Safety & Policies

Check-In and Certification Requirements

Upon check-in at the dive shop, all divers must present proof of certification. Please bring your certification card with you or if it's an eCard send it to frontdesk@oceanfrontiers.com. Be sure to bring your highest level of certification, such as Open Water or Advanced Open Water, as well as your Nitrox card if you plan to use Nitrox during your dives.

Minimum Certification Requirement
To participate in a standard 2-tank dive, you must hold at least a Junior Open Water Diver certification or its equivalent. 

NOTE: PADI Scuba Diver and CMAS 1 Star certifications are not considered full Open Water certifications and require supervision by an instructor. This private guide service incurs an additional fee.

Dive History
You will be asked to provide the date of your last dive during the reservation process.

Specialty Dives
For any of our specialty trips — including the Night Dive, X-Dive, or 3-Tank Safari with Kittiwake Wreck — we highly recommend completing at least one dive beforehand. This helps you orient yourself and ensures your safety and the best experience possible.

All divers enrolling in a PADI or SSI course that includes required training dives must complete the Diving Medical Questionnaire to assess their fitness to dive. You can use this online form to evaluate your fitness and determine whether medical clearance from a doctor is necessary.

We strongly encourage completing this form before your arrival. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions, written approval from a physician will be required to take part in diving activities. Although medical clearance can be obtained in the Cayman Islands, this may lead to delays and will be at the diver’s own expense.

At Ocean Frontiers, we expect all certified divers joining our boat diving trips to be current and confident in their dive skills. We treat our customers as responsible adults and offer more freedom than many other dive operations. For this reason, it’s essential that you feel comfortable and proficient in the water.

To ensure you get the most out of every dive, we maintain a maximum diver-to-guide ratio of 8 certified divers per dive guide. Our goal is to help you enjoy your dive vacation to the fullest.

To avoid using your first dive as just a “warm-up,” we highly recommend a Pool Self-Check before your first boat dive. This allows you to refresh your skills in a controlled environment.

• Cost: Free for all Ocean Frontiers customers
• Includes: Tanks, weights, and access to our 9-foot deep, on-site training pool
• Requirements:
  • You must be signed in at the front desk
  • Present your physical certification card or eCard
  • Have a buddy with you (Solo Self-Checks are not permitted)This simple step helps ensure you’re ready to dive confidently from the start of your trip.

Depending on how long it has been since your last dive, we have various options to ensure that you are ready to join us on our various SCUBA diving excursions.  For a full descriptions of our options, based on the length of time that you spent out of the water, visit our Refresher Options page.

Our safety policies on Diver Freshness are general guidelines and can be changed, modified or altered at the discretion OF management for the safety and enjoyment of our customers and staff.

Age 10–11:

• Maximum depth: 40 ft / 12 meters
• Must be accompanied by a dive professional or a certified parent/guardian diver

Age 12–14:

• Maximum depth: 60 ft / 18 meters
• Must be buddied with a certified adult diver

Eligible Dive Trips for Junior Divers (Ages 12–14):

Due to depth restrictions, Junior Divers aged 12 to 14 may only participate in the following trips:

• 3-Tank Safari (includes Kittiwake Wreck)
• 2-Tank Boat Dives *
• 1-Tank Boat Dives
• Night Dives

* Additional supervision or a private dive guide may be required at an extra cost.

Restrictions:

• Junior Divers are not permitted to join Lionfish Hunts or X-Dive trips.
• Participation on any dive trip is at the sole discretion of Ocean Frontiers.

Ocean Frontiers is the home of diver freedom in the Cayman Islands.

We offer computer-profile diving on every dive, and we proudly support and encourage unguided buddy team diving. Each of our boats is staffed with at least two dive professionals—one always in the water as your guide, and the other on board as a lookout, ready to assist with entries and exits.

We welcome divers of all experience levels.

Advanced divers will appreciate the detailed dive site maps sketched by our crew, which allow for independent exploration in buddy teams. Newer divers can enjoy the ease and safety of guided dives, with personal underwater tours led by our experienced dive masters.

Many seasoned divers choose the best of both worlds—joining a guided tour for the first part of the dive, then branching off with their buddy to explore near the boat and maximize bottom time.

Nitrox is available on all of our dives and is highly recommended for divers doing multiple dives over several days. It’s especially beneficial when diving air profiles, as it can help reduce your risk of decompression sickness.

