Turtle Alley - Cayman Brac
Eagle’s Nest, a quick 15-minute boat ride from Gizo, is one of those easy-going wall dives that just hits the spot. The wall itself drops down to a gentle 21 metres, painted with some impressive hard corals, making for a relaxed drift. We’ve had some great encounters here, particularly with eagle rays and mobula rays cruising by, which explains the name. Keep an eye out too for reef sharks patrolling the blue, along with other pelagics. It’s a solid pick for a chill afternoon dive, especially if you’re hoping for a ray sighting without having to fight a current.
- Location
- Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 19.689600, -79.892200
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Cayman Brac East
Best Time to Dive in Cayman Brac
The warmest water temperatures in Cayman Brac occur in September, averaging 30.5°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 27.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.4°C
- February: 27.1°C
- March: 27.2°C
- April: 27.9°C
- May: 28.8°C
- June: 29.3°C
- July: 30.0°C
- August: 30.4°C
- September: 30.5°C
- October: 30.1°C
- November: 29.0°C
- December: 28.0°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Cayman Brac
- Bloody Bay Wall (reef)
- Bloody Bay Wall (wall)
- Buccaneer Reef (reef)
- Buccaneer Reef (reef)
- Capt. K. Tibbets
- Cayman Brac (reef)
- Cemetery Reef (reef)
- Coral Anchors (reef)
- Double Wall (cave)
- East Chute (drift)
- Fisheries
- Jackson Wall and Reef - Grand Cayman (reef)
- Kissimmee
- Lighthouse Reef - Cayman Brac (reef)
- LILLY PALMAR (POSSIBLY) - 1m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Turtle Alley
- Little Cayman Divers - PADI, NAUI, SSI, SDI, IDEA
- Reef Divers - PADI
- Reef Divers II - Cayman Brac
- Scuba Shack
Marine Life in Cayman Brac
Home to 141 recorded species including 111 reef fish, 23 hard corals, 2 whales & dolphins, 2 other, 1 sea snails & nudibranchs, 1 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Finger Coral (Porites porites) - Hard Corals
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) - Reef Fish
- Blackfish (Melichthys niger) - Reef Fish
- Grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) - Hard Corals
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) - Reef Fish
- Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) - Reef Fish
- Blue Parrotfish (Sparisoma chrysopterum) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Turtle Alley
Based on average water temperature of 28.8°C, currents 6 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories