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Dive Review of Ocean Frontiers/Morritt's Grand Resort in
Cayman Islands

Ocean Frontiers/Morritt's Grand Resort, Apr, 2011,

by Michael L Lewis, VA, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 6043.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Ocean Frontiers is an outstanding dive operation that is truly service oriented. If you are of the mind, they will provide valet diving for your entire stay - you bring your gear the first day and after that they will haul it to/from the boat, set it up for each dive, and rinse/hang it after the dive. It's as close to being on a live-aboard as you can get while staying on land. The boat captains and dive masters (Maui and Elliot were especially good) provide good site briefs at every location and will either lead your dive or allow you and your buddy to dive your own profile. They go out of their way to please the divers and can fix almost any problem that may arise. As with most places, some sites are better than others but they can all be outstanding under the right conditions. It seemed that the corals and fish life were recovering somewhat this year. While there are not the schools upon schools of reef fish that were there 10 years ago, it was definately improving this year, a trend that will hopefully continue.
Safety is OC's first concern and they do everything in their power to keep divers safe. With all the bad press of divers being left at sea, I watched the boat captain at the end of one dive subtely counting and recounting the divers on board the boat. All the tanks were there but he was missing a body. One person had gone below deck to use the head and you could see the relief in the captain's body language when he saw him come back up on deck because we weren't moving until all were accounted for. This is the norm for OC.
There were several people completing their open water certifications while we were there, our 16 year old niece being one of them, and the instructors take great care in ensuring that the students are not only properly trained but understand how to dive safely and be environmentally responsible. She is the 4th person we have had trained by OC and there has never been even the slightest problem in their training. This is directly due to GM and head instructior TJ Staples - she runs a tight ship and you can count on things being done right. I highly recommend Ocean Fontiers for both beginner and experienced divers.
There is now a resort on site and they have recently completed their 3rd building. We have not stayed there but have talked to several folks that said it was nice. We stayed at the Morritt's Grand which is 5 minutes down the road. We had a 2-bedroom penthouse condo on the water with a full kitchen, dining area, living room, and washer/dryer. Cayman is relatively expensive so we are able to cook a good part of the time and save some restaurant expenses. Having the W/D also cuts down on the clothes we need to haul - a great thing with growing airline fees. One thing to note: each condo is on a seperate utility meter and you will be charged for electric at the end of each week - our weekly bill is usually $120-$150. There is a restaurant on site, 3 pools (two with swim-up bars and hot tubs), a dock bar with entertainment some nights, water sports and enough beach for everyone. We were there for 2 weeks and could have stayed longer. There is also a "strip mall" just down the street that has a small grocery store, a liquer store, a clothing/souvenier shop and a Dunkin' Donuts if you need a fix. Overall, I would recommend Morritt's.
Websites Ocean Frontiers   Morritt's Grand Resort

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-60 Ft/ 15-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Stay above 100 ft, don't go into deco, and have fun.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Not a photographer but there is a seperate rinse bucket for cameras and some table space on all the boats if needed.
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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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