Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands · Wall · Reef
Old #12
Vertical on one edge, a long slope on the other
Area photo: c&rdunn · CC BY-SA 2.0
A wall dive 30 minutes out from the dock, with depths from 55 to 100 ft (17 to 30 m). The western edge of the site is a vertical wall; to the east it turns into a long, gradual slope that runs down to where the reef meets the sandy bottom. The name comes from a lost scuba tank.
Also known as Old Number 12.
Where it is and how deep
19.3583° N, 81.1308° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site has two halves, and which you dive first is a matter of the plan rather than the terrain. On the western edge the reef ends in a vertical wall, and that is the deep part of the dive, down to 100 ft (30 m). It is normally taken early, running along the face with an eye on no-stop time, because there is nothing shallow to duck up onto on that side.
East of the wall the profile relaxes. The vertical face gives way to a long, gradual slope where the reef runs out and meets the sandy bottom, and following it brings you steadily shallower towards the 55 ft (17 m) end of the site. That makes for a tidy dive shape: deep and vertical first, then a slow climb up the slope and back onto the reef for the safety stop.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Sources
- Old #12 - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Grand Cayman
Reef
Massive sponges on the drop at 21 m (70 ft)
Wall
A pinnacle rising off the North Wall into the Cayman Trench
Cave & cavern
Two long tunnels that empty out onto the open blue
Wall
A coral arch on the wall, named for a Cayman photographer
Ladder off the dock, then a long critter hunt to a coral-topped mini wall
Cave & cavern
Coral chimneys that fill with silversides in high summer
Sponge-crusted cable winches on a ship named for the island's chamber doctor
Wall
An elephant sculpture on a ledge at 26 m (85 ft)
Similar dives elsewhere
Near-continuous schools of grunts and snappers on the wall top
Coral gardens on the shelf, steep drops below to 27 m
Wall
Congo Cay
St. John · U.S. Virgin Islands
Plate corals below the wall off the south-eastern tip of Congo Point
Swim-throughs between massive coral-covered boulders