Renowned the world over for its spectacular diving, friendly locals and beautiful pristine beaches, there is plenty to see both on land and water. Whether you want to explore a sunken wreck, dance the night away, or simply go sightseeing, Grand Cayman is the place to start.
Diving is the number one watersport in the Cayman Islands. There are many excellent dive operators that offer you every type of professional dive service, whether you are a beginner or a dive master, you can find what you are looking for. There are over 200 dive sites among the three islands that include a mixture of wall, wreck and reef dives. Your choices are endless. Other popular watersports include snorkelling, parasailing, board sailing, water skiing and ocean kayaking. Sportfishing is also very big in the Cayman’s.
Grand Cayman, the largest and most active of the islands, attracts 95% of the tourists. This island features over 120 dive sites, some with beach access and some by boat. One of the largest tourist attractions in the world is found here and that is Stingray City. You can swim alongside and feed swarms of stingrays in just 12 feet of water. It’s a snorkelling and scuba diving adventure that will never be forgotten!
If getting wet isn’t your thing, or maybe you’re just looking for a really unique experience; well that can be found aboard the Atlantis Submarines! Atlantis submarines offer rides aboard the 48-passenger Atlantis XI, and the Deep Explorer 1000 which takes two passengers on dives of up to 800 and 1000 feet below the ocean’s surface. The Seaworld Explorer takes 35 passengers just five feet below the ocean’s surface, and Cayman Submarines’ SEAmobile Submarine Tours also offers room for two passengers to explore underwater life at depths of up to 60 feet with a 360-degree view. Nautilus offers the 60-passenger air-conditioned Nautilus semi-submarine with a protected glass hull that cruises five feet below the sea’s surface. What a way to explore the world that lives under the sea!
To see a miracle of nature, head over to the Cayman Turtle Farm, the only one of its kind. The turtles are a protected species and there is no where else that you will see an endangered species raised so successfully for conservation. It is home to over 16 000 sea turtles that range in size from 6 ounces all the way up to 600 pounds! The farm has released close to 30 000 turtles back to their home in the wild since 1980 to help replenish the population.
While the real beauty of Grand Cayman lies under the water, it has plenty to offer on land. There has been an incredible amount of work and dedication to restore landmarks and bring the true history and beauty of this island alive. A true must see is Pedro St. James Historic Site. The birthplace of democracy and its first national landmark, you will find a historically accurate reconstruction of the 1780 Great House, formerly known as Pedro Castle, it is truly a spectacular site to see. One of the most beautiful locations in the Cayman Islands, it is a popular location for weddings and social events, with landscaped yards resembling a tropical park and an amazing view of the Caribbean. Among the many attractions located here, the main one is the 49-seat state of the art multimedia theater featuring a 20-minute video presentation on Pedro St. James and highlights 200 years of Cayman history.
There is a destination that most people who visit the Cayman’s have never heard of that should not be missed. It is Grand Cayman’s Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park featuring a visitor’s center, Heritage Garden and Floral Garden, a 2 acre lake and it is also a safe home to the endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguana. You will see a diverse landscape of native trees and shrubs, wild orchids and epiphytes in a 65 acre park. The Park not only preserves a segment of the Caymanian landscape, but also offers a walk through time into the rich floral history of these islands and by demonstration encourages conservation and horticultural values.
As you can see, there are so many sites to see here on Grand Cayman. Others to note are a trip to the National Museum, as well as the National Trust where you can learn all about historic buildings, bird sanctuaries, wetlands reserves and nature trails on all three islands. And of course, no trip to Grand Cayman would be complete without a trip to Hell! You can go there and then come back with tales of a blackened and jagged rock formation that gives this little district in West Bay its name. Hell’s intriguing weathered rock formation is over 1 1/2 million years old and resembles the charred remains of a hell fire. Its own post office was opened in 1962 for tourists who wanted to send postcards from Hell.
The Cayman’s have the unique ability to make you feel at home as soon as you arrive, with beautifully landscaped resorts, you are sure to feel close to nature wherever you stay! If ever there was a place to live your fantasy lifestyle, the Cayman’s are it! Whether you are looking for luxury four-star hotels and condos on Seven Mile Beach, to comfortable guest houses and casual dive resorts, the islands are sure to meet your vacation needs. One of the Caribbean’s best selections of luxurious beachfront condominiums, apartments and villas are also found here.
There is so much to be found on Grand Cayman that you are sure to have the vacation of a lifetime! With unparalleled beauty, sophistication and a surprising amount of variety, whatever you choose to do, you’ll find your way – Cayman Islands Style!

