A wonderful paradise set apart from the rest of the world, Little Cayman is the perfect place to get away from it all. In fact, you might just want to stay – especially if you love diving in warm water with visibility that sometimes exceeds 100 feet. One of the nicest areas for diving in Little Cayman is the north shore’s Jackson Bay, where tunnels and pinnacles, reefs and beautiful stretches of clean white sand are home to a nearly unimaginable spectrum of marine life. While there are more than a dozen sites in this bay alone, some of them are more spectacular than others. Try to pick your own favorite as we explore some of the top locales!
Nancy’s Cup of Tea
Also known as Magic Roundabout, and located where Bloody Bay Wall’s far eastern end meets Jackson Bay, this site is a magnificent drop off which begins at 35 feet, and falls away into the abyss thousands of feet below. With lovely swimthroughs and caves brimming with black coral and gorgonians the size of small trees, plus a massive coral pinnacle that rises from 90 feet to 40 feet, this is truly a photographer’s paradise. Enormous red vase sponges and orange elephant ears, twirling wire corals, sea fans, and tube sponges hide tiny nudibranchs and other sea creatures, while schools of glassfish and squirrelfish, plus big eyes and groupers swim about.
Cumber’s Caves
A shallow mini wall at just 15 feet which is scattered with beautiful coral heads that are like tiny planets swarming with all kinds of fish and other creatures marks the beginning of this dive site. It is followed by a drop to a sand patch at 35 feet, and then to a slope where you will find the four separate entrances to Cumber’s Caves, which all begin at about 50 feet, and exit on the wall at 100 feet, over the deep blue abyss some 6,000 feet below. The entire area is brilliantly covered in an array of sponge and coral, and is home to turtles, rays, schooling amberjacks and snapper, and loads of lobsters and crabs. Novices cannot enter the caves, but will enjoy exploring the top of the reef!
Bus Stop
Named for the rusting remains of an old school bus on shore, Bus Stop is an excellent place to encounter sharks and eagle rays, turtles, tarpon, and all kinds of other fish. The tunnel here begins in a strange, swirling sandy patch, dropping you into black gloom, then turning a corner where you can see the light from the opening ahead slowly getting closer. This tight tunnel drops you out at 110 feet, over the abyss. If you would rather not be sucked down into the dark, you can simply swim over to the edge of the wall, remaining at depths between 20 to 30 feet.
Jackson Bight
A bight is a bay, which is formed by a coastal curve. Here, on the northwestern section of the larger bay, you’ll find a massive patch reef in about 25 feet of water, where cardinalfish and fairy basslets rub fins with blue tangs and grey angelfish, plus plenty of other colorful reef inhabitants. You can spend your time enjoying the calm, idyllic reef top, or you can head for the wall and take a trip down to about 100 feet, where you will find massive barrel sponges, twirling sea whips, and spectacular gorgonians. Sharks and tarpon, tuna and turtles cruise past, and flights of spotted eagle rays soar overhead.
Eagle Ray Roundup
Though you are likely to encounter eagle rays at most of Jackson Bay’s dive sites, you’ll find that they are usually here in abundance, along with parrotfish, sharks, more tarpon, and lots of grinning barracuda that hunt for their lunch among the shoals of smaller fish that pass with precise motions that allow the sun to glint off their shimmering sides. While maximum depth is 100 feet, you can easily spend time just exploring the shallows and taking all the photos you want.
Whether you have time to explore dozens of dive sites when you visit Little Cayman and Jackson Bay, or if you can only enjoy just a few, you’ll be sure to come away with wonderful memories to last you a lifetime. There are many dive operators to choose from, each of which offers trips to a variety of sites. Be sure to book in advance so you can visit the sites you want to see most!