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Dive Review of Conch Club Divers/Paradise Villas in
Cayman Islands/Little Cayman

Conch Club Divers/Paradise Villas, Jun, 2006,

by Rhonda VanSpeybroeck, IL, USA . Report 2563.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was our fifth trip to Little Cayman, but the first time we visited in the summer months. We arrived on June 9th and the weather had been bad for several days due to the first tropical depression of the season. The wind was so strong on the 10th that the dive boat did not go out, so we started diving with Conch Club Divers on the 11th and continued to dive every day for eight days. The weather continually improved and was very nice for all but the first couple of days.
Conch Club Divers is a very professional and well run operation with a small but very knowledgeable and friendly staff. They picked ss up promptly each morning from Paradise Villas for the short 2-3 minute ride to the dock and the dive boat. They had a very nice boat that would accommodate up to 16 divers, but usually had less than that. There was a camera table , but no camera holding bucket.
Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson Bay on the island's North side hold most of the island's dive sites. As most all of the accommodations are on the South side there is a short (15 min.) boat ride around the island each morning. The first dive of the day is profiled for up to 100 ft. Divers are allowed to do their own profile within this depth and a 60 minute maximum time. There is a 45 minute surface interval and then a second dive with a 60 ft max. depth and another 60 minute max. time. The boat is back to the dock by noon so divers can get lunch and head out for an afternoon dive around 1:30pm. Conch Club Divers requires a minimum of 4 divers to do the afternoon dive. They do not do any night diving, but can help you arrange this with other operations on the island.
Little Cayman is our favorite dive destination and the only one to which we have returned. The number and variety of fish is remarkable and the architecture and life on the wall is superb. There are always numerous turtles and an occasional eagle ray, nurse shark and reef shark to be seen during our trip. Sometimes there is a seahorse or two, but these are rare. It is also easy diving. There is rarely a current and the wall makes navigation easy. Visibility is usually 100 ft or better. There are numerous swim thrus.
We had stayed at Paradise Villas on each and every trip to Little Cayman. There are 12 villas, each with a bedroom, bathroom and small living area and kitchenette. These are very nice, but it is the porch that keeps us coming back. Each villa has a porch overlooking the ocean. We sit on the porch every morning for breakfast and again for lunch, enjoying the serenity and beauty.
The Hungry Iguana restaurant is located on the grounds and is a great place for dinner. They serve lunch also, but we prefer to fix our own lunch and eat on the porch. Dinner reservations can be made at some of the othr resorts, but the Hungry Iguana is the only open seating restaurant on the island.
When we want to tour the island, we jump on the bicycles provided for each villa and take off on our journey. Rarely would it be necessary to rent a vehicle on this small 10 mile by 1 mile island. Point of Sand is a very nice beach on the east end of the island and is a great snorkeling location. It is a little too far for the bicycles, but transportation can be arranged through Marc or Sabine, the resort managers. There is also a bird sanctuary to visit and many large iguanas to see along most roads.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Jamaica, Saba, St. John, British Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Belieze, Turks and Caicos, Grand Cayman, Bahama live aboard, Fiji, Grenada, St. Thomas, Dominica, St. Lucia
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas noCurrents
Water Temp 82-0°F / 28--18°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions First dive to 100 feet for no longer than one hour. Second dive to no more than 60 feet for one hour.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Camera table but no holding tank for between dives.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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