Dive Review of Divetech/Cobalt Coast in
Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman

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Divetech/Cobalt Coast, Jul, 2014, by Derek Tan, NY, US ( Reviewer 5 reports). Report 7685.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Our second visit to DiveTech and Cobalt Coast, the first having been 10 years ago on our first ever summer dive trip. The dive operation is as professional as ever, with excellent briefings, attention to safety, and friendly, helpful staff all around. During my first visit as a novice in 2004, I only got to dive the North Wall once, so it was great to be able to see it every day on this trip. First dive was on the wall at approx 100 ft, returning along the top of the reef at 40-60 ft depending on the site. Second dive was on a shallow reef at 40-60 ft. Visibility varied a bit by site and day, ranging from 'average' to 'very good'. Water was a consistent 86 °F on my computer, with people diving in rashguards up to 3mm full suits. 60 min max for both dives, and nitrox available at 31-32%, as well as 100's. You can follow the guide or dive your own buddy pairs. When there are 10 or more divers, they put two divemasters in the water, which is very helpful for addressing different skill levels and other issues that may arise. One divemaster spotted a series of leaks in my HP hose, for which I was very thankful, while another hung out with me and my father under the boat on one dive where we had a ripping current, and we still saw lots of good stuff. If your buddy uses air faster than you, you can hang out under the boat with the group while your buddy heads up to his/her safety stop. On the wall, there is interesting topography with swimthrus and pinnacles to explore. Reefs are in pretty good shape, with both large fish and juveniles to be seen, although only a few large schools. Over the course of my 11 dives, there was plenty of good subject matter with several green morays out swimming, some large balloonfish, a 6-ft eagle ray, Southern stingray, yellow stingray, lobsters, 2-ft groupers & snappers, and a couple turtles, including a big beefy 5-ft green on our last dive. Got some nice GoPro videos of a green moray being cleaned, a 2-ft balloonfish being cleaned, and a yellowhead jawfish venturing out of it's hole. Also got shots of all of the usual Caribbean reef fish to start showing my young daughter. We did a 1-tank PM dive on the Kittiwake, which was fantastic with lots of great photo opportunities, interesting penetration thru Shaft Alley, and very little particulates floating around - apparently it got a good scrubbing by a recent hurricane. We also did a 1-tank at Stingray City, which was as fun as last time, with lots of up-close interaction. Both briefings were excellent, with lots of educational details about the wreck and stingrays, respectively. At Cobalt Coast, Arie still runs an excellent, hospitable operation and the facilities are in good shape and the air-conditioning and ceiling fans quite effective, especially important in the heat of the summer. Food at the restaurant was tasty, especially all of the Mahi Mahi dishes (sandwich, tacos, fish & chips), and service was very good as well. Again, all of the staff were quite friendly and responsive. Wifi is free but speeds varied greatly and I had trouble connecting a few times. The only downside is that this resort really caters specifically to divers. For non-divers (which my wife was on this trip), there is a small pool, small sandy area (not a beach - it's an iron shore), snorkeling off the dock, but not much else. The resort did not get a lot of breeze in the courtyard, so it was extremely hot during the day. A rental car is a must if you want to be able to spend some time enjoying the beautiful Seven Mile Beach and exploring restaurants, such as the Wharf where we had a nice meal overlooking the tarpon feeding. Final note, both DT and CC use a fixed 1.25 exchange rate for USD/KYD, versus the actual 1.22 rate. It's a wash for those with foreign exchange fees on their credit cards but for those with higher end cards that do not have such fees, you may be able to save a few bucks by paying in KYD, although I didn't do it myself.
Websites	Divetech Cobalt Coast
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire, Curacao, Grand Cayman, Heron Island, Kauai, Key Largo, Kona, Little Cayman, Lanai, Maui, Roatan, Saba, St. Martin, Turks & Caicos
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	86-86°F / 30-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	130 ft & 60 minutes; can follow the guide or dive in your own buddy pairs
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Large camera bucket and large table for general gear on boat. Large camera bucket at shop.

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Dive Review of Divetech/Cobalt Coast in Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman

Divetech/Cobalt Coast, Jul, 2014,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Divetech/Cobalt Coast in
Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman