Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Shelby Scott (private charter)/Cayman Breakers Condominiums in
Cayman Islands/Cayman Brac, Little Cayman

Shelby Scott (private charter)/Cayman Breakers Condominiums, Mar, 2003,

by Reis Kayser, IL, USA . Report 453.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments When my three diving friends and I planned this trip to Cayman Brac we looked for a destination that we could dive independently without being part of a large group. After our previous trip to Bonaire we quickly learned to enjoy the non-structured freedom we had while shore diving. Searching the internet and Undercurrent I found a condo in Brac that would accommodate the four of us and a very helpful property manager that referred us to a car rental agency and a charter boat operator. Nina Banks (rbanks@candw.ky) the property manager, assured us that we would get great service from Capitan Shelby Scott and the car rental company.

The accommodations were fantastic. We had a wonderfully appointed 2 bedroom and 2 bath condo with a fully equipped kitchen , living room, balcony, and all the amenities you would have at home. It was located on the far end of the island away from the airport so we had privacy and never heard anything but the waves crashing outside our living room. Everything Nina promised in advance of our trip was right on target with no disappointments.

Capitan Shelby Scott (phone: 1-345-917-7074) owns a 23 foot twin outboard fishing boat that he runs fishing charters on and occasionally takes divers. Shelby has lived on Brac his whole life and proved to know the waters around both Brac and Little Cayman intimately. Shelby arranged a dive package for the four of us that included Shelby, the boat, fuel, tanks, air, and weights for 6 days of 3 daily dives. Shelby is not a diver but required us to dive with a local dive master on the first day so that he could be comfortable that we knew what we were doing. He arranged to have Bernard "Bunny" Watson, Dive Master (cybbline@candw.ky), join us on our first day.

Bunny works for the Cayman Brac Fire Department and has been a dive master and dive instructor, I believe, for about 15 years. Bunny grew up on the island with Shelby and knows the lay of the land underwater around both islands better than one could imagine. Bunny was very knowledgeable and lots of fun to dive with. He was able to show us an amazing number of critters and things that we are certain we would have missed without him. It was so enjoyable diving with Bunny that we offered to hire him for the remainder of the week to dive with us. Fortunately he was able to swap work time with someone at the Fire department and joined us.

During the week we were able to make two trips to Little Cayman that was truly a wonderful experience. The charter boat proved to be a good choice for another reason. While we made two trips to Little Cayman, divers at the airport told us that the resort boats were unable to visit Little Cayman that week due to "rough seas." The divers seemed to feel it was due to high fuel prices. Shelby trailers his boat and was able to launch from either side of the island. It is possible that while the water was dead calm where we launched, the other side of the island where the marina and the resort boats dock was very rough all week. I'm not judging, only reporting hearsay!

This trip ranked among the best ever for us. We were able to dive where we wanted based on our research before the trip and when we wanted. Bunny was certainly a big help in directing us to some fantastic sites around both islands that were not on our dive site list. We were also able to stay down as long as we wanted. We all dive with computers and my Cochran told me my average dive time for the week was about 1 hour and 9 minutes. When you think about that being a 38% increase in bottom time over the 45 to 50 minutes the dive boats allow you to take. That adds value to the trip.

This is probably not a good dive trip for a beginner. The security of a big boat and lots of other divers I believe helps build confidence and neutralizes many fears. The four of us on this trip are very comfortable in the water and agreed that overall it was a wonderful experience. If you are interested in contacting Nina Banks (1-345-948-1463), Bernard "Bunny" Watson (1-345-948-0254), or Shelby Scott (1-345-917-7074) you can call them in or email Nina and Bunny. Shelby is not into computers yet!!!

Have fun diving.

Reis Kayser

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Aruba, Belize, Bonaire, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Jupiter FL, Lake Michigan
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas calm, surge
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 100-125 Ft/ 30-38 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Safe diving practice within our own limits!
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments This was my first experience shooting all digital. I'll never shoot film underwater again! The results were fantastic. As for the facilities, we were on a small charter fishing boat that was not really equipped for diver conveniences. The quality of the dives was well worth the trade-off.
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1018 dive reviews of Cayman Islands and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Cayman Islands reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.14 seconds