As the world has changed, travelers’ interests have changed with it. For a significant swath of vacationers, the old model of going to an established resort area, gobbling expensive meals and taking some hurried snapshots for a soon-forgotten album is long gone. Many travelers are now looking for—and finding—something different, something more authentic or participatory. For these travelers, vacationing can present educational immersion in a world unto its own, exciting physical challenges to overcome, or cultural explorations that open the mind to new ways of thinking.

The Los Cabos area is renowned both for the lively “party-town” aspect of Cabo San Lucas and for its laid-back, desert-meets-the-sea appeal. Any traveler can find its fabulous resorts and its luxury villas, and can spend the finest of times lounging around beautiful pools. But Los Cabos also has much to offer the new breed of travel pilgrim.

Los Cabos is a diverse region of intriguing eco-systems and unique terrain. Dubbed “the aquarium of the world” by Jacques Cousteau, the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez at Baja’s tip boasts an extraordinary profusion of marine life, both big and small. Cabo Pulmo, located on the East Cape, is a protected National Marine Park that boasts one of the largest and most diverse coral reefs in North America. There are also several biosphere reserves, where diverse ecosystems offer habitat to species of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.  These rugged desert canyons, arroyos and cactus-laden hills are fed by mountain streams and often open up to spectacular views of sparkling seas.

Discerning eco-tourists can choose from a wide array of Los Cabos offerings, from whale and bird-watching excursions to turtle hatchings, kayaking, mountain biking, snorkeling and scuba diving, dolphin encounters, mountain climbing and more. Earth, Sea & Sky Vacations is pleased to offer a variety of organized tours and excursions that take enthusiasts far from the common tourist package, and into the soul of the Baja experience.

Take, for instance, our tours offered through the Carisuva (which means “in touch with nature”) Foundation, an ecological project that seeks to preserve Baja California’s Ecological environment through education of visitors and local children. The Rhino Safari tour lets you drive Yamaha Rhinos (essentially small, low-horsepower jeeps) on rugged off-track paths and canyon trails to a spectacular Pacific vista, with stops along the way to discuss desert flora and fauna. Carisuva also has exhilarating Pacific Beach horseback rides.

For those wanting to be in the water rather than looking at it, you might consider Manta Scuba diving or a live-aboard dive trip on the Solmar V. These organizations will transport you to select spots such as Cabo Pulmo or on a nine-day trip to the Socorro Islands, where you’re likely to encounter dazzlingly colorful fish, giant manta rays, sharks, sea lions, turtles and spectacular underwater canyons. Extended multi-day trips include all meals, and can also include a variety of optional equipment. Those who might want a bit more luxury in their boating experiences should consider a week-long private yachting venture into the Sea of Cortez aboard a lavish vessel like the Panache.

Looking for something with a little more zip? What about whipping through the air on a zip line over an enchanting canyon, courtesy of Cabo Adventures? This exciting activity is conducted by experienced guides that are absolutely dedicated to the protection and preservation of this protected biosphere. The picturesque desert mountain canyon, deep stream-fed pools and waterfalls are sure to satisfy adventure seekers and eco-tourists alike.  

For visitors who want to practice true “voluntourism,” you could consider participating in one of the local resort’s protected sea turtle programs. Resort guests can watch adult turtles laying their eggs, observe the hatched turtles in their holding corral, handle the baby turtles in a supervised setting and personally release them into the sparkling Sea of Cortez.

