What Makes the Cayman Islands a World-Class Dive Destination?

Long before “dive travel” was a familiar phrase, the Cayman Islands were already showing the rest of the world what a true dive vacation could look like.

“I think the fact that I've always really liked about Cayman is the Cayman was the first place that was really the first overseas dive vacation destination. It was the first place that really promoted itself, come fly here and dive. Before that, diving was very much, you know, in the early days of diving, it was very much a local activity.

People, oh yeah, and then Cayman actually set itself up and said, look, you know, bring these bits of your dive kit, but we've got the tanks, we've got the weights, you don't have to bring those, and come here and enjoy vacation diving. And vacation diving was born here. And that has always permeated, and it must be 65, 70 years ago now that those first trips happened. But that innovation has always permeated the dive industry here.” — Underwater Photographer Alex Mustard

That simple, yet revolutionary idea—“come fly here and dive”—changed everything. Cayman built an infrastructure around it: reliable dive operators, comfortable resorts, boats designed for divers, and a culture that treats underwater time as the centerpiece of a holiday, not an afterthought.

World-Class Wall Diving — The Crown Jewel

If there is one thing that defines the Cayman Islands for divers, it is the walls.

In the 2026 Scuba Diving Magazine Readers Choice Awards, the Cayman Islands were voted #1 in Wall Diving for the Caribbean & Atlantic. Cayman is the only destination in the region to hold that top spot, rising above other iconic names like Statia and Bonaire.

The walls here do more than just drop away—they tell a story in layers of coral, sponge, and deep blue water. On Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac, you can hover at the edge of a sheer vertical drop-off and look out into a sapphire void. On a clear day, it feels limitless.

These walls are accessible yet dramatic, offering:

• Dynamic Topography providing drop-offs where you can see an endless blue abyss below you, or cut into one of the wall’s swim-throughs or crevasses for intimate exploration
• Rich coral and sponge growth clinging to the lip and face of the wall, alive with reef fish, schooling jacks, and the occasional pelagic species sighting.
• Photographer-friendly structure, with overhangs, swim-throughs, and ledges that frame wide-angle shots and give macro hunters plenty of nooks to explore.

This is the heart of Cayman’s #1 ranking: walls that are both breathtaking and approachable, whether it is your tenth dive or your thousandth.

Beyond the Walls — Eight Categories of Excellence

Awards for wall diving alone would already be impressive. But the 2026 Readers Choice Awards show something more important: Cayman is not a one-note destination.

Across the Caribbean & Atlantic region, the Cayman Islands scored strongly in eight separate dive-travel categories:

• Cave / Cavern / Grotto — #2 of 17 destinations - Rugged swim-throughs, caverns, and grottos give divers a sense of exploration and adventure beneath overhangs and archways.
• Wreck Diving — #3 of 18 destinations - From purpose-sunk wrecks like the Kittiwake to older hulks that have become artificial reefs, Cayman’s wrecks are both accessible and atmospheric.
• Underwater Photography — #3 of 17 destinations - Clear water, dramatic structure, and abundant marine life make it a playground for both wide-angle and macro shooters.
• Beginner Diving — #3 of 21 destinations - Gentle conditions, easy entries, and professional operators mean that new divers can feel confident while still experiencing world-class sites.
• Snorkeling — #5 of 19 destinations - Shallow reefs, sandbars with stingrays, and calm bays make Cayman just as rewarding at the surface as it is at depth.
• Macro Life — #5 of 20 destinations - Beyond the sweeping wall views, there are also blennies in holes, shrimp in anemones, and tiny critters hidden in coral heads for those who like to slow down and hunt for detail.
• Health of Marine Environment — #6 of 19 destinations 

Taken together, these rankings show that the Cayman Islands are more than just “the wall place.” In a single week, you can:

• Dive a sheer drop-off in the morning.
• Explore a wreck or cavern in the afternoon.
• Spend a shallow, sun-drenched snorkel session with friends who do not dive.
• Split your time between wide-angle reef scenes and macro critter hunting

For families, groups, and mixed-experience dive parties, this versatility is what turns “a good dive trip” into “the trip we keep talking about years later.”

The East End — Rugged Adventure Meets Marine Abundance

If Cayman as a whole represents the complete dive package, the East End of Grand Cayman is where that package gets dialed up, rugged, and a little wild—in the best possible way.

