Chilling Rum Point Style!

If you are feeling like a change of scenery from the Silver Sands Beach (gasp!) and are ready for an adventure around the island, head to the Northside and plunk yourself down under a casurina tree at Rum Point. 

Once you arrive at this chilled out haven you can choose from a number of relaxing island activities, or just enjoy the view!

You can snorkel under the famous dock, fly a kite when the wind is right, rent a jet ski or kayak, and even have a meal and a mudslide at the Wreck Beach Bar.

Red Sail Sports has an office there so you can rent any gear you might need. 

Sensing a trend here? The more you chill out here the better!

Grand Cayman's Snorkelling Secrets

Surrounded by the clear waters of the Caribbean there are so many options to choose from to find adventure filled snorkelling in the Cayman Islands. By boat or by shore there are world class reefs to explore Here are the inside tips to get the best out of snorkelling Grand Cayman.

North Sound
This area of the island is home to many great sites and a must see, however it is only accessible by boat so choosing your tour operator can be a bit tricky. Here are the ones Silver Sands recommend:

Six Senses: 938-3303 This company does an out of this world Eco Tour that takes you on a tour to all that north sound has to offer. They take a ride through the mangroves, stop at starfish point, stingray city, the barrier reef and more. The boat is comfortable with bathrooms and coolers on board, kid friendly and the staff is great! Definitely the first choice to explore this stunning part of Cayman.

DNS Diving: 916-2490 As mentioned in the post "Top 3 Ways to Dive Grand Cayman" these guys sure know what they are doing. You can pare a dive on the North Wall with a stop at stingray city and either go to the deep stingray site to dive it. If you have a big group you can always charter their big comfortable boat and do a private snorkel trip to the barrier reef, starfish point and stingray city.

Captain Marvin's: 945-7306 If you are looking for a quick, easy and inexpensive way to see the stingrays this company does group trips all day long. They do 2 and 3 stop snorkel trips to stingray city, the barrier reef and coral gardens. Keep in mind however that they cater to cruise ships so going on a day where no ships are in port, or on a Sunday is the best option. 


Stingray City

At first these gentle giants may seem like food crazed Steve Erwin killers, but once you warm up to them they are like big giant puppies that want treats and a pat on the nose. Stingray massages and kisses are free with all tour operators.

Starfish Point

This picturesque sand spit is home to the red cushion stars that slowly graze the sand flats and patiently allow tourists to gently touch them. As long as they stay under the water they are happy and can be found in this area year around.

Barrier Reef & Coral Gardens

The barrier reef is the border of the North Sound and the reefs leading to the North Wall. The coral here serves as a sort of nursery to the young reef fish and home to resident green moray eels.

Coral Gardens are a series of coral heads in the middle of the sound that are home to lots and lots of fish.

7-Mile Beach
Although along most of 7-Mile you can grab a mask and snorkel and hop in the water and see reef, fish and even turtles, there are a few public areas that have access to the best reefs. All you need is a car and your snorkel gear!

Cemetery Beach: To get here from Silver Sands you can basically walk down the beach, head out to the water and take a right and walk to the public beach area, about 6 minutes down the beach, and swim straight out! There you will find scattered coral heads and lots of overly friendly Sargeant Major fish to greet you.

Eden Rock: Heading south this dive/snorkel shop has a great entry point with a ladder. Just a short swim out you will find shallow reefs great for exploring.

Smiths Barcadere: About a mile south of Georgetown is a lovely little cove with twin beaches. You can lounge on the beach, explore the rocky ironshore, sit in the shade of the sea grape trees and best of all hop in the water to explore this southerly facing snorkel site. There is so much to see just along the rocky shore and out in the sandy flats keep your eyes open for big rainbow parrot fish grazing on the algae.

A few friendly tips: 

1. Wear reef friendly sunscreen! You can still get burned while snorkelling! 
2. If you feel tired head back to shore. No use in pushing yourself and risking danger, you are on vacation, take it easy!
3. If you are in a public area and head into the water, just be aware of your belongings and lock valuables in the car. Although Cayman is a generally safe place its always best to prevent things from going missing in the first place.
4. HAVE FUN!

Heather Holt Photography

Meet the Silver Sands Staff!

Welcome to Silver Sands! The first faces you will see when you check in for your relaxing Caribbean vacation is the friendly and helpful Silver Sands staff. Not everyone could be available for the photos but meet our key players.  

Gwenda

Job Title: General Manager

Where are you from:West Bay, Cayman Islands

What is your favorite part of working at Silver Sands: Having that one on one relationship with my Owners and Guest a like.

What do you love to do on your free time: I love to fish even if I don’t catch anything.

Oleta

Job Title: Office Assistant

Where are you from: West Bay, Cayman Islands

What is your favorite part of working at Silver Sands: I love meeting new guests and always glad to see repeat guest that I have come in contact with in my years at Silver Sands.

What do you love to do on your free time: Swimming, dancing, and socializing with friends and family.

....and as seen below she loves climbing guava trees! This one is outside the office and both the staff and guests can enjoy the fruits when they are ripe and in season.

Darren

Job Title: Maintenance

Where are you from: West Bay, Cayman Islands

What is your favorite part of working at Silver Sands: The owners are great people.

What do you love to do on your free time: Play dominoes, take care of my pets, and hang out with the guys.

Gwenda and Oleta are the dynamic duo of the office. They can take care of any questions and requests you might have and being from the Cayman Islands, they are a wealth of information.

Darren is a star at fixing "it"... whatever "it" may be. He helps to maintain all 42 condos, the grounds and makes sure they are all up and running to everyone's satisfaction.

Along with Gwenda, Oleta and Darren, there are other green thumbed grounds keepers, multitalented maintenance men and happy house keepers that keep Silver Sands Condos and property one of the most beautiful on the whole of 7-Mile.