News
Positive Trends Inspire Optimism as Cayman Dive Industry Prepares for Season
With the number of stay over visitors on the rise, dive industry leaders in the Cayman Islands are optimistic about 2016, saying current trends in the healthy dive travel market mean good news for Cayman. Industry reports show an increase in the number of baby boomers 50+ and women divers across the board, both key demographics in Cayman’s clientele. Safe, stable, easily accessible, and with a wide range of comfortable accommodations, Cayman is an ideal and active destination for family vacations.
According to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) today’s boomers, retired and active, spend $120 billion a year on leisure travel, many of them seeking warmer climates and beaches. Dive Training Magazine surveys support this, reflecting an increase in the percentage of divers in older groups. PADI reports impressive growth in the number of women divers, which currently make up more than a third of PADI certifications. To celebrate this PADI launched Women’s Dive Day this summer.
This healthy travel market presents clear opportunities for local dive operators to recruit new divers. Cayman’s warm clear water, vibrant underwater world, and professional and friendly dive operators offer the perfect family activity. Family members as young as ten can join their parents, or grandparents, on the adventure – and there is no better place to learn to dive.
“Diving is a sport that you can participate in with your family, from ages 8, so it’s an adventure you can do together,” says Nancy Easterbrook, owner of Divetech. “Diving is interactive, visual, active, adventurous, skill developing, educational and not the least, fun! 78% of our planet is made of water and can be enjoyed from young to old. The shallow reefs and exceptional safety-oriented dive staff can show your kids the mysteries and colorful coral gardens of the underwater world.”
“In Little Cayman, with wall dives starting at 18 feet, families can explore Bloody Bay Marine Park no matter what the age of the divers,” adds Neil van Niekerk of the Southern Cross Club. “Average depth at the top of the wall is 25 feet which is well within the 40’ limit of a 10 year old Jr. Open Water Diver, safely bringing all of the splendour to a new generation.”
Sunset House General Manager Keith Sahm says they are seeing familiar faces returning to Cayman after many years. “We’re seeing guests that were last here in 1989, and they are back with their kids or grandkids – and they’re happy the Sunset House has retained its charm – they were afraid that we had changed too much in the intervening years, when they were busy raising their kids.”
In an interesting life cycle, these parents and grandparents are now introducing their Millennial kids to diving while on vacation together, a hopeful sign for the next generation of divers.
“We do a lot with families – that’s been a big part of our focus since we are the onsite dive operator for all the big hotels and resorts – and it is good to see parents and grandparents diving with their kids,” says Rod McDowall, operations manager for Red Sail Sports. “We work to recruit new divers through our concierge service, our in-house videos and marketing material. The more newcomers we introduce to diving, the more will return.”
At Ocean Frontiers located on Grand Cayman’s remote East End, co-owner Steve Broadbelt says they are witnessing this too. “We see a lot of families diving together, especially during traditional holiday periods throughout the year – it is not unusual to see three generations of a family diving together,” he says. “Even if none of the family members have been diving before, we offer learn to dive vacations for the whole family to get certified together as a group. Learning together at the same time really helps create valuable family memories of adventure of learning to dive.”
PADI officials say response to Women’s Dive Day was overwhelming across the world. Some 335 events were held in 65 countries and 25 states in America. On Grand Cayman Red Sail Sports celebrated by hosting a special “pampered” dive trip for women divers. The ladies were greeted by dive staff in special attire, and then treated to champagne and strawberries after the diving was done – renowned Red Sail Sports customer service with a touch of extra fun that day.
“It was all great fun for staff and customers,” said Operations Manager Rod McDowall. “We appreciate our women divers because they have a sense of adventure and this was a good way to let them know that we are happy they come to Cayman to dive with us.”
With several projects, including a new airport and several new hotels expected to boost Cayman’s tourism even more in the coming years, operators plan to continue reaching out to new markets in creative ways, while keeping repeat customers happy.
“New divers are as critical to a dive industry as repeat customers,” says Broadbelt. “Everyone talks about repeat business is the key to success, which to a degree is true – but new divers are very important ‘seeds’ for the future of the business of diving.”
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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