Cayman Island Diving Industry Struggles to Stay Afloat

Competition, worldwide economic instability, and a series of natural and man-made disasters have contributed to a Cayman Islands dive industry that has found itself struggling to stay afloat.

It’s tough to stay on top.

Or to stay underneath - in the case of Cayman’s diving industry.

According to many who have been around the diving scene here on the Islands for decades, the game has changed. And Cayman hasn’t always been able to keep up.

“Our competitors in the Caribbean and worldwide have learned their lesson from our success and are going quite well,” said Ron Kipp, who owned Bob Soto’s Diving operation from 1980 to 2005.

Competition from other dive sites is just one of the many challenges facing the Cayman Islands dive tourism product as it moves into the second decade of the 21st Century. Many of these factors are outside the industry or even the country’s control.

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Any one been to the Cayman Islands recently? Have you noticed a difference in the dive scene?