Twelve miles west of Grand Cayman is a pristine coral bank that rises from the depths of the Caribbean, but doesn’t break the surface of the water. The top of this isolated kidney-shaped reef formation, often called the 4th Cayman Island, is 90 to 100 feet below the surface, and like the other islands, it features dramatic drop-offs that plunge thousands of feet to the ocean bottom. Depth and distance make the 12-Mile Bank inaccessible to most divers, but Divetech is taking a select group on a dive expedition August 19 -26, 2017.
“Divetech is always looking for new and exciting adventures for our clients,” said General Manager Tony Land, who led the initial exploratory dive trip to the banks last year. “12-mile is unique in that it is remote and seldom explored. Our divers were probably among the first humans to lay eyes on sections of those walls. There aren’t many places you can do that in the world anymore, especially this close to civilization.”
Documenting the expedition will be Curt Bowen, CEO of Advanced Diver Magazine. Bowen is also on the board of the ADM Exploration Foundation, a not for profit organization dedicated to underwater exploration, discovery, and education.
“We support groups with conservation efforts and exploration of the ocean,” said Land, who is thrilled with, and inspired by, the pristine nature of the reef. “The top of the bank is filled with thriving coral heads that rise to 50 feet from the surface and abound with turtles, sharks, reef fish and pelagics, like wahoo and grouper. The area is virtually unexplored!”
Land says other dive operations run occasional trips to the 12-mile bank, but they are confined to the recreational diving depths of 130 feet or shallower. Divetech’s technical dive profiles allow advanced divers to uncharted depths of 250 feet.
Price of Divetech’s Expedition Package to 12 Mile Bank
King Room (single) $3200
Twin Room (share) $2900
Package includes:
- 7 nights’ accommodations at Divetech’s Lighthouse Point Condo
- All Taxes
- Round Trip Airport Transfers
- 5 Boat trips to 12 Mile bank
- Unlimited shore diving at Lighthouse Point
- Gas & Scrubber
- Breakfast each day at VIVO
- Lunch will be served on the boat
- Divetech’s Dine Around option for Evening Meals including farewell BBQ at Lighthouse Point
Condos are based on triple occupancy. This is a rebreather-only trip, and divers must hold a minimum certification of CCR Normoxic Trimix. A minimum of 8 divers is required for the expedition to run. Deposits are fully refundable up until June 1st, 2017. For inquiries and bookings, please email the Divetech reservations team at info@divetech.com or call 1-877-946-5658.
About Divetech
Divetech is a IANTD Platinum Facility / TDI/SDI Instructor Trainer Facility / PADI 5-Star Resort / PADI TecRec Facility / PADI Project Aware Center / SSI Resort / IANTD & SSI Free Diving Center / BSAC Resort / National Geographic Center/ Scuba Rangers Club / Universal Training Facility / PADI Swim School / DAN Technical Field Research Station with full service dive operator with locations at Lighthouse Point on Northwest Point Road and the Holiday Inn Resort and Suites, both just a few miles north of the hustle and bustle of Seven Mile Beach. Considered one of Grand Cayman’s leading dive operations, Divetech has been providing quality dive services since 1994. It has earned a reputation as the place to go in Grand Cayman for quality training from kids to trimix with 18 Instructors on staff.
Divetech offers great dive and room packages with a number of Grand Cayman’s hotels, condos and B&B’s with daily complimentary shuttle service for pickup and drop-offs for diving.
