The Cayman Islands offers some of the best snorkelling, scuba diving and sports fishing in the Caribbean.
Forming the tip of a vast underwater mountain range that peeks above the surrounding waters, the Cayman Islands provides a rich and exciting environment for underwater activities – the highest point in the Caymans is just 18.2m above sea level.
Land-based activities include tennis, golf, horseback riding and hiking on Cayman Brac.
Snorkel above coral gardens teeming with rainbow-hued fish right off the beach, or sign up for an excursion.
Some of the best snorkelling sites on Grand Cayman include: the coral gardens just off Seven Mile Beach near the Marriott and Westin resorts, as well as adjacent Cemetery Reef; the Devil's Grotto, a series of tunnels that start in 3m of water just south of Eden Rock; and the wreck of the Cali, sitting in 6m of water just a short swim from George Town.
On Cayman Brac, head to the wreck of the Captain Keith Tibbett, a highly revered diving site. On Little Cayman, check out Jackson Point, a shallow snorkelling spot on world-famous Bloody Bay Wall.
The Cayman Islands is perhaps the single most popular spot for scuba diving in the Caribbean, with more than 200 named and explored sites catering for divers of all abilities.
Some of the best and most popular sites on Grand Cayman include:
• Stingray City, near Rum Point, where you can freely swim among more than 30 Southern Atlantic stingrays in 3m of water;
• Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto, two 14m-deep reefs located close to shore, featuring caves, grottos, a mini wall and tunnels swarming with colourful fish, sea fans and sponges;
• The Maze, a honeycomb of deep, narrow coral ravines covered with sponges and soft corals and teeming with reef sharks, green turtles and spotted eagle rays;
• Snapper Hole features chutes, tunnels and caverns at a depth of 20m, southeast of Morritt's Tortuga Club;
• Tarpon Alley is named after the vast schools of tarpon that feed in the drop-offs and canyons.
On Cayman Brac, dive the wreck of the Captain Keith Tibbetts, one of the most famous wreck dives in the Caribbean. The wreck is home to beautiful yellow tube sponges, among other coral species, as well as tropical marine life including barracudas, green moray eels, big groupers and scorpion fish.
On Little Cayman, check out Bloody Bay Marine Park, rated as the most sensational wall dive in the Caribbean. The site encompasses 22 dive sites that teem with grouper, horse-eye jacks, triggerfish and several other tropical fish species.
There are approximately 40 dive centres operating in Grand Cayman, five in Little Cayman, three in Cayman Brac and two live-aboard dive boats – the Cayman Aggressor III and Little Cayman Diver II.
All offer complete dive facilities including Nitrox and Re-breather courses and equipment rental.
Read more about diving Little Cayman island…
Take an underwater tour without getting wet. See shallow reefs, wrecks and marine life just metres beneath the surface in a semi-submarine or dive to depths of 30m in a fully submersible craft for visually rewarding experiences.
The best windsurfing is in the reef-protected shallows off East End, with winds reaching 12 to 20 knots from November through March and 6 to 10 knots between May and November.
Hire whatever gear you need from Cayman Windsurfing at Morritt's Tortuga Club or sign up for some lessons.
Hook up a charter for barracuda, bonito, tuna, wahoo or marlin. Bonefish the shallows or bottom-fish the reef for grouper and snapper. Most hotels can make arrangements for charter boats.
Saddle up for an inland trail ride as well as beach rides around Seven Mile Beach.
Choose from nine courts at the Cayman Islands Tennis Club, should your hotel’s courts be busy.
Tee-off at the Britannia Golf Club, a nine-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed course located opposite the Hyatt Regency on West Bay Road. Or try the par-71, 18-hole Links at SafeHaven, a Roy Case-designed course at Seven Mile Beach Road, opposite the Westin Casuarina.
Celebrate Mardi Gras in May at the Grand Cayman’s Batabano Carnival.
Or come in late October for Pirates Week, where visitors and locals dress up as pirates and wenches, enjoying a carnival-like celebration including music, dance, fireworks and parades that take place island-wide.
In April, anglers win big prizes at the Cayman Islands International Fishing Tournament.
Latest update: Things to do in Cayman Islands: 7 May, 2022
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