Dive Review of Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point in
Cayman Islands

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Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point, Feb, 2005, by John Wycoff, MI, USA . Report 1658.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Grand Cayman Island was struck by Hurricane Ivan on September 12, 2004. This category 5 hurricane brought tremendous damage to most of the island. We were on the island when it struck and returned in late January, 2005. The change in the island over that 4 month period was truely remarkable. Although you could see the damage of Ivan, most of the island looked great. Compass Point condominiums were in nearly perfect condition. Some reconstruction was still on going but was never an issue for the guests. These condominiums are all ocean front with large spacious balconies overlooking the ocean just steps away. Our 2 bedroom unit had nearly 1200 square feet of room and was furnished in beautiful colors and with great furniture. Large kitchens with corian countertops, dishwasher, refrigerator with ice maker, stove with range and microwave. A washer and dryer are found in each unit and allowed us to bring much less clothing (who needs many clothes when the weather each day is in the low-mid 80's with no rain!). Our ocean-side bedroom had a patio door opening onto the balcony. Each bathroom was spacious with a jacuzzi bath tub. What a luxury! Three televisions, DVD player and stereo are in each unit. Daily maid service and clean plush towels and bathrobes were an unexpected luxury. Ocean Frontiers is a true 5-star dive operation. We have had the opportunity to dive all over the world and have never seen the detail to service and pride of diving as exhibited by the entire Ocean Frontier's dive staff. From the minute you book your stay and diving over the Internet with Lesley, to the greeting you receive from Fraser or Simon at the front desk, you feel important. Every member of the Ocean Frontiers staff will know your name by the second day of your stay. You drop off your dive gear when you arrive and OF places your gear into a secure room tagged with your name. Each morning you will find your gear already set up on the dive boat and ready to be used. Any request you need will be dealt with in a quick fashion. The dive sites of the East End are only 3 to 20 minutes from the dock. A through briefing, complete with detailed diagrams, are given by the competent dive staff before each dive. Extreme care is taken by the staff to insure that each diver enjoys there dive experience, no matter what their level of experience should be. It is by far and away the most professional dive operation we have ever had the privilege of diving with. The reefs on the East End of the Cayman Islands are truly spectacular. No signficant damage from the hurricanes this past year can be seen. The intricate swim throughs along with incredible wall diving makes this dive destination a must for any serious diver. The fish life from the small critters to 10 foot reef sharkes are spectacular. A large number of lobsters, crabs, turtles, angel fish and all the usually carribean fish are in abundance in the waters of the Cayman Islands. Water temperature with around 80 degrees with visability around 100 feet each and every day. We did experience a failry constant wind which is typical of this time of year, so we spend much of our dive time on the leeward south side of the island. A couple to days we did venture to the north side (20 - 30 minutes from the dock) for some more great diving. Ocean Frontiers has two dive boats. The Ocean Hawk is a 40 foot V-hulled dive boat with a large dive platform and two ladders to ease you way back onto the boat. A clean water bucket is available for your camera equipment along with a dedicated camera counter. This boat can carry 12 divers for two-tank dives very comfortably. You can sit on the bow of the boat and enjoy the ride with you feet hanging over the edge. A head in on each boat. The other boat is a catamarran style boat named the Nauti-Cat. It is an older boat but very adequate for diving. Although it is a little slower that Ocean Hawk, it functions quite well. It also can handle 12 divers for a two-tank dive without problem and also is easy to get on and off of. After your diving is complete there is plenty to do at Compass Point. The beach is great with plenty of chaise lounges available to let you sun bathe to your heart's content. A pool with new large surrounding deck will allow you to "cool-off" after a difficult afternoon. Bicycles are avaiable at no charge is you want to take a ride around the island. Kayaks are available for those who seek new challenges. There is very little traffic around this side of the island so a slow gentle walk either along the road or ocean side can provide a great end to a great day. A restuarant with fast food (hamburgers, chicken & pizza) is located just across the street. Several fine restuarants are located just a few minutes via car from the resort. If you plan to visit Grand Cayman, be sure and check out the East End. We have dove for many years on the West and North sides of Grand Cayman. Although the diving in these areas is very good, it pales by comparison to the diving available on the east side. If you are looking for a premier dive destination, with some of the best accomadations available anywhere, with incredible diving and a dive operator that is second to none, then Compass Point and Ocean Frontiers is the place for you. Have a great trip!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Playacar, St. Lucia, Maiu and Kona
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-125 Ft/ 23-38 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Ocean Frontiers dive staff gave a dive briefing before each dive, but each diver was allowed to dive their own profile if they had a dive computer.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	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	We attended the "Digi-jam 2005" which was a Cayman Island competetion for underwater digital photography. This one week yealry event had many of the top underwater photographers from around the world along with beginners competeing for a wide array of great prizes. At Ocean Frontiers, nightly instruction of digital photography was given. These 1 to 2 hour classes provided tremendous instruction for the beginner or accomplished underwater photographer. This is a tremendous event and one that any serious digital photographer should put on their list to attend!

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Dive Review of Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point in Cayman Islands

Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point, Feb, 2005,

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 Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point in
Cayman Islands