Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands · Reef · Wall
Turtle Reef
Ladder entry from a tiki bar straight onto a mini wall
Photo: Dan Schofield · CC BY 4.0
Turtle Reef is a shore dive on Grand Cayman's West Wall entered by ladder beside the Macabuca tiki bar. A short shallow swim leads to a mini wall just west of the entry, and the Main Wall lies another 100 m farther west, giving a simple shore dive with two steps of reef.
Also known as Macabuca.
Where it is and how deep
19.3829° N, 81.4169° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
From the ladder at the Macabuca Tiki Bar, a short swim at 3-7 m (15-20 ft) leads straight to the mini wall directly west of the entry, where the reef sits at around 14 m (50 ft). The Main Wall lies another 100 m farther west for divers who want to push on before turning back to the ladder.
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.
Photos from Turtle Reef
Dan Schofield · CC BY 4.0
kerry_lewis · CC BY 2.5
Sources
- Turtle Reef / Macabuca - Grand Cayman — ScubaGo
Photo credits
- A silver barracuda with an open jaw swims low over a rocky reef in clear blue water. by Dan Schofield, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A spiny lobster with banded yellow and brown legs and long antennae rests on a weedy reef. by Dan Schofield, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A small tan pipehorse clings to a green seagrass blade on pale sand. by kerry_lewis, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
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
A shallow reef-top drift where dolphins and turtles turn up
A staircase entry onto a reef that tips over at 9 metres
Coral in 6 m a short swim off the beach, wall to 43 m
A cave under the overhangs, and reef sharks out in the blue