1)
Laura Hanstead, Red Sail Sports

Dive site:  Paradise Reef / Wreck of the Oro Verde – located on the West side.

Depth: 50 feet

Dive profile: 50 feet for 60 minutes

Access: boat

Paradise Reef and the Wreck of the Oro Verde are so close that we dive them as one site.  Located along the west side of the island just out from the Westin Casuarina Reosrt, Paradise Reef is the largest piece of intact reef on this side of the island, and the wreck of the Oro Verde, even though it is now more  wreckage, it is a great artificial reef with a multitude of fish.  It has a fascinating story behind it, so make sure to ask about it when you are next on a dive boat.  There is a great variety of animal life on them ranging from the tiny Pedersen Cleaning Shrimp (best manicure in the ocean!), to a 6 foot long Green Moray Eel named Kermit, to the huge Goliath Grouper and small Silver Sides found on there at certain times of the year.  The camera enthusiast will not be left wanting for photographs to take here!

2)
Christian Fisher, Dive Tech

Dive site: Sea Fan Reef

Depth: Mini wall 35-65 feet, Main wall: 55feet +

Access: Shore dive

It is easy to become jaded when you do something repetitively, but the embarrassment of riches right on the doorstep of Divetech at Cobalt Coast easily prevents this. The wealth of marine life on this site is mind boggling. From blue chromis cascading over the main drop-off, to mellowed out turtles looking to snack on the abundance of sponge life, and green morays hiding between individual coral fingers.

If you pause on the mini wall, you will be greeted by plentiful shoals of grunts and snapper. Take time to swim through the sea fans on the way back to the ladder, where you can spot dancing sailfin blennies; a squadron of squid or lettuce leaf slugs, or try to find the resident pair of flying gunards.

A useful underwater line leads from the entry ladder all the way to the main wall – a useful navigation aid.

3)
Amy Carroll

Dive site: Big Tunnels

Depth: 120 feet

Access: Boat

One of my favourite dives here is Big Tunnels, a deep wall site with a labyrinth of swim throughs to explore. The deepest tunnel exits you out onto the wall at around 120ft. From there head south along the wall to a maze of holes and canyons. On the way, keep an eye out for alien looking arrow crabs clutching onto deep water sea fans, and huge bright orange elephant ear sponges wafting gently in the current. The canyon ways are a great place to spot big tarpon lurking in the shade and crustaceans like channel clinging crabs and spiny lobsters. Over the top of the site you’ll see schools of neon purple creole wrasse swimming together, lots of black durgeon and schoolmaster snappers, or maybe even the odd hawksbill turtle looking to snack on a sponge. A great spot for wide-angle and macro photos.

4)
Cathy Church

Dive site/depth/access: various

Depending on what I want to photograph I have several favourite places for photography. Devil's Grotto in George Town has the best sunbeams, and when the schools of silversides fill the caverns, it is my all-time favourite dive. Orange Canyon in the West Bay Bight has the best colour for wall photos. There are orange and red sponges adorning the pinnacles and valleys between 60 and 90 feet. The wreck with the best growth is the Doc Polson and it is small enough to fit it all in in a single photograph. There are interesting structures and good close-ups. For close-ups I like Bear Paw on the north wall. Trumpet fish and flamingo tongues are common in the shallows along the mini-wall drop off. Tall coral heads with their labyrinth of openings harbour plenty of surprises including nurse sharks.

5)
Carl Nash – Living the Dream Divers

Dive Site: Orange Canyon

Access: Boat Dive
Max Depth 100ft. Average depth 50 - 80ft
This is a world class dive and an excellent example, for me, of why Cayman is a top dive destination. Its name comes from the dramatic canyons that intersect the limestone and the beautiful orange elephant ear sponges that give this site a dazzling splash of colour. The dive begins at the mooring pin in 50ft of water and proceeds east, dropping into a canyon and slowly swimming out to the wall. The canyon walls are filled with nooks and crannies that shelter lobsters and lionfish. At the wall we head west to a stunning pinnacle that juts out from the main wall. Spiralling around this sponge-encrusted coral mount with Creole wrasse cascading around you is breath taking. The more advanced diver has the option to explore a swim through and cave located at the pinnacle. Another canyon leads back to the shallows to slowly meander along the top of the wall back to the mooring pin. Sightings of turtles, eels and huge grouper are very common.