On the advice of a former boss, Gary Frost, owner of Living the Dream Diving in Grand Cayman, embarked on his life’s career in the water sport of diving.

“I was a terrible chef in England and an even worse cocktail bartender,” he says. “My boss suggested I take some time off and go on vacation to Spain. I had no idea what I was going to do there, so he suggested I learn to dive.

Frost picked up a brochure for a PADI dive center and booked the open water course. “After that, I was completely obsessed,” he laughs. This obsession eventually led him to Grand Cayman in 2002 to work full-time in the industry, before eventually opening a dive shop with his wife in 2009.

As a long-time local and industry insider, Frost knows all the best dive sites. “Obviously the Cayman Islands are known for boat diving,” he says. However, Frost points out that locals primarily use the shore-based diving facilities and believes visitors would also enjoy the experience if they knew where to go and how to do it.

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Frost says shore diving on Grand Cayman is easy and convenient, “unlike other places where you have to look for a marker on the side of the road, park your Jeep unattended and drag your gear onto the beach.”

In comparison, Grand Cayman’s shore-based dive sites are largely accessible near restaurants and bars or from designated grounds that are typically busy. Many sit next to dive facilities for additional assistance, including navigation advice and rental equipment. “This provides safety and security both in the water and for any personal belongings you leave on shore,” he says, adding “and of course, the shore dives are absolutely spectacular.”

The Cayman Islands offer year-round diving in clear, warm waters. It is not uncommon to enjoy crystal clear visibility of 35 meters on a calm day.

Turtle Reef

Located on the northwest shore of Grand Cayman, this site offers easy access to the water via a ladder system. Also known as Macabuca due to the popular bar and restaurant of the same name, it is one of the most frequented dives by locals on the island, not only for its ease of access, but also for its spectacular array of corals and wildlife thanks to a nutrient-rich current that flows through the island. area.

Divers typically head to the mini-wall located about 200 feet from shore and starting at about 35 feet deep to spot brain and star corals as well as various sponges. This site is home to elephant ear sponges, typically a deep-sea dweller that thrives here due to the topography and current. Night diving reveals basket stars, one of the island’s most precious and fragile reef animals. As for wildlife, watch out for nudibranchs, eels, seahorses, stingrays in the sand below and turtles. Large tarpon and schools of rainbow parrotfish also frequent the area. Divers who surface on the steps of Macabuca Bar can’t help but linger for a bite and a beer.

House at sunset

This site has been acclaimed for the 9-foot-tall mermaid statue located 55 feet below the water’s surface, just ten minutes offshore. Sculpted by Simon Morris, the statue called Amphitrite attracts underwater photographers eager to take a photo of the bronze beauty. There is, however, much more to see, including barrel sponges, schools of angelfish, snapper and barracuda. Pigs, stingrays and conchs can be found in the sandiest places.

A coral restoration project is located at the northern edge of the reef. As its name suggests, this is the home reef of the Sunset House Hotel. As such, amenities include a dive shop, easy ladder entry, secure parking, and restaurants for a post-dive bite or drink.

Devil’s Cave and Eden Rock

Right next to the Georgetown Harbor in the city center is the Devil’s Cave. This shore dive is action-packed for many reasons: easy access to the water via an entry ladder, a unique swim cave and tunnel system. Additional support and equipment are available on site Eden Rock Dive Center.

Swimming through shimmering caves pierced by rays of light through cracks in the rocks above is a surreal experience that changes with each dive. After openings into the labyrinthine cave system, you’ll encounter the optimistic presence of new coral growth as well as angelfish, parrotfish, barracuda, and large schools of silverfish avoiding hungry tarpon.

Eden’s Rock, an adjacent dive and snorkel site, features a reef that extends from the sandy bottom to just ten feet below the water’s surface, allowing for shallow water exploration that is suitable for beginner and intermediate divers . A maximum depth of 50 feet allows you to stretch your tank for a longer bottom duration.

Soto Reef

Living the divers’ dreams occupies the original building used by Bob Soto to open the island’s first dive shop in 1957. The nearby reef, named in honor of Soto, was the home reef of the time as it is today ‘today, providing an ideal location for the center’s training and orientation dives.

Easy access, a shallow depth of 40 feet and a lack of current make it an obvious choice for beginners, but the trevally and tarpon-filled crossings, caverns and tunnels provide endless interest for all experience levels . Macro photographers have plenty to shoot if they can spot small creatures like banded coral shrimp and arrow crabs.

Lighthouse Point Reef

Located on the northwest corner of the island in West Bay, Lighthouse Point is home to a dive operator. Diving technology. The company runs guided tours, day and night dives and rents equipment for this easy-to-access home reef. Well marked for navigation, divers reach a mini wall about 300 feet from shore.

Due to the frequent, nutrient-rich currents, abundant wildlife visits the area, from macro-life to large schools of fish, eagle rays and sometimes hammerhead sharks. Perhaps the site’s most notable attraction is the Guardian of the Reef, another bronze sculpture by Simon Morris cast in 2014. Depicting a mythological creature that is half ancient warrior and half seahorse, the statue represents the importance of marine conservation.

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Sea Fan Reef on the Cobalt Coast

Divetech offers shore diving at its Cobalt Coast location. Divers enter the water using a ladder at the end of the dock to explore exactly what the name suggests: a spectacular mess of sea fans spanning the hard pool leading to a mini wall. The mini-wall starts at 40-50 feet and descends to 65-70 feet along the sandy ground. The topography parallels Turtle Reef and is home to abundant wildlife like snapper and barracuda, as well as occasional sightings of nurse sharks. Also watch out for giant sponges nestled in the deeper channels. A restaurant, dive shop and parking provide security and convenience.