East End, Grand Cayman, Ilhas Cayman

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon is a North Wall dive on Grand Cayman where deep canyons and sand chutes carve through the reef shelf and connect to the main vertical drop-off into the Cayman Trench. The dive begins on a coral-covered plateau in roughly 12 metres, then divers descend through narrow canyon walls coated in giant barrel sponges, orange elephant-ear sponges, rope sponges and deepwater sea fans. The canyons funnel divers out onto the wall face around 24 to 30 metres, where visibility commonly exceeds 30 metres in the dry season from December to May. Caribbean reef sharks frequently cruise the blue water beyond the drop-off, eagle rays glide along the rim, and hawksbill turtles forage on sponges. Schools of horse-eye jacks, Creole wrasse and Bermuda chub patrol the canyon mouths, and black grouper hold station in the deeper cuts. The site demands advanced certification for the depth and the moderate currents that can sweep through the canyons when North Wall conditions shift.