Our standard Nitrox mix is 32% oxygen which is filled from our Membrane compressor. This style of filling ensures a reliable mixture for every tank. We will pre-analyze the nitrox tanks while the boat is on the dock waiting for your arrival and record the percentage on our Nitrox Analysis sheet next to your name and seat position. We ask you to verify the analysis before we leave the dock. Every boat is equipped with a nitrox analyzer. Nitrox divers are typically grouped on the same boat for convenience.

NOTE: To dive with Nitrox, you must be Nitrox certified. Nitrox is mandatory for all divers planning to do four or more dives in a single day.

Ocean Frontiers is proud to be photographer-friendly, regularly hosting underwater photography workshops.

When world-renowned production teams like National Geographic, Discovery Channel, or the BBC film in the Cayman Islands, they trust Ocean Frontiers to bring their underwater vision to life.

All our dive boats are equipped with camera tables and dedicated rinse tanks, and there’s an additional camera rinse station conveniently located at the dock. Our crew is experienced in handling camera gear of all types—from compact setups to high-end rigs—and understands the care and attention your equipment deserves.

That said, safety and reef protection always come first.

While we understand the drive to capture the perfect shot, pushing safety limits or making contact with the reef is strictly prohibited. No image is worth risking your safety or damaging our precious marine environment.

At Ocean Frontiers, we support self-reliant diving by offering complimentary Pony Bottles (Air) complete with regulator and pressure gauge. These are available to certified PADI Self-Reliant Divers or those with equivalent or higher-level technical diving certifications.

While some experienced divers may consider everyone on the same boat to be part of a larger buddy system, we believe in being truly prepared—especially for those who prefer a more independent dive experience. Traveling with your own pony bottle can be cumbersome, so we’ve made it easy: just let us know before you arrive, and we’ll have one ready and rigged for you.

To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, we ask all divers to follow these additional safety guidelines, alongside standard buddy diving procedures:

• Return to the dive boat with no less than 500 PSI / 35 Bar of air remaining.
• All dives must be conducted as No Decompression Dives. 
• We ask all divers to keep 5 minutes on their dive computer no stop limits as a industry-standard safety practice.
• Each diver must be equipped with a BCD with auto-inflate capability, an alternate air source (octopus), a depth gauge, and a dive computer.
• A safety stop is required at the end of every dive.
• Any diver who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or any impairing substance will not be permitted to board.

These measures help us maintain the highest standards of safety and professionalism on every dive.

At Ocean Frontiers, we take pride in offering small, personalized dive groups and delivering our signature 5-Star Green Short Service. To maintain this high level of attention and care, we follow these service ratios:

• Certified Divers: 3 Divemasters for every 15 guests (two in the water, one on the boat)
• Instruction (Ages 12+): 1 Instructor for every 4 students
• Instruction (Ages 10–11): 1 Instructor for every 2 students
• Instruction (Ages 8–9): 1 Instructor for every 2 students
• Snorkeling: 1 Divemaster for every 10 guests

These ratios help us ensure safety, quality instruction, and a truly personalized experience both above and below the surface.

The Cayman Islands have strict marine conservation laws in place to protect our coral reefs and marine life. As a diver, please be mindful of the following key regulations:

• Wearing gloves while diving or snorkeling is strictly prohibited.
• Feeding marine life is not allowed, with the sole exception of the Stingray City Sandbar.
• Removing anything from the ocean—whether dead or alive—is not permitted while scuba diving.

These rules help preserve the beauty and health of our marine environment for future generations. Thank you for doing your part.

Ocean Frontiers vessels are inspected annually by the Cayman Islands Port Authority and comply with local laws and regulations. The following is found on all our dive boats:

• VHF Emergency Communications Radio
• Emergency Oxygen Units with demand regulators 
• First Aid Kit (verified and stocked weekly) 
• Life Vests
• Life Ring
• Emergency Throw Line
• Flare Gun Kit
• Signal Mirror 
• Signal Horn Device
• Neck Brace
• Emergency Backboard Stretcher

At Ocean Frontiers, your safety is our top priority. We’ve developed a straightforward set of diving guidelines to help keep you safe and out of trouble underwater:

• Never dive alone—always dive with a buddy.
• Plan your dive in advance, agreeing on the profile, navigation route, and safety procedures.
• Gear up properly with a dive computer and an alternate air source.
• Perform a thorough buddy check—you check mine, I’ll check yours.
• Continuously monitor your air supply, depth, bottom time, and position.
• Dive as a team—start the dive together and surface together.
• Communicate clearly using hand signals and carry a slate or other communication device.
• Log every dive to track your experience and progress.

NOTE: This list is not exhaustive and does not replace professional medical advice or training guidance. It is intended for certified, current, and medically fit divers.