The Cayman Islands certainly offer diversity without a long trip from the states.

GRAND CAYMAN

Grand Cayman has beautiful beaches and probably the most topside activities or restaurants anyone would want. There is shopping, bars to hang out in, and live music. Cathy Church has a shop at Sunset House where you can often meet her and see her beautiful underwater photos from the area. The seven mile beach area is beautiful for walking and photo opportunities. You can even make a side trip to "Hell", a small area with black volcanic rocks, a few curio shops, and an actual post office you can send mail from with a postmark from Hell. For diving, the reefs are easy to reach from many dive operators and offer a diversity of schooling fish, sponges, turtles, rays, and even sharks. The Kittiwake wreck as well as other wrecks in the close vicinity add variety and interesting structure which I really enjoyed. We were lucky enough to see the tail end of silversides on the wreck of the Balboa right in the Harbor too. StingRay City on scuba with a small group was so much fun feeding the rays. You need to protect your fingers from the eager snappers though. Grand Cayman makes a good dive vacation, but for us it was a great stop with plenty of good diving over 3 days on the way home from Cayman Brac.

CAYMAN BRAC

Cayman Brac offered multiple relaxed dive spots on reefs all along the edge of the island. As a photographer, I never lacked for subjects both wide angle and macro and anything in between. Schools of bright snappers brightened the reefs among colorful sponges. Turtles munched on big sponges with no worries about divers hanging about. My favorite were the groupers who followed us like pets. It seems the dive guides hunt the lionfish and then feed the groupers, so they joined us right away each dive. My poker stick resembled the dive guides spears, so they followed me closely and would even "show" me where the lion fish were, confused when I didn't feed them. I quickly learned that if I poked at an area with my stick, the groupers would go right there, a great tool to get them to pose right where i wanted them in my reef scenes. The boat dives were offered mostly in the mornings, and we were on our own in the afternoons. A highlight dive is the Tibbets wreck with great structure and lots of life. The shore diving was really easy to access with actual ladders or stairs and even showers at some sites. We could easily get to reefs and wrecks by ourselves from shore and take as much time as our tanks allowed. The dive boat did make the excursion across to Little Cayman's Bloody Bay wall one day which is very achievable from Cayman Brac. The amazing strawberry sponges were in abundance there. They look dark brown without light but the first time my strobes lit one up I was amazed at the super bright rich red color. They became my favorite focus on the reef. I like the idea of being able to dive off both islands while staying on one.

It is easily possible to visit all 3 of the Cayman Islands in a single dive trip and be able to enjoy the diversity they provide.

Casa Del mar was a very pleasant dive vacation venue for us. Their generosity to donate a weeks stay through a DiveHeart raffle introduced us to their hospitality. The staff we met at the LB Scuba Show graciously greeted us in Cozumel and made sure our stay met all our needs. Staff at all levels were friendly, inviting, and helpful. Our maid even created incredible towel critters for us including both a whale shark and a lobster. The dining room staff all introduced themselves by name and made it important to quickly learn our preferences from their varied menu. Rather than a buffet, we were able to choose from a very nice made to order menu tailored to our preferences. They felt like a part of our family after our week stay. The room was basic and comfortable, decorated in traditional mexican style and the bed was very spacious and comfortable. As underwater photography aficionados, it would have been nice to have more space and more easily accessible outlets for camera care. More hooks and places to hang things to dry after diving would also have been helpful. The diving was coordinated with Marine World across the main street, but a bridge overpass was available and lockers in the dock area to store and clean our gear. This was our third trip to Cozumel and I think I love the diving there more each time. The colors are amazing and I see more everywhere I look. The brightly colored and uniquely shaped sponges tempt me to imagine fairytales. This trip we spent time with many turtles, often "posing" for us along with large barracuda and myriad tropical fish of all sizes and colors. The house reef was truly excellent, allowing long, relaxed shallow shore dives to photograph arrow crabs, anemone crabs, brittle stars on bright sponges, and even basket stars. The boats of Marine World were spacious and not jam packed with divers in every corner. They put effort into pairing up experienced divers in smaller boats and seeking dive sites that allowed exploration not specifically timed to a large group. We truly appreciated this attention to making the dives even better. We were able to return to the wreck site more often as one of our favorites and add some afternoon boat dives to the reefs as well. Traveling as a couple and not part of a group, I felt that Casa Del Mar and Marine World did a great job providing a relaxed, very Cozumel experience.

