Dive Review of Southern Cross Club in
Cayman Islands/Little Cayman

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Southern Cross Club, Jun, 2008, by Paul Selden, MI, USA ( Contributor 16 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 4524.
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	I made this trip especially to meet colorful bartender Terry Thompson, author of the entertaining “Diary of a Dirtbag Divemaster.” This very small (12 bungalow) all-inclusive (except alcoholic beverages) “club” has a sophisticated website that makes it look somewhat like an exclusive, nose-in-the-air resort, but my wife and I found that--while it was beautiful--it was very relaxed, with a barefoot-all-the-time atmosphere and very diver oriented. When I booked my 12-dive package I was concerned that perhaps their 3-dive a day approach would limit me to fewer dives if the weather turned sour or if the relatively small number of guests might mean that some of the afternoon dives might be cancelled. Fourteen dives later, I was a happy guy. (One afternoon only two of us wanted to go, but SCC accepted our payment for a “ghost” third diver, and took us out anyway.) The dive setup was convenient. After arriving, you don’t even have to carry your gear down to the dock; a Gator picks up all gear left porch-side and carries it down for you. If you want, you can leave any and all gear in a drying room next to the boats and rinse tanks. I took mine back to the room to rinse, as the tanks looked a bit cloudy by day's end. Hoses next to their two boats made it easy to rinse the beach sand off my feet prior to boarding. As to the diving, I cannot imagine a better wall dive than on Bloody Bay Wall. The wall offers numerous dive sites and is where we did most of our diving. The wall is covered with more large-size sponges and corals than I’d seen elsewhere in the Caribbean. We ended most dives on a shallower reef on top of the wall, creating an extended safety stop without having to stop diving. In addition to typical reef fish, I saw some I hadn’t seen before, including a number of Puddingwife, slender filefish, lettuce sea slugs, green razorfish, flamefish, arrow blennies, orangesided gobies, a yellowface pikeblenny, and others I still need to identify. This is the first place I’ve seen divers able to stroke (not feed) a grouper like a cat, which actually seemed to seek the attention. One day we were offered a chance to boat over to Cayman Brac for a dive on the M/V Capt. Keith Tibbetts, a 330 ft. Russian frigate (some sources call it a destroyer), which I strongly recommend if you get the chance. The gun turrets are impressive--be sure to bring a wide angle lens for this dive, and a good light for some of the swim-throughs. I think that SCC listens to diver input on where they dive; I’d esp. recommend Ringer’s Wall, Joy’s Joy, and Eagle Ray Roundup. The accommodations were great. We stayed in a beach-level deluxe bungalow (#11). It had A/C and was spacious, clean, had a modern bathroom with two showers--one indoor and the other outdoor, plus a hose at the foot of our steps to rinse off feet and gear. The outdoor shower had hot and cold running water, and had no curtains, just low walls; while showering I could look out over the beach, boat dock, green palm trees and the blue Caribbean Sea. The buffet style meals were top-notch, with seating either out of doors on a pretty pool-side patio, or inside large screened rooms. The staff was friendly, often circulating among the guests to ask whether they could get us anything more, or something from the kitchen we didn’t see on the tables. Breakfasts included cold and hot dishes, including custom-made eggs. There are things to do when not diving, as well, but the island itself is small and quiet. We took one of the free kayaks to nearby Owen Island, where I saw more living conch than anywhere else I’d been. One night we ate with Gladys Howard at the homey, intimate, Pirate’s Point. Another day we took a bike ride to visit the National Trust House and Little Cayman Museum (highly recommended). Be prepared to tip at checkout, but ask to see whether part of the tip is already included in the bill. On the inter-islnd flights we weren’t billed for extra luggage, and had no problems with delayed bags, but study up on current charges for extra weight, and pack so that you at least keep your regulator, mask and snorkel with you to reduce problems if your gear is delayed.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Roatan, Galapagos, California, Florida Keys, Belize, Mexico, Andros
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy, no currents
Water Temp	82-85°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Only usual safety limits. They preferred you to be back on board after 50-60 minutes but were not strict about it, just based on helping to time meals.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Separate camera vs. mask tanks -- separate use firmly enforced in friendly way. Our most frequent divemaster (Mike) was an avid UWP and v. good at finding the small stuff, e.g., Pea Crab.

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Dive Review of Southern Cross Club in Cayman Islands/Little Cayman

Southern Cross Club, Jun, 2008,

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 Southern Cross Club in
Cayman Islands/Little Cayman