Mangos, Mangos, Mangos!!!

Ahhh mango season in the Cayman Islands. Ya gotta just LOVE the way mangos grow off the tree, hanging there taunting you wanting to be picked and eaten. 

These photos of the beautiful mangos and mango trees were taken up on the Northside. On the way up to Rum Point, there is a sign and turnoff for Hutland. Easily overlooked, it is a little road with a few houses, slowly getting narrower and with less civilization it is a nice little jaunt into the Cayman bush. There wasn't a whole lot down there except for some houses, farms and tons of mango trees and other fruit trees. It really felt like rural Cayman and was quite peaceful, definitely worth checking it out.

The mangos below were the most brilliant color, almost purple. My mouth was literally watering as I was taking these photos.

If you want to get some fresh local mangos visit the "Mango Man", his location has changed from last year due to the new road, but he is still on the original WB Rd, on the south side of Public Beach.

YUM YUM YUM!!!

Summertime Diving with the Secretary Blenny

Summer is a great time to visit us here at Silver Sands for so many reasons... the poinsianas are in bloom, the turtles are mating and nesting, the island is not busy like it is during the high season in the winter months and its mango season (more on that later!) 

One of my favorite perks of Cayman summer is the diving... the water is warm and clear, we get our pick of the dive sites because of the calm water and the big stuff tends to be hanging around, such as eagle rays and if you are very lucky a manta ray or hammerhead shark.

Out doing some underwater photography with DNS today, I had the pleasure of hanging out with this little guy, identified as a Secretary Blenny. Not as big and impressive as a hammerhead, but charming none the less. He has comfortably burrowed his way into a living coral head at Bonnie's Arch. He was very inquisitive and I got some great shots. I also like his view as seen below.

A Pretty Picture to Brighten Your Day

Its a beautiful day here on the grounds of Silver Sands. I hope you have a beautiful day where ever you may be!

Turtle season is here!

Its that time of year, large mature turtles (mostly greens and loggerheads) can now be seen mating in the waters off of Silver Sands. Once the female has been fertilized, she will lay her eggs on the beach. This laying process is much easier said than done. The turtle must drag her huge body up the beach finding the perfect spot, then dig a giant hole in the sand and lay her eggs. Once all the eggs are laid, she will cover it up and drag herself back to sea. Sometimes she will climb up the beach and not find that perfect spot and will make several passes on several nights before finding her nesting spot. This time of year turtle tracks are a fairly common sight on the Silver Sands beach so keep your eye out! The incubation period usually takes about 60 days until the baby turtles hatch. So through out the summer there is always lots of excitement at Silver Sands surrounding these gorgeous creatures nesting and hatching.

If you would like more info about Cayman's nesting turtles please check out the DOE website:

www.doe.ky/marine/turtles

If you see a turtle nest please always report it to the DOE. Call 938-NEST
If you see anyone poaching the nesting turtles call 911 immediately!

If you would like more general info on turtle nesting check out the Sea Turtle Conservancy

7-Mile Beach Walks

Miss walking on 7-Mile Beach? Come visit us and enjoy low season prices here at Silver Sands!

Sand Crab!

Sand Crab! These guys are the busy and quick little guys that scamper around in the sand, especially during sunset.

Cayman Halo Around the Sun

The Cayman sunshine is amazing on an average day, but today it is extra special with a full and very vivid rainbow surrounding it! This phenomenon is called parhelion or sundog.

Check out the Cayman Compass's coverage here.

For more photos of this beautiful halo, check out Heather Holt's blog post