I enjoyed my time at Maluku Dive Resort once I got there. It is a long way from California both in distance and atmosphere. If you end up with a lengthy layover in Jakarta, which we did both ways, I do recommend a stay to rest comfortably in a close by Hotel. We used POP going and FM7 returning, both very comfortable. I had never traveled in Asia before so the crowding took some negotiating for me. Once we finally arrived on Ambon, Maluku Divers were there for us and made the week stay worth the effort to get there.

ROOMS

The rooms were spacious with both AC and ceiling fans. 2 Double beds with good mattresses could be kept separate or made into one big comfy bed. Your choice with your dive buddy! There were 2 large seating areas with room for full camera set up and editing space including enough outlets (but bring your adapter) and good lighting right in the room. The decor was basic but included underwater photos. A really nice shower and bathroom area was ample to share among 2 persons easily.. Our room was right on the edge of the water, and almost all had water views. The early morning light over the water coaxed me up early for a filling breakfast that was no problem for my gluten free needs (eggs prepared any way, rice, and many other choices) and allowed plenty of time for our 8:30 morning dive departure. The afternoon and evening meals offered easy choices as well.

MUCK DIVING

Muck diving was a new experience for me but our guides helped me to quickly learn the best ways to avoid kicking up the silt and balance to take my photos (BOUYANCY, gentle frog kicks , and a poker stick). I have a whole new appreciation for the photos I see from other muck diving destinations, some of those amazing critters are so very tiny!. Our guide Samuel stayed with the 2 of us throughout the trip and he was always helpful with positioning, patient to wait, and eager to show us more. His eyes are amazing as is his bouyancy. It was nice to have consistency with a guide who figured out our personal style and needs quickly and then catered to that each dive.

We saw some critters I could only imagine before including pygmy seahorses, mandarin fish, colorful frogfish, stonefish, myriad shrimp and crabs, and mantis shrimps that came right up to take a look. We only dove near a few coral areas so I did not get my usual fix of reefs and fish, but the quantity and diversity of critters made up for it. We never had to compete with other divers or dive boats. Even within our one boat, the groups were split between guides and did not overlap. They did a phenomenal job of creating a relaxed experience catered to our personal skill level in muck diving. I found very few things on my own, but saw plenty following Samuel from find to find.

The entire staff from managers Emily and Joe, the kitchen staff, and everyone I encountered in the dive staff was friendly and helpful. I liked them all. This is a great destination for anyone who wants to experience muck diving without the worry of crowds or trying to locate the critters. It does not offer significant reef areas or topside activities, but the focus is on muck diving. We did get to dive the wreck of the Duke of Sparta which has become a plentiful artificial reef and I strongly recommend that for both macro and wide angle.

For photographers, the set up is wonderful, with a great layout in the camera room including dedicated space and good lights as well as adequate space for 2 people to work easily in the cabin. They even provided a padded bag for the cameras and transported them to and from the boats with care.

I would go back soon if it were only closer.

I have taken 4 trips on the Rocio Del Mar now and will go back again for sure. When she first started her dive charters to the Midriff Islands several years ago, I jumped at the chance to explore that part of the Sea of Cortes. The crew on board included many who actually helped build the boat with the owners, Dora and LoLo. On my 4th trip this November with them, this time to the Socorro Islands, most of these same crew members are still on the Rocio and welcomed us like family. It is a boat and crew that is warm and friendly, not cold in any way. A chef on board, Pancho for us prepared amazing hot soups with the midday meals and always had a variety of fresh fruit and snacks available. He was excellent and gracious about accommodating food sensitivities including my gluten intolerance and others allergies or preferences. He even baked special desserts for me. We had a room in the bow with a double sized single mattress bunk which was well padded even for female hips and had plenty of room for two. The shower and toilet area is small but your own and plenty adequate. Shampoo and conditioner is supplied in a wall mounted dispenser too. The dive deck allows plenty of space to get in and out of gear with a small storage area for small stuff. The crew returns your gear to your space between dives. Wetsuits hang in the open air to dry. I do recommend bringing 2 so you can alternate while one drys out. The trip they offer between SanJose Del Cabo and Rocky point allows an opportunity to dive the whole Sea of Cortes, truly a sense of exploration. The diving in the Sea of Cortes is unique and diverse. We found all types of colorful stars including several different basket stars. Damsels, rays, blennies, myriad nudibranchs, and so many more made each dive site unique as we worked our way from the northern end of the Sea of Cortes to the southern tip. The super curious and playful sea lions at Los Islotes were among my favorites along with the jumping mobulas. I go back repeatedly and will continue to choose Rocio DelMar whenever I can!