Big Eyes Lair
Protected Area
Oke Bay
Why dive here
With 163+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, blue whales, dolphins, great white sharks and hammerhead sharks - Big Eyes Lair offers some of Bay of Islands's richest cave diving.
Devil’s Grotto North is one of our favourite dive sites when we’re in Grand Cayman, especially if you’re looking for something a bit different from the standard reef drift. We love the dramatic topography here, a real maze of huge coral heads sculpted with swim-throughs and chimneys. Sunlight shafts pierce the gloom, illuminating the schools of silversides that often pack the grottoes so densely you can barely see through them. It’s an immersive experience, feeling the cooler water as you duck under an archway, then emerging into the brighter open water again. Keep an eye out for the smaller critters tucked into crevices – we’ve often spotted roughhead blennies and the shy brotula here. Tarpon lurk in the shadows, unperturbed by divers. While it’s often touted for beginners, we think experienced divers will appreciate the intricate layout and the chance for some fantastic light play photography. Maximum depth is around 15 metres, so you get plenty of bottom time to explore. We’d suggest going in the morning before it gets too busy.
Safety Notes
Overhead environment - never enter without proper cave/cavern training, redundant equipment, and a guideline.
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Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Big Eyes Lair
Big Eyes Lair Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Big Eyes Lair, sourced from NOAA buoy data - nearest station: Open-Meteo grid (-35.21, 174.19) (0km away)
August Averages
Air Temperature
13.28°C
56°F
Wind Speed
7.8 m/s
15.2 knots
Atmospheric Pressure
1018.9 hPa
Based on 5 years of monitoring data · Data sources: NOAA NDBC
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