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Dive Review of Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point in
Cayman Islands/East End, Grand Cayman

Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point, Nov, 2013,

by Lindsay Battles, CA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 7451.

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 $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We spent 5 days with Ocean Frontiers were spoiled in every regard. No surprise that many guests return to this resort annually. The entire operation is extremely well-organized and designed for diver convenience. At check-in, guests receive a plastic crate for their gear. The dive shop hauls it down to the boats, sets it up, rinses it after diving, stores it overnight. After each dive, the staff logs the dive site, depth and bottom time. When guests check out, the resort provides them with a computer-generated log of all dives.

Despite high winds and choppy water, the dive masters went out of their way to ensure we dove great sites with no repeats. Dive masters generally guide the first 1/2 hour of the dive, leaving dive buddy pairs to explore the area unguided for the second half of the dive. Loved this configuration. Even better, before every dive, the dive masters drew a map of the dive site to help orient divers to the topography.

Diving: The underwater topography was stunning. We dove several sites with thrilling swim-throughs and caverns. In four days, we saw sharks on 4 dives (three dives with reef sharks plus two large nurse sharks).

The highlight of our trip was snorkeling with a manta ray during surface interval. According to the dive shop, the manta tends to hang out on the East End during November and December (reason enough to book a trip during these months). We would liked to have dove the north wall but the water was too choppy due to winds coming from the north. Choppy water is the norm for November. Next time around, we'll select months with calmer water to increase the likelihood of diving the north wall (though this will mean missing out on the "Christmas Manta").

Wish I had known: Ocean Frontiers offers some amazing specialty dives (including the X-dive, which hits three sites along the north wall). The schedules are very rigid in that most specialty dives are offered only once per week; no exceptions. Had we known, we would have planned our arrival and departure dates differently to accommodate the specialty dive schedules.

Compass Point Resort: Could not have been more pleased with the condos - spacious rooms, large balconies, washers/dryers and well-appointed kitchens. The kitchen was remarkably well-appointed for a dive resort(nice coffee pot that brews into a carafe, tea kettle, pitchers, pyrex, good quality skillets and measuring cups/spoons). Our only complaint was that the kitchen knives were in lamentable condition - they should be replaced or sharpened.

The awesome kitchen is a lifesaver for folks with dietary restrictions. The East End has virtually no good options for vegans and vegetarians. Tukka has a vegetarian menu, but everything has dairy save the french fries. The menu at Eagle Rays was entirely devoid of vegetarian options. Not even a veggie burger. Despite lack of restaurant options, we were seriously impressed with the availability of specialty vegan/vegetarian items at Kirk's supermarket in Georgetown.

Websites Ocean Frontiers   Compass Point

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Caribbean: Turks and Caicos, Roatan, Cozumel, BVI, Akumal (Mexico). Misc: California, Spain, Zanzibar.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 84-85°F / 29-29°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility - Ft/ - M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 100 ft. depth limit. Otherwise, dive as long as air and no deco limits permit.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters N/A Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

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 [None]
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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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