coral.

When time was called, we all got back on the boat for the 20 minute ride past the tender pier to the other dock. Water and a fruit drink were provided, but that was it for the refreshments. The snorkeling equipment was in good shape. Definitely a bare bones operation, but fine for us.

 

We walked down the street from this dock to the Paradise Restaurant for lunch. A nice covered patio looking out over the water was appreciated. A rambling walk back to the port terminal, stopping in the fancy duty-free jewelry, perfume and art stores concluded our stay in Grand Cayman.