Dive Review of Indigo Divers/Beachcomber in
Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman

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Indigo Divers/Beachcomber, Jul, 2009, by Adam, ma, usa ( 1 report). Report 4929.
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	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Heading into our Grand Cayman trip we didn't quite know what to expect. Ive been diving in the Caribbean now for 7 years, and my father has been diving there for 25+ years, so its safe to say we've seen much of what the area has to offer as far as marine life goes. We've also expanded our diving to the Indopacific, so its always tough to choose to dive in the Caribbean over some of the other locations we've visited more recently. However, we headed to the Cayman Islands due to its proximity to home and because my nondiver mother and brother were joining us. We found Indigo Divers thru undercurrents as we searched for a small dive operator that offered a more personal experience and that catered more to the experience level of each diver. Kate and Chris, owners of Indigo Divers, have a small boat that holds only six divers max. Despite its size, I found it rather comfortable. There is plenty of storage space for gear, dry space for towels, shoes etc, and the boats are fast. We departed every morning (and Kate is willing to pick divers up at their hotel) before the larger dive operators so I found that we always had our choice of dive site. As a result, we did not dive the same site twice throughout the entire trip. Departing early also meant we returned early, around 1130 each day, which gave my father and me time to spend with my mother and brother on the beach each afternoon. I really loved the diving and to date it probably rivals Bonaire as my favorite Caribbean location. We saw a huge hammerhead shark, reef shark, nurse shark, plenty of turtles and eagle rays, and a new apricot sea slug. I also found and photographed a Gaudy Clown Crab that I had previously never seen as well. The corals also seemed relatively healthy considering the amount of diving and development going on on the island, so the dive sites were enjoyable for more than just their fish life because the topography offered up by the coral structures was very nice. Kate and Chris did an excellent job of seeking out the small, macro subjects that my father and I love to photograph. Small crustaceans, jawfish, and plenty of juvenille drums were some of their cool finds, and I know we really appreciated them pointing out the critters for our photography. Our dive times and profiles were also not so strictly monitored, which made our photography easier as we either slowed down our pace behind the group or altered out depths. The professionalism of the pair was further demonstrated by their handling of my fathers violation of no deco limits which sent him into an extended 20 min deco stop. I first shared my air with my father at the stop but Kate insisted I surface. She remained at the stop with my father for the remaining 15 min while I ate cookies and relaxed topside. I also want to mention that we had the extremely rare opportunity, at least as far as the Cayman's go, to get up close and personal with a very friendly 7-8 ft manta ray. As I stood on my hotel balcony after diving one day I noticed a shadow in the water. Expecting it to simply be a sting ray I wandered out and was surprised to find a manta in 3-5 ft of water. he was in no hurry and allowed both my father and I to capture video and stills as he made his way slowly from the beachcomber hotel to the ritz. it was truly an amazing experience. I must also recommend doing a night dive at Turtle Reef. the topography of the wall there was very cool with lots of places for invertebrate life to hide. TOns of channel clinging crabs, a purplemouth moray, and a spanish slipper lobster during the night dive. definitely recommended! and its a shore dive! easy entry right at macabuco restaurant, and if your're lucky there will be live music waiting for you when you end your dive. So, overall it was a fantastic trip. I feel like I saw something new on each and every dive. Our fellow divers for the most part were interesting and experienced. Our divemasters were extrmely friendly, professional, and fun. the island offered much more to do than just dive...so my mother and brother enjoyed the trip as much as my father and I did. And I got to spend a week with hammerheads, eagle rays, mantas, and turtles. Not bad! I definitely recommend this trip and Indigo Divers for those seeking a great Caribbean SCUBA get-away.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Papua New Guinea, BVI, Florida Keys, Southern California, Indonesia, Hawaii, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Bonaire, Curacao,
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	84-84°F / 29-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Kate and Chris, our divemasters set some restrictions on dive time and depth but for the most part we were really quite free to do what we pleased as far as our profiles were concerned.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 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	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Despite the lack of a rinse tank on board our dive boat, I found that the subject matter more than made up for this. Almost every dive offered amazing opportunities to get great pictures. I came out with awesome pics of eagle rays and a variety of other marine life.

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Dive Review of Indigo Divers/Beachcomber in Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman

Indigo Divers/Beachcomber, Jul, 2009,

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 Indigo Divers/Beachcomber in
Cayman Islands/Grand Cayman