Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands · Wall · Cave & cavern
Bonnie's Arch
A coral arch on the wall, named for a Cayman photographer
Area photo: c&rdunn · CC BY-SA 2.0
A coral archway on the wall near the northwestern point of Grand Cayman, named after Bonnie Charles, a photographer well known in the Cayman Islands. The standard dive drops through the arch to around 30 m (100 ft) and then works slowly back up the face. Current runs here more often than not, which is part of why the reef is in the condition it is.
Also known as Bonnies Arch.
Where it is and how deep
19.3704° N, 81.4195° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive drops down and through the archway to around 30 m (100 ft), then turns and works its way slowly back up the wall. The base of the arch is where the sponges are, a variety of tube and barrel sponges stacked around the opening, with spiny lobsters, cleaner shrimp and crabs tucked into the structure around them.
Coming out onto the wall, look into the blue as well as at it: you may find a spotted stingray or even a shark cruising the face. On the reef itself the cast is French and grey angelfish, trumpetfish, sergeant majors, cleaning wrasses working their stations, Nassau groupers, mutton snappers and barracuda.
Current is the variable that decides how the dive runs. It is variable and moderate to strong most of the time, which helps keep the reef in the condition it is in, but it also means the profile is often a drift up the wall rather than a swim. If it is running too hard on the day, the boat moves to another site in the area rather than put divers in.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Stingrays
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Grand Cayman: December to April is drier and calm enough for the exposed south side; August to October is hurricane season, and the rain peaks in October.
Know before you go
- Current here is variable and moderate to strong most of the time; if it is too strong the captain will move the dive to a nearby site rather than splash.
- The arch bottoms out at around 30 m (100 ft), so the deep section comes at the start of the dive. Watch gas and no-decompression time before turning back up the wall.
Dive videos
SCUBA Diving Bonnie's Arch with Divetech, Grand Cayman · Matt Drones On on YouTube
Dive 2 Bonnie's Arch 10.20.25 · Hero SCUBA Group on YouTube
Scuba Diving The Cayman Islands Bonnie's Arch · Stanley Scuba, Sailing & Adventures on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Bonnie's Arch?+
The site goes to about 30 m, or 100 feet. The usual profile is to descend through the arch to that depth at the start of the dive and then work slowly back up the wall, so the deep part is short and the shallow part is long.
Is there current at Bonnie's Arch?+
Usually. Current here is variable and moderate to strong most of the time, which helps maintain the quality of the reef. If it is running too hard, the boat will substitute a nearby site such as Orange Canyon, Big Tunnels or Trinity Caves.
Sources
- Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Bonnie's Arch — Steven W Smeltzer Blog
- Bonnie's Arch Diving | Cayman Islands — Divebooker
- Bonnie's Arch Dive Site - Scuba Diving Grand Cayman — The Scuba Directory
In The Logbook
- Why things look bigger underwaterOcean science · 12 min read
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