Diving Eden Rock and Devil s Grotto Grand Cayman The Shore Dive Collection TropicLens 4K

We typically see shark suckers on large fish, like tarpon. So seeing this stoplight parrotfish try to shake and then scrape off a whitefin shark sucker was unexpected. Then we saw another attaching to a tiger grouper. Weird. This video will be a slight departure from our others so far. While it covers two officially named dive sites, both lie directly behind the Eden Rock Diving Center. Both have amazing swim throughs and expansive rock formations, showcasing a wide diversity of coral, sponges, and other sea life. Well, perhaps there are a few more swim throughs on the Devil's Grotto side, but you won't go wrong diving either site. And you can do both in a single dive if you like. That said, we dove here seven times. They were that good. Anyway, everything in this video covers both sites, so sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy. Speaking of food, the Eden Rock Diving Center shares a building with the Silverside Restaurant and Rum Bar upstairs. Wet suits are probably inappropriate, but it's a nice place for an after-dive meal. The food is delicious, and you can even walk out on the balcony to enjoy a drink overlooking the water. Eden Rock Diving Center is very much in an urban area, which generally means wildlife in the area is limited. Aside from a few potted plants, you can rely on crabs near the entry, and there is some rugged coast beyond the cement slab. There may be an occasional bird or perhaps a furry companion waiting for its owner to return from a dive, but that's about it on land. As for water creatures, there is a lot to see, and it's a terrific place for snorkeling, although the reef is a bit of a swim out. Grazing fish can be found all over the shallows. Gradually, the sea fans and generally flat rock start to give way to more meaningful coral structures, some of which is less than 10 feet from the surface. It's not very often so much coral is that close to the surface, so non-divers will enjoy these sites as well. As far as sea life previews go, Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto set a record with 11 first-time captures, including an I-Spot Costasiella, Brown Variable Sponge, Pinkbush Algae, Sunray Lettuce Coral, Top Sail Chub, Houndfish, Hybrid Hamlet, Dog Snapper, Lane Snapper, White Star Cardinalfish, and an Antiguan Cave Shrimp. We'll show more of these later in the video, and if you're curious about our first-time captures, check out the video description below for links to additional information about each one. But that's not all. These sites also gave us a number of other animals we rarely see. This loggerhead turtle was leisurely swimming over the reef. And, out in the flat sandy area at 50 feet, a couple of flying grenades were strolling around looking for a meal. Right about here is where we ask for your subscription. As a small YouTube channel, every subscriber counts. Do what your conscience tells you. We won't judge. Thanks! Toothy smiley face. The Eden Rock Diving Center is located just south of Georgetown on Grand Cayman's western coast. Although there are shore diving sites around the island, most are concentrated on the west end, which is also where most people stay. As such, directions on Grand Cayman will start from the middle of West Bay Road in the Seven Mile Beach area. For the Eden Rock Diving Center, take West Bay Road south. The road splits into two lanes just before Eastern Avenue, so get in the right lane and go straight. At that point, the road changes names to Church Street and winds along the coast. Continue for 1.1 miles. Look for a short blue retaining wall just below the Eden Rock Diving Center sign and turn right into the parking lot. There are just 11 spaces for both the dive center and the restaurant above, so if those are full, you can park on the street in front of the shop. The dive center offers equipment rentals and has a good-sized shop with gear, accessories, and apparel. It also has a few of the typical amenities including rinse tanks, a shower, a bathroom, and four shaded picnic tables that are perfect for assembling gear. There's extra seating on the sides, extra table space for cameras on one of the walls, and you can dry your gear on any of the other walls. When we visited, the restaurant upstairs was building out another area downstairs for food and drinks, so the lockers were temporarily blocked. Still, it'll be a nice addition for surface intervals when finished. There are two ladders for entry. The one on the left is a bit shorter and the bottom there is a bit more shallow. Note that there is no protective seapool like the ones at Sunset House, Lighthouse Point, or Turtle Reef, so the surge and waves can make entry and exit challenging once in a while. Exercise good judgment and be safe. To get to Devil's Grotto, surface swim to the large white buoy on the left and then angle left. To get to Eden Rock, surface swim to the one on the right and angle right. Tourism just opened up, so boats were not using the moorings yet. However, some did pass over the reef. It pays to be cautious, so be aware of your surroundings whenever near the surface. The compass headings for Devil's Grotto are roughly 300 degrees northwest out and 120 degrees southeast back in, while Eden Rock's headings are 320 degrees northwest out and 140 degrees southeast to return, although those will vary depending on how you dive the sites. The initial reef is a bit of a swim, albeit