Advice for diving Cracked Conch/Sunrise Divers Mini-wall in Cayman Islands

The Macabuca Grill/Cracked Conch complex is host to Sunrise Divers, a great, full service shore diving operation at Macabuca Turtle Reef, one of GC’s best dive sites. You can rent tanks, weights, equipment and snorkel gear, and check your bags behind their counter. Tanks and weights cost the two of us around $30. There are camera and wetsuit rinse tanks and spacious tables/benches for setting up your gear. All in all, a better facility than many dive resorts offer. The guy manning the counter gave us a brief orientation to the reef and helpful advice on weights.

It’s a short walk past the bar to the ladder for the entry channel. Keep your eyes peeled the moment you get in—we spotted juvenile yellow stingrays, peacock flounder, baby octopus within a few feet of the ladder. Mind the urchins and bristle worms near the ladder. North takes you along a massive wall (down to about 56 feet). We found turtles, tiger grouper, lobster, midnight parrot fish, filefish and a speckled moray. I spotted the silhouette what I think was a goliath grouper in the shadows of the wall, but got distracted following a hawksbill and when I got back on track there was no sign of him. South takes you along a shallower wall favored by schools of tarpon (we counted 14). I was followed for most of the dive by a foot-long remora who kept trying to attach himself to my leg. The tops of the wall and flats are full of healthy, colorful coral heads.

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