Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory in the western Caribbean Sea, (here's the map) and is made up of the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The warm, calm waters, 100 ft. plus visibility and breath-taking variety of marine life offer a world of exciting logbook entries. Each island offers very different diving adventures for divers of all levels-from novice to Nitrox and Tec diving.
In Grand Cayman, there are more than 159 dive sites. It's all here: steep, deep walls adorned with sponges and corals in a stunning array of colours; shallow reefs filled with schooling and solitary fish and small invertebrates; and wrecks featuring photogenic structures and curious marine residents.
Little Cayman, at only 10 miles long and a mile wide, offers that rare combination of sun-blessed solitude, glistening beaches and miles of untouched tropical wilderness. Here, shy iguanas and rare birds outnumber humans. Booby Pond Nature Reserve, 203-acre bird sanctuary, is home to 5000 pairs of nesting Red Footed Boobies.
You can get up-to-date info on the Cayman Islands with a fab mobile travel app, SpotCayman. It currently has over 1600 spots and is growing weekly with new spots and exclusive content. The App showcases all that Grand Cayman has to offer; great restaurants, beaches, and bars that you would never find without it. Your complete guide on your phone and available in the App Store.
Grand Cayman for the world's best 12 Foot Dive - unique Stingray City. The fish are unafraid of divers, knowing no threat is posed. They don't flee when approached. Instead, silvery Tarpon hover motionless in mid-water (see the Stingray City YouTube video here), surrounded by glittery Silversides, and French Angelfish fin in close to check you out. Huge Barrel Sponges and swirling schools of fish are common off Grand Cayman. These reefs are unspoiled, gorgonians and hard corals thrive in the clear, warm waters.
USS Kittiwake was a United States Navy submarine rescue. She was scuttled on in January 2011 near Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman and is resting upright in 62 feet of water on a sandy bottom. You can snorkel overhead and see the main decks and topography of the ship plus take a look down the smoke stack that opens up straight down to the bottom of the hull and the engine rooms. There is no end of rooms to explore this wreck, that will soon enough become an artificial reef, enhancing the marine environment with new fishery stock and habitats for marine life. [Photo credit: DiveTech]
The Mermaid, Amphitrite, has been overseeing Sunset Reef in Grand Cayman, for seven years now. At the time, General Manager of Sunset House, Keith Sahm, purchased the mermaid from Simon Morris, a famed sculptor from Canada, to ease the pressure off the resort's famous and delicate reef. Amphitrite is actually a 9 foot tall bronze mermaid and was carefully put underwater at the edge of Sunset Reef. Today she sits in 55' and keeps an ever present watch over the reef. [Source: Sunset House] [Photo credit: Vanessa Lafaye]
Little Cayman - Bloody Bay Marine Park is one of the world's truly legendary dive sites: the sheer coral wall begins at 20 ft. and plunges to 6000 ft.
- The Kittiwake is situated in marine park that is protected under law in Cayman, with no touching or taking of anything, no gloves allowed and no fishing allowed on the wreck/Kittiwake site. It requires an entrance fee to visit from a licensed operator, with the fees going towards the ongoing maintenance and protection of the new artificial wreck/reef plus natural reefs. An exception to taking fish is made for culling lion fish, an invasive species to Cayman waters.
| Language: | English |
| Currency: | Caymanian $ |
| Time: | GMT - 5 |
| Climate: | Tropical |
| Natural hazards: | Hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
| Diving season: | 12 months |
| Water temperature: | Jan to March - 26C/75F |
| June to October – 30C/86F | |
| Hyperbaric chambers: | Grand Cayman Hyperbaric Services: |
| Georgetown Hospital: |
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