Happy Hump Day!
I apologize for getting this out so late. I created the youtube video last week but I didn’t get a chance to finish with my follow up to the video. So I will do my best to have any questions you may have answered here!
When we pulled into Grand Cayman the Seas were pretty rough. We had heard all over the ship that the snorkeling excursions that were done through the cruiseline had been cancelled. Once we hopped on our tender (Grand Cayman is a tender port) you could see why. The seas were pretty choppy.
Once we arrived online, I called Budget and they told us to walk over to the Hard Rock for the Shuttle pick up. It was only about a half mile walk so it wasn’t bad at all. Once we arrived at the facility across from the airport, I decided to purchase the extra insurance and a GPS (best $10 I’ve ever spent). We ended up with a Ford Expedition. The total cost averaged out to $30 per person inclusive of rental and gas.
We set out to Starfish Point. Starfish point was awesome! It was just down the road from Rum Point and was a little secluded beach. There were literally starfish everywhere. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t be taking the starfish out of the water for any reason. It is not good for them. We spent about 20 minutes here. You could definitely snorkel here but it is pretty shallow.
Once we arrived at Rum Point the real adventure began. Before the cruise, I had researched some snorkel spots for the trip. I came across this great article on Testudo’s Snorkel Guide blog. He has great maps, photos and suggestions for snorkeling different parts of Grand Cayman. He wrote about these coral gardens and barrier reefs that Rum Point had so that’s what we ended up deciding on.
This is his blog: http://snorkelblog.tumblr.com/
The water was still pretty choppy on this side but not as bad as the Georgetown side. Keep in mind that this area is on the North side of the island. Rum Point is privately owned so they don’t allow outside food and beverage. They have a bar/restaurant on site. There is also a Red Sail Sports if you wanted to rent equipment, go waverunning, etc.
My brother in law, friend and I headed out to the sea with snorkel equipment in tow. We were only able to make it out to the coral gardens area because of the current. I tried twice to get out further to the reef but it was just very strong. The coral gardens did not disappointment. We saw everything from beautiful corals, colored fish, turtles and sting rays. Since we all had our own equipment, this was much more cost efficient than the excursions and we were on our own time.
I really want to go back to Grand Cayman and do the full drift snorkel from the guide above. It was an absolutely beautiful day and I enjoyed this a lot more versus when I have just stayed in Georgetown before. Don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path. Even driving on the other side of the road wasn’t that bad and it was a beautiful 30 minute drive each way!
Get out and explore!
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