over shallow water. That first buoy is anchored at just 10 feet. Most divers surface swim and descend at the second set of buoys. If you drop down at the left buoy and follow the channel, you'll hit a sandy floor surrounded by sloping and vertical rock formations. We spotted a southern stingray there one morning hiding out. If you drop down at the right buoy, you'll be on top of some magnificent coral structures that eventually lead to a few standalone coral fingers surrounded by sand. And if you come across this buoy, you're way over to the right. No matter which side you try, from the far edge of the coral, the sand extends another 150 or 200 feet, gently sloping down. Eventually, the reef starts up again, first with a few outposts before the main ridge appears, which drops down into the Cayman Trench. The reef that far out isn't any better and is less colorful due to the depth, but we went there anyway, so you don't have to. Here's what it all looks like down to 100 feet. As far as highlights go, those swim-throughs, man. I mean, the spectacular views just don't stop. From rocky walls painted with brightly colored coral and sponges, to twists and turns revealing one fantastic area after another. From dramatic overhangs to breathtaking skylight views, this is an outstanding location for photography and video. As you navigate the passages, be on the lookout for some of the local residents. Pro tip. If you drift over the top of the reef while other divers are in the swim-throughs, their air bubbles float up through the rock and coral, reminiscent of champagne in a glass. Well, a champagne glass with fish in it. Another highlight is the flat, sandy area. Despite its minimalist appearance, there is a ton of life out there. Aside from the occasional fish drive-by, there are small collections of dead coral and other debris that are home to lots of juvenile damselfish. Also hanging out at the bottom are sand tilefish, yellowhead jawfish, and thousands of brown garden eels. The floor is also a spaghetti bowl of conch trails. Pick one, and you'll most likely find a conch at the end of it. But not always. This conch shell was actually home to a giant hermit crab. That said, not all of the creatures are so easy to spot. We met a group of local photographers that went out to find small animals in the clusters of algae that grow out there. One of them pointed out some tiny nudibranchs, which Leslie was able to capture beautifully. This eye-spot costasiella was definitely a first-time capture that we would have not otherwise spotted. Thanks, guys! The shallows are quite long, and a great way to kill a safety stop as you swim back to shore. But do take time to look around. Make sure to check out the large circular depression just in front of the first buoy. It creates a ledge, big enough for a large rainbow parrotfish, so who knows what else might be hiding under there. About 25 feet in front of the entry is a pretty nice elkhorn coral that always seems to have some life around it. Of course, those are just two specific spots. Anywhere in the shallows, you might find a peacock flounder resting, blue tang at a cleaning station, or even a hiding octopus, which is Leslie's favorite way to end a dive. We're not exactly sure if we're paying more attention or if there are more easily noticed sponge and coral samples here. But either way, there were a few first-time captures for us. Like this brown variable sponge. Some pink bush algae. And a sunray lettuce coral. This red erect rope sponge, covered with brittle stars, was out in the middle of seemingly nowhere, so it was kind of easy to spot. On the fish side, mixed in with a school of chub, we noticed a few with spots on the upper part of their body. Those are top sail chub. This houndfish hugging the surface in the shallows on our way back to shore was new as well. We spotted a few hybrid hamlets for the first time. This one appears to be a hybrid of the yellowtail and yellow belly varieties. And this one could be a cross between masked and yellow belly hamlets. We also saw two snappers for the first time. The pale triangle below the eye indicates this is a dog snapper. This one was a bit far away, but the black dot and horizontal yellow stripes on the body make this a lane snapper. Here are a few more clips of the colorful and interesting sea life we saw at Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto during the day. We swam around Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto one evening, and the colors were even more vibrant. We were also treated to a lot of wonderful sea life and activity. The white and black spots near the tail make these white star cardinal fish. They were first time captures, and there were quite a few of them around the walls. Leslie also snapped a great shot of this Antiquan cave shrimp, which we hadn't seen before. The dive was filled with cool animal behaviors. For example, we caught a flamingo tongue turning around on a sea rod, albeit kind of slow. This long spined sea urchin pooping was new. It kind of looks like large sand. We also saw another southern stingray foraging for food in the sand. But the highlight for both of us was this hunting octopus that graciously let us take turns shooting it for almost 10 minutes. There were lots of other animals out and about as well. Here is a sample of what you might see out on the reef at night. Enjoy! Hey guys, if you liked Leslie's photos here, check out her Instagram for even more amazing shots. Thanks for watching!