Amp up your experience on the water, with any of these mild to wild activities.
Grand Cayman Island is a favorite with scuba divers, but there are many more ways to play in these sparkling waters besides blowing bubbles and chasing fish. On beaches and coves around the island you can paddle, sail, skim, shred and even soar with adventures ranging from relaxing to high- voltage. Here’s the lowdown on how to leave the land while still keeping your head above water.
Reel Fun
Blue marlin are among the most prized game fish found in Cayman Island waters. Photo: iStock
Grand Cayman’s sport fishing charter fleet is relatively small—about a half dozen boats—but the fishing is good. Most skippers will head west toward 12-Mile Bank, where there’s always a chance of hooking into a trophy blue marlin, but better odds of landing mahimahi, wahoo and yellowfin tuna. Summer months are the calmest and also when the bite is best for many blue water species. Inshore, tarpon are in the canals and cuts around Governors Creek, while bonefish patrol the flats of North Sound.
Call You Captain
If guided tours aren’t your thing, and if you have basic boating skills, you can hire your own runabout for the day and bring family and friends along for the ride. The two primary areas where rentals are offered are along Seven Mile Beach, where the nearshore waters are usually calm, and within North Sound, where there may be a light chop, but no big waves. The rental fleet includes versatile center consoles and sporty bowriders that can tow a skier.
Wake Up
While almost any fast boat can pull a skier or a tuber, serious wakeboarders are happiest when they are behind a specialized towboat that has plenty of power and a big wake to launch them. It’s possible to hire a high-end pull on Grand Cayman, either by the hour or as a full or half-day charter. Rear- engine, direct-drive towboats provide not only plenty of power but also ample passenger room for the whole family. After the teens get their fill of big air, mom and dad could take a lesson or switch out for an inflated towable so everyone can have some laughs.
Paddle Power
Kayak tours are an ideal way to discover the North Sound’s mangrove lagoons. Photo: Cayman Department of Tourism
If internal combustion isn’t your thing, you can trade motor for paddle to explore the island’s beaches, sea grass flats and mangrove forests by kayak. Several guided tours are available, including sunset excursions and night explorations into the glowing waters of Bio Bay, where paddle strokes create glowing swirls. For a more casual paddle, look for rental concessions along Seven Mile Beach, at Rum Point and along East End. Several companies even deliver kayaks to resorts and condos island-wide.
Stand on It
The stand-up paddleboard (SUP) craze is alive and well in Grand Cayman, and most all of the same activities and tours that kayakers enjoy can be done on a SUP board—and then some. One popular option for diehards who are on island for more than a day is to secure a long-term rental board and roof rack, then use the rental car to create an island-wide paddle safari. More advanced paddlers can even catch a few waves out on the reefs.
Jet About
The water-sports phenomenon known as Flyboarding that is sweeping waterfronts across the Caribbean has come to Grand Cayman. Participants step into a boot-like fitting on a small platform, designed with jets and a long hose that directs high-pressure water from a personal watercraft to the nozzles. Beginners start off a few feet above the water, but experienced riders can reach heights of 20 feet or more and make swooping dives into the water.
Wind Blown
Both East End and North Sound offer ideal conditions for windsurfing. Photo: Cayman Windsurfing
Though you might not guess it when wading the calm shallows on the island’s sheltered west end, Grand Cayman can power up some exciting windsurfing action or provide the conditions needed for beginners to get their sea legs. The two primary hot spots are along the east coast, where a barrier reef knocks down the swell and easterly winds allow for long crosswind runs on the beach, while also keeping beginners from drifting out to sea. The island’s northwest corner provides more experienced riders with a liquid playground for chop hopping and wave riding.
Kite Flight
A kite surfer skims the surface near Barker’s National Park. Photo: Cayman Department of Tourism Kite Surfer on North Sound. Photo: Cayman Department of Tourism
Kiteboarding can be a real thrill ride, but when beginners try to teach themselves or attempt to ride in less-than-ideal conditions, the thrill is soon gone. Several companies on Grand Cayman offer rental equipment and lessons, and the place to learn is in the sandy shallows off Barker’s National Park on the island’s northwest corner. Some schools provide chase boats to rescue neophytes who go adrift, while more accomplished riders can head offshore to play in the waves.
Sail Away
For a more relaxed method of harvesting the wind, charter a sailboat for the day or longer. Small rental boats and catamarans are easy to secure at numerous beachfront resorts, while charter-boat skippers provide trips aboard larger single-hull and catamaran cruisers. One charter company offers multi- day trips to the Cayman’s smaller Sister Islands or as far as the coast of Cuba.
Surf’s Up
Ok, Grand Cayman is not a surfing Mecca. But there are surfable waves from time to time, and a small but committed group of local riders. But for most island visitors, the best way to catch a wave might be at the Black Pearl Skate Park, which has recently reopened, and includes a wave machine that provides riders with an endless curl.