Some people might gravitate to far-flung lands like the exotic Galapagos or frozen Antarctica for their ventures; some people might even crave an unusual jungle outing like gorilla tracking in far-off Rwanda. But some will wisely choose Los Cabos, where they’ll find a bright world of intrigue and excitement, where a vacation doesn’t merely have to be a vacation, but can be a lifetime experience. Let one our Los Cabos vacation experts make your next vision a reality.

Scuba Diving, while fun, has it’s share of hazards like any outdoor sport. Knowing how to recognize and deal with potential problems before (or when) they occur can make the difference between life and death when you’re under water. Here are a few safety precautions to take, as well as some of the things that can happen that you should look out for.Plan Contingencies for Every Emergency – there’s that law good old Murphy made, that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. While a seemingly pessimistic and cynical statement, it actually helps sometimes to take this approach, especially when planning for emergencies. Take enough gear to handle all the potential problems that you’ll encounter, and have back up means of getting external help on hand in case something arises that you weren’t prepared for.Decompression Injuries: DCS – know how to recognize the symptoms of these two maladies. They will require treatment in an emergency decompression chamber. They are: Decompression sickness, or DCS, and Cerebral arterial gas embolism, or CAGE. DCS occurs because the body forms air pockets in it when utilizing compressed air, as well as becuase it is subject to increased external pressure from the water. DCS occurs because the nitrogen in a person’s air supply, unlike oxygen, is NOT used up and absorbed by the body, and the increased levels of nitrogen, unless controlled by a device on the breathing apparatus called a regulator, collects air pockets in the body. These create a cramping sensation, nausea, and lightheadedness, and a physical sensation referred to by divers as The Bends. DCS usually occurs on an overly fast descent, as the body and the regulator can’t compensate fast enough for the increased water pressure.Decompression Injuries: CAGE – Cerebral arterial gas embolism occurs more often as a result of an uncontrolled rapid ascent, as opposed to the bends that hit divers due to a fast descent. This manifests as sharp pains in the body, especially in the sinuses, head, and in the lung area. This is a very serious condition that can be potentially fatal. CAGE is caused when the rapid ascent of the diver causes air bubbles similar to those formed during DCS, only this time the air pressure changes that trigger the bubbles in the body are due to a sudden lessening of the water pressure surrounding the body. This causes the trapped air to have a higher pressure volume than the surrounding atmosphere. In effect, the diver is an unopened can of soda that got shaken real good underwater, and once he leaves the water, it’s the same effect as opening the can…Injuries – the injuries that can occur from decompression range from the merely bothersome, like nausea, sharp pains, and cramps, to more serious matters. One of the most potentially damaging is trapped air bubbles reaching the heart or the cerebral system. As some of you may have seen on television, there are episodes where a villain kills a sleeping victim in a hospital by injecting air into their dextrose. The air bubbles formed in the veins cause cardiac arrest when they hit the heart, or a stroke when they hit the brain. This is a true fact, and the air bubbles causes by decompression may have this effect, if large enough. This is one of the major reasons why controlled ascents and descnet rates are so vital to safe diving.Other Potential Maladies – aside from decompression sickness, which is the most common and severe type of injuy incurred by divers, other maladies are mostly atmospheric in cause. Hypothermia is caused by dives in extremely cold water, or by diving with a wetsuit that doesn’t provide enough heat insulation. Dehydration also occurs on a dive, surprisingly. Be sure to drink lots of water before you go. Asphyxiation occurs, on the other hand, if the air supply used is flawed and doesn’t give the body adequate oxygen to function.Scuba Lifesaving – Take up a first aid class that will allow you to recognize the signs of the conditions given above, and also teaches you emergency measures to be used in those events. Don’t rely on text based or verbal descriptions, make sure that the first aid course gives you full, hands on training in dealing with these injuries. Also keep your first aid kit handy and well stocked on your dives, and always have a means to call for help from others, including a radio transmitter, cellular telephone, and even signal flares. While seemingly bulky and unnecessary, these items can mean the difference between life and death.