Top 3 Ways to Dive Grand Cayman

Many people come to the Cayman Islands specifically to dive the crystal clear turquoise waters and experience the dramatic drop offs, friendly turtles, lovable stingrays and all the other exciting things coral reefs have to offer. These islands are world-renowned to be home to some of the most beautiful dives on the planet!

1. Dive with DNS Diving! 916-2490

DNS have quite the fleet of boats that are large and spacious and staffed with fun and attentive dive instructors that not only take you to Cayman's most scenic sites, but make it an absolute pleasure to be on board.

Depending on the time of year and the weather, DNS dive on the easy access West Side, the dramatic North Wall, and when the weather insists, the South end of the island.

Boat access to Cayman's reefs means you can get out to seldom seen sites, as well as the most famous and healthiest stretches of reef like Trinity Caves and Orange Canyon on the west, Princess Penny's Pinnacle on the north, and Japanese Gardens in the south... just to name a few.

If you like the photography ask for Chase! He does amazing photos of the people and underwater life.

2. Shore Dive at Eden Rock 949-7243

Just south of Georgetown, lay two amazing dive sites, Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto. The dive shop, Eden Rock, has the facilities that make shore diving and snorkling all too easy! 

Rent your gear and tank 10 feet away from the ladder and flop right into the water. From there you can discover the beautiful caves and grottos these dive sites are famous for. The best part is that these sites are shallow dives at about 40 feet, so air willing, you can have a nice long dive soaking in all the sites' have to offer.

During certain times of the year, usually the summer months, the caves and grottos fill up with tiny silvery fish called silversides. This is quite the spectacle to watch as the giant tarpon, bar jacks, grouper, snapper and other reef predators roam the caves hunting these millions of tiny silver fish.

Even when the silversides do not fill the caves, you are still guaranteed to come face to face with at least a few tarpon. Tarpon are rather large silvery fish that treat divers with a very nonchalant attitude, moving out of the way only when absolutely needed. These wildlife encounters add just another unique element to this dive.

There is a whole lot more than caves and tarpon, the reefs at Eden Rock and Devils Grotto are also teaming with other reef fish & critters. As mentioned before the shallow topography is also great for snorkelers.

3. Turtle Reef Night Dive 945-5217

West Bay is home to Turtle Reef, and Sun Diver's dive shop. Here you have easy access to the 60 foot mini wall, or a little further out, the deep wall. It is a great dive either at night or during the day. I am going to highlight the night diving aspect since the 60 foot mini wall is just a hop, skip and fin kick away, and is one of the most interesting and easily accessible night dives on the island.

Make sure you stop by Sun Diver's dive shop earlier in the day, or call in advance so they can leave tanks out for you. Then just as the sun is setting hop into the water and enjoy the last light on the reef as it turns to dark and all the reef night dwellers start appearing.

During night dives you have a high chance of seeing creatures seldom seen during the day due to their nocturnal habits. You might encounter shrimp, eels out free swimming on the reef in search of dinner, and even the ever so shy octopus.

After you get out of the water don't worry the fun is not over yet... once you have rinsed your gear, you can enjoy a mudslide and dinner at the chilled out restaurant/tiki bar Macabuca, while you wait for your gear to dry. They are cheap and cheerful and have great conch fritters, jerk chicken and other delicious island cuisine.

Turtle Nesting on Silver Sands Beach

Turtle Season is Here!

The summer season in the Cayman Islands means turtle nesting! The Cayman Islands has three different species of turtles that come to the beaches around the island to lay their eggs, the green turtle, the loggerhead and the hawksbill. Each has its own unique tracks which help the Cayman Islands Department of Environment's turtle experts identify and monitor the nests.

The female turtles will come to shore and lay between 4-6 nests per season, each nest containing between 100-150 eggs. The nest takes 50-60 days to incubate before the little turtles hatch and make the mad dash to the sea. This seems like a lot of baby turtles but only 1 in 1,000 of these little hatchlings will make it to adult hood. The interesting thing about the location where the female turtle lays is that it is the very beach she hatched from 25-30 years ago! Silver Sands is always a popular spot for the nesting turtles. 

The Department of Environment keeps a close eye on when and where the turtles nest for a few reasons. 

Firstly there are still poachers out there looking to make a quick buck and are poaching these poor mama turtles and taking the eggs, double wammy for these gentile giants.

Secondly, if a turtle is spotted nesting by the many turtle volunteers on the island, the DoE will come and sample the turtle, make sure she laid the eggs and gets back in the water safely. If there are turtle tracks spotted on the beach the DoE will come to check the nest and measure it, and put a tag on it to identify the type of species, as well keep tabs on when the little ones are expected to hatch. 

The main objective is to get as many female turtles to safely nest, and as many hatchlings possible to make it to the sea. Residents and visitors of Silver Sands can be a watchful eye for both the nesting females and the hatchlings and can report any nests to the DoE's Turtle Hotline at 938-6378. There are also various other volunteer jobs that can help with the turtles, if you are interested please contact: doe@gov.ky

Lucy is one of the main DoE workers involved in the monitoring of the turtles and she works night and day to make sure the turtles of Grand Cayman get every fighting chance to reproduce and survive to nest another season. Check out the DoE monitoring blog for updates!

Paddleboarding in Paradise

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) has risen in popularity in the last few years and it's not hard to see why. It is a great way to get out on the water, be active, exercise and be social. With calm clear Cayman waters it is a great activity to participate in while visiting the island. 

Rent a Paddle Board

While staying at Silver Sands sitting on the beach watching the water is enticing. If you would like to get in the deep end you can rent paddle boards from Waterman's (769-7873), they do daily and weekly rentals. It is a great way to spend time with the family and can be an unplanned and leisurely activity with the boards right there at your fingertips.

Paddle Fit Classes

Kiristin is the queen bee of paddle boarding on the island with the PaddleFit Level 3 certification. The program she follows is designed to teach and practice

-Paddle technique
-High intensity training
-Land based classes
-Personalized program
-Fun
-Friendly environment
She does Paddlefit classes on a regular basis throughout the week as well as a beginner class and private classes. Check out her WEBSITE and her FACEBOOK to get more info.

Paddle Board Yoga Classes

Yoga is a great way to unwind and get fit, and what a better way to do so on the water! Bliss is one of the yoga studios on the island that offer these unique surf/yoga classes. The classes are known for giving the body a core workout because of the added challenge of maintaining balance while performing the yoga poses. Check out Bliss Paddle Board Yoga class schedules here, or call Bliss at 949-9642.

Exploring Cayman: The Flip Flop Tree

While staying at Silver Sands get out and explore the island! Along South Sound Road, right next to the sea, lies a casuirine tree covered in shoes of all shapes, sizes and colors, the Cayman Shoe Tree is a favorite stop if you are on your way to Rum Point or the East End.

Photography by, Heather Holt Photography

Cayman grouper need our help, here's why...

A few weeks ago I did a post, GROUPERS GALORE, on a few of the different species of grouper found in the Cayman waters and why they should not be consumed. Really I just wanted to show off my pix, but it also helped to bring up a topic very important to not only myself, but ocean lovers in Cayman and everywhere!

The silversides were out in full force this summer at Devils Grotto dive site right off Eden Rock Dive Center. With all these little fish bring a whole lot of big fish interested in having an easy meal. The above is a pretty good size Nassau Grouper. These guys have been fished out pretty good on Grand Cayman and it is always a rare treat to see one of this size.

 They are also very friendly and expressive with divers. This guy let us go right up to him and take a few photos. He seemed just as curious about us as we were to him. So while I love sharing my pix, I feel it is a good opportunity to share a little educational info about these threatened fish.



In the last post I touched on the topic of how people want to eat local food when they visit the island and grouper is usually the favorite choice, despite it being threatened due to overfishing. In reality there is not much grouper to be caught, and the desired fish on offer has been replaced in the restaurants by a SE Asian, freshwater catfish known as the Swai fish, originally found in the Mekong River. This change has been made in the serving of the meat, and not a change that has been reflected on the menu.

This is a huge problem for 2 main reasons... 
1. people should not think it is ok to eat grouper in the first place. 
2. People should know what they are putting in their mouths! The restaurant has a responsibility to tell the consumer exactly what they are serving! There is a massive movement against GMO, big companies refusing to properly label their products etc... well this is the same thing if you ask me!

This is a photo that I just took in Vietnam of a Swai fish (also known as Basa, among other names) in the market at Hoi An. This is the "grouper" that is being served up at many Cayman restaurants.

Some interesting facts on the Swai Fish, the farming, the growing popularity and its origins can be found on these website links... 

Here is a link with some farming techniques: FARMING

In the last 10 years this fish has become widely distributed and farmed and has made it to fish farming industry closer to home, Puerto Rico. Check out this link: SWAI FARMING IN THE WEST

Swai fish is a much more sustainable fish for consumption so I am not against this fish at all, I just think people should know the facts.

So what you can do is be sure to ask the restaurant what the fish really is being served that is being called grouper. Most waiters don't know so make them ask the kitchen. Then when they come back and say it is indeed Swai, then let them know that no one should be eating grouper in the Cayman Islands so they should just take it off the menu. If everyone does this I really think it will make a difference and take the pressure off the lovely grouper and get them off the menu completely.

For more sustainable fish to eat instead of Grouper check out Cayman Sea Sense