“Cayman diving is the best in the world,” says Ron Kipp, former owner of Bob Soto’s Diving for over 20 years.

There are hundreds of charted dive sites in these waters suitable for beginning to adventure divers, where you can spot more than 500 species of fish (there are few sharks here) and 100 types of coral. With close fringing reefs and drop-offs, you can also dive or snorkel right from shore. You can rent a hand-operated underwater scooter and zip around like James Bond, or take underwater photo and video classes. “Cayman diving is the best in the world,” says Ron Kipp, who owned Bob Soto’s Diving for over 20 years, the largest dive operation in the islands. Kipp should know – he has logged 5,800 dives around the globe. There is no runoff into the ocean from rivers or manufacturing plants, fishing is regulated, and marine parks and environmental laws ensure protection, Kipp explains. “The water is the same as what Columbus found,” he says.

Kipp identified and named the most popular dive and snorkel destination in the world – Stingray City. His boats used to anchor inside the reef off the North Wall between dives, and the guides started to feed the rays there. Now there are 30 – 40 Southern Stingrays congregated in the 12-foot-deep water, and another 60 – 80 rays at nearby Stingray City Sandbar in just three feet of water. Those who want to see the marine world without getting wet can board glass-bottom boats, semisubmersibles with window seats five feet below the surface and submarines diving to 100 feet. The Atlantis Deep Explorer, plunging to depths of 1,000 feet, is the only submarine in the world taking non-researchers to these fathoms.