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

Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point, Apr, 2005,

by John Wentworth, CA, USA . Report 2042.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 1 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 1 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 1 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 1 stars
Comments The East End is just some of the best diving in the world. Ocean Frontiers, like everyone else on the south side of the island, was just hammered by Ivan. We had never seen such destruction. There is only one road to the East End. I've been there 20+ times. It didn't look at all as it did the last time I was there. I got lost...all the vegitation, trees, shrubs, etc., that was on the water side of the road was on the inland side of the road. Houses were gone or had huge holes through them. The Cayman Diving Lodge, an old haunt of mine, was one of those. Tortuga was trashed.

Ocean Frontiers was up and running, except for the ground floor rooms at The Reef and Compass Point. We stayed at Compass Point. Except for the ground floor rooms, you couldn't tell there had been a hurricane.

Same with the diving. Ocean Frontiers has completely replaced the Dive Lodge as the premier East End operation. Nothing special: just very, very good. Good captains. Good DM's. Good boats. Great diving.

East End diving is high drama. The wall is sheer and brightly colored and filled with soft corals and a bunch of fish. The spur and grove formations of the second dives are filled with tunnels and rooms with tarpon hanging out staring at you. The tarpon are the best. Years ago, one led me around his neighborhood and then brought me back to where we began.

I really miss the Dive Lodge. A good friend of mine, Danny Jetmore, managed it for a long time. But Ocean Frontiers has stepped up and is, in some ways, better. They are adding the presence of marine biologists during coral spawning week, for instance. We are going back as soon as we can.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving All over Cayman, Cayman Brac, Cozumel, Roatan, Sea of Cortez, British Virgins, Tahiti, Fiji, California (mostly Catalina), inside the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather cloudy Seas calm
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Led first dive (max 100 or so); self-guided second dive (bottom was 50-60)
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 1 stars Tropical Fish 1 stars
Small Critters 1 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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 Cooked our own food in our kitchen. Did not do any shore diving.
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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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