Just outside of West Bay, and only about a 6 minute drive from Silver Sands, on the North-West tip of Seven Mile Beach, lies the community of Hell. Hell is host to one of the most colorfully-named post offices in the world. Many visitors stop by in order to send a postcard, franked "Hell, Grand Cayman". They have been to Hell. Are you going too?
Hell’s fame, in addition to its great postmark, lies in the rock formations rising out of the ground. Short spikes of eerie-looking black rock look like lava in the aftermath of a volcano. The black, threatening rock gives an intimidating impression of what the other Hell may well be like. These jagged rock formations occupy an area around half the size of a soccer field. People are no longer allowed to walk among the rocks, for fear of damage. However, two observation platforms give a fascinating view of this Infernal landscape.
The rock formations are not actually lava, despite their appearance. They are a mixture of limestone and dolomite. The stone has been eroded over the years by algae producing a landform called a phytokarst. The algae attacks the calcium in the limestone, leaving a predominance of the harder dolomite. The resulting shapes are those which can be seen in Hell today. No further erosion will now take place as the algae requires water to stay alive. The rock is actually bright white in color, but has been blackened by the algae, giving rise to its weird appearance.
Photography by: Heather Holt Photography