"The thing that stands out to me about East End is the variety and kind of the ruggedness that we have - the topography and the geology of the formations and the sites is particularly kind of exaggerated and rugged out here which just makes it more fun to explore some of these caverns and archways and the pinnacles off the drop off. And then it goes to the quality of the marine life and the quantity of the marine life - whether that be the soft corals, the sponges, and the fish and any of the larger creatures that we see down there. 

And then you mix in things like stingray city and the Kittiwake... you know if you go home and you said "Yeah, well we went to the Cayman islands and then we were exploring the shipwreck, and then we were wrangling stingrays and then we were diving with sharks... And then we were swimming with turtles... and then we were going through these underwater caverns with silversides... and then we're on this vertical drop-off that was so steep, it was, you know, negatively inverted. And I felt like I was flying off a mountain. That's an adventure.

And so that's what excites me about diving the East End. I've done thousands of dives out here. But it doesn't lose its magic."

—  Ocean Frontiers owner Steve Broadbelt

This is the East End in a nutshell: exaggerated topography, dramatic pinnacles, caverns strung with light, and a sense of wildness that keeps even veteran dive pros coming back for “just one more dive.”

But if you’re diving with Ocean Frontiers (thanks to our fleet of custom Newton dive boats that enable us to circumnavigate the full island of Grand Cayman) you have access to everything the island has to offer:

• A shipwreck like the Kittiwake, now a thriving artificial reef.
• A shallow-water encounter at Stingray City, where you share sand and sunlight with southern stingrays.
• Shark sightings along deeper walls and drop-offs in East End
• Turtle passes on almost any given day
• Caves and Caverns filled with tarpon and at certain times of year - silverside minnows

A vertical wall so steep it feels “negatively inverted”

For many divers, this combination of variety, marine life, and raw underwater architecture is what turns a “great trip” into a lifetime favorite. As Steve notes, you can do thousands of dives here and it “doesn’t lose its magic.” That sense of enduring wonder is not easily captured in a ranking—but it is exactly what those awards are pointing toward.

A Healthy Marine Environment That Delivers

Award-winning walls and memorable adventures do not mean much without a healthy ocean to support them. One of the quieter but most important recognitions Cayman received in the 2026 Readers Choice Awards is its #6 ranking for Health of Marine Environment among 19 Caribbean & Atlantic destinations.

That placement signals that:

• Reefs remain vibrant and full-of-life despite challenges for reefs in other areas of the world
• The local dive community and industry coordinate to support and preserve the local ecosystems through a variety of convervation measures and research initiatives

When you layer this environmental health on top of the destination’s strengths in wall diving, caverns, wrecks, and underwater photography, the result is a place where the quality of the ecosystem amplifies every other kind of dive you can do.

In practical terms, that means:

• New divers get to experience what healthy reefs look like early in their dive careers, setting a benchmark they will carry for life.
• Wide-angle photographers get blue water, clean visibility, and living reef in a single frame.
• Macro shooters find subjects that actually belong there, not just a few isolated holdouts.

Awards That Confirm What Divers Already Feel

When you look at the 2026 Scuba Diving Magazine Readers Choice Awards on paper, the Cayman Islands’ case is compelling. But the real story is what those numbers and rankings represent.

They reflect decades of innovation, starting from the moment Cayman invited the world to “come fly here and dive.” They point to a destination where you can pack wrecks, rays, sharks, turtles, caverns, and healthy reef dives into a single week—and still feel like you have only scratched the surface.

The awards recognition achieved by the Cayman Islands in this years awards, to build on its already formidable legacy encapsulated by the praises of professional photographers like Alex Mustard, drives home the crystal clear message - that divers of all skill levels from around the world consider the Cayman Islands to be one of the best places in the world to travel to for SCUBA diving.

About Ocean Frontiers Ltd.

Ocean Frontiers Dive Shop is located on the remote East End of Grand Cayman. Founded in 1996 with one dive boat and a dream to introduce divers to the wonders of East End diving, the company has grown into one of Cayman's premier dive operations. Recognized for legendary customer service, the island's friendliest staff, and a deep commitment to conservation, Ocean Frontiers holds the distinction of being the first dive operator in the Cayman Islands to receive PADI Green Star Dive Center accreditation and remains at the forefront of marine conservation and exploration.