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Dive Review of Reef Divers/Brac Reef Beach Resort in
Cayman Islands/Cayman Brac

Reef Divers/Brac Reef Beach Resort, Apr, 2007,

by Paul Johnson, CA, USA . Report 3318.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments I've been to the Cayman Islands half a dozen times or so but never stayed on Cayman Brac so decided to give it a try this year. I was not disappointed. Brac Reef Beach resort is a very attractive, all-inclusive dive destination. Rooms are comfortable and quiet except on Wednesday nights for the weekly karaoke (apparently everyone on the island, except me, attends). It was the only night we had to put on the air conditioner. At about 40 or so rooms, nothing was ever crowded. The resort staff was always helpful and the rooms were kept clean, but the best part of this place was the fabulous food. All meals are serve-yourself, buffet style but the quality of each meal was better than in many sitdown restaurants. Breakfasts were particularly outstanding. The bar was fun and well-stocked but understanding what was and was not covered on the "three drinks a day" plan was a bit confusing early on. Most nights there is some outside after-supper activity including the aforementioned karaoke and movie night but the best of these, to my mind, were the photo presentations of the local photo pros. The resort has an attached spa and I indulged in several massages, just the thing after a day of diving and before the bar and dinner activities.

The diving was solid Caribbean style fare. Lots of turtles, occasional nurse sharks, plenty of barracuda, spotted eagle rays, stingrays and tarpon. The walls and corals remain fairly healthy and with a few exceptions ( e.g.Staghorn Forest) did not appear to have been substantially damaged by recent hurricane activity. As far as the tropicals were concerned, all the usual suspects were in attendance, jawfish, tilefish, angels, filefish, squirrel fish, parrotfish, spotted drums, chromis, anthias, etc. The first week I was there, the seas were considerably rougher at 5 to 8 feet than I'd ever before experienced in the Caribbean. Lots of mal de mer. The 46 foot Newton dive boats were seaworthy, comfortable and since they were rarely full, spacious almost all the time. Reef divers ran a good operation in spite of the less than ideal conditions. The best dives of the week were the ones we did after the short trip across to Little Cayman. (But then its always hard to beat Blood Bay Wall.) Visibility was good despite the sea conditions and on some of the walls was in excess of 100 feet. Donnie and Chris ran a great show. Diver safety was their first priority but enjoyment was a close second. We dove our computers, and although depths and times were recommended, computers were not checked by the dive staff. Good check in and check out procedures were observed on all dives. The night dive was a disappoinment and cost an additional $60. Nitrox easily available at $12 per tank.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving lots of cool places
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy, noCurrents
Water Temp 80-80°F / 27-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 0-0 Ft/ 0-0 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
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 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars 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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