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Despite the many thousands of divers who visit Grand Cayman each year, there is a section of virgin reef and wall diving that remained hidden from public view for decades. Now, divers have a chance to explore and stay at this long-overlooked gem at Cobalt Coast Resort. Set on Boatswain Bay on West Bay's northern coast, Cobalt Coast Resort lies halfway between the Turtle Farm and Spanish Bay Reef. Protected from the island's northeast trade winds, this spot is ideal for shore diving. This intimate resort is far from hotel row on Seven Mile Beach, yet close enough for a shopping trip or dinner adventure.
Living Caribbean Style
Cobalt Coast Resort is a three-story, Caribbean-style building with 18 guestrooms and suites. A freshwater swimming pool is the centerpiece of this resort's design. The setting is tropical and the mood casual. Duppies, the resort's small restaurant, has an intimate bar for late afternoon relaxation and there is plenty of space around the pool deck for outdoor dining. The spacious rooms are appointed with modern furnishings, including air conditioning, ceiling fans, telephones with data port and cable TV. The larger two-bedroom suites feature vaulted ceilings and wood paneling.
Dedicated To Dedicated Divers
Strategically positioned at the foot of the hotel's boat pier is Divetech, a fully equipped dive center for seriously dedicated divers. This shop has everything imaginable and caters to all types of divers including recreational, Nitrox, rebreather and mixed gas enthusiasts. Owned and operated by Nancy Easterbrook, Divetech has a large rental department featuring Scubapro gear, as well as dive toys. The dive center is staffed with certified instructors who teach a variety of specialty programs, including Resort Courses, Open Water certifications, free diving, Nitrox diving, rebreather and mixed gas training. If it's high tech, the staff at Divetech has done it and can teach it to you.
Walls & Reefs At Your Doorstep
Right off the entry ladder of Cobalt's pier, there is a 200-yard coral garden known as Sea Fan Reef. The reef gently slopes from 10 to 30 feet, where the sea fans grow larger and more numerous as you swim seaward. You'll quickly reach a mini-wall that drops from 30 feet to a sand bottom at 60 feet. Known as Zigzag Wall, the reef runs parallel to the shoreline. A zigzag pattern of long coral fingers stretch out toward the open sea and house many interesting critters. Scalloped undercuts along the reef form an interesting series of convex walls that curve under the wall's lip. Growing in these scooped-out walls are sponges and black corals inhabited by a vast array of tropical reef fish, turtles, groupers, snappers and tarpon. Two minutes from the mini-wall brings you to Cobalt Ridge, a coral formation that rises up from a 70-foot sand flat to form the top of the drop-off. Beyond the ridge is Deep Blue, a drop-off starting at 50 feet and sloping steeply to 110 feet, where it becomes a sheer vertical drop known as the Abyss. Underwater visibility is an awesome 200 feet, and visitors often encounter spotted eagle rays and other pelagics. Boat diving is done along the North Wall toward the west end, at some of the less-dived sites, such as Ghost Mountain, Eagle Ray Pass, Grouper Point and Blue Pinnacles.
