The Sites of Georgetown: The National Museum

The Cayman Islands National Museum is a located in Georgetown, in the historic former Old Courts Building on Harbor Drive. The exhibits are ever changing and feature Natural History, Caymanian Culture and Art Exihbits. 

Museum Hours: M-F (9am to 5pm), Saturdays (10am to 2pm) 

There are also events and workshops put on by the museum that will add a more local and authentic flare to your visit to Cayman.

If you are interested in more Cayman History and need to pass your lazy days at Silver Sands, Peggy Leshikar-Denton, the director of the Cayman Islands National Museum, has written the definitive story of the Wreck of the Ten Sail. Photo by James Whittiker, find out more info in the Cayman Compass article. 

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The Sites of Georgetown: The Clock Tower

For such a small island, Grand Cayman has quite a few historic sites, and taking the time from your stay at Silver Sands to check some of them out is well worth a half day in Georgetown.

 The clock tower was built in 1937 in memory of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather King George V.

Photos by Heather Holt Photography

Living the Dream in Little Cayman

There is more to the Cayman Islands than the well known Grand Cayman. The island chain is composed of the largest Grand Cayman, and the smaller "Sister Islands", Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Here we will focus on our favorite "sister" and all she has to offer in the diving and lounging department.

The trip over to this tiny 10x1 mile island is all part of the experience. From Grand you will get on a twin prop Cayman Airways Express plane and fly over the blue waters of the Caribbean for about 40 minutes until you reach the coast of this tropical oasis.

Upon landing on the small but sufficient landing strip, you will see just how quaint this little island is. On the runway you are greeted by all the airport staff as they unload the baggage onto a cart and roll it 25 meters to the "arrivals" at the main airport office, which is also the firestation and postoffice. Yes that is right, one building to house them all. 

In the main "town" of Blossom Village there are lots of accommodation to choose from. You can either stay in the popular Southern Cross Club or Little Cayman Beach Resorts if you want a hotel atmosphere, or The Club offers condos which are great to have the choice to cook. If you would really like to escape there are several rental houses scattered around the island that are also available for renting.

Once you have gotten settled into your home away from home it is time to do what Little Cayman offers more than anything else... chill time...

This can be done in various ways, sitting on a hammock while reading a book and staring at the sea is a most popular choice, however some might choose a lounge chair for book reading and staring, it is all really up to you.

If you are like me and need a little bit of action scattered through out your day you can rent a car and take a drive around the island. There are some really beautiful vistas, little roads to discover and flora and fauna to stumble across. There is a car rental on the island which makes the exploration easy.

As you spend you time on this minuscule island you will be surprised at the abundance of life there is hanging out around every corner.

Above is a photo of the Little Cayman Rock Iguana, it is indigenous ONLY to Little Cayman making it very unique on a global scale. 

There are also land dwelling crustaceans like hermit crabs and land crabs. And of course birds that forage out at sea and also live in wetlands like the Boobie Pond. Some of the birds that can be spotted are ducks, Red Footed Boobies, frigates and various types of herons.

Wherever there is water there will be life and that goes for Little Cayman as well. The above Lemon Sharks and below Terns (sea gulls), take full advantage of the fishermen and their scraps that are discarded off the various docks on the island. 

And now for the main event... one of the main attractions to this wee little island..... SCUBA DIVING!!

Little Cayman has numerous dive operators and dive resorts that make diving here a world class destination. Your day will start with a drive through the turquoise sound, out through the cut, and after a short boat ride away you will tie up to one of the many mooring balls that mark dive sites around the island. If you are a snorkeller you are in luck as the mooring balls are in very shallow water and it is easy to join the divers and hop in the water with them and enjoy the show from above.

Once you descend into the crystal clear water you are guaranteed to be awestruck by the dramatic drop offs of Bloody Bay Wall, and greeted by one or all of the following wildlife: curious turtles, friendly grouper, and reef sharks. 

While you are on your dives keep your eyes wide open as once in awhile you will be graced with the presence of something really special like a sea horse, eagle ray or even a manta or whale shark.

The easy pace of Little Cayman is fun for people of all ages and people with all interests. From a romantic getaway or family reunion, everyone can enjoy a day out snorkelling, diving, hanging by the pool with a book or a trip around the island. If you have planned your stay at Silver Sands it is well worth a few days jaunt from Grand Cayman, "The Big City", to the smaller sister island where you can leave your doors unlocked and your shoes at home. 

Photography by: Heather Holt Photography

The Silver Sands Gazebo: Serenity, Sunsets and Socializing!

The Silver Sands Gazebo is a perfect place in the shade to take a break from the hot sun. Here you can play a game of cards, read a book or bbq some steaks.

It has a prime location on the property, the line between the famous 7-Mile Beach and the grounds and easy access for everyone.

It is a pretty killer view during the day and at sunset. During the sunset guests and owners alike gather under the gazebo to share a drink and some nibbles and watch the sun go down over the Caribbean Sea.

...and for that time of year it is the perfect place to have the Christmas decor and parties!!

Whats the Story with the Lionfish?

As visitors to Grand Cayman you might have heard some of the buzz about the lionfish. Well here is the low down.

Lionfish, which are native to the Indo-Pacific waters, first appeared in the Caribbean in the early to mid 1990's. It was thought that they were introduced when an aquarium in Florida was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, or perhaps by aquarium enthusiasts who were dissatisfied with the fish and let them free in the sea. The exact reason is unknown.



Although they are beautiful fish, and have a place in nature, their invasion into the Atlantic/Caribbean waters is potentially devastating.

Thanks to idive, here are some facts on Lionfish:
1) Voracious predators shown to eat native fish and crustaceans in large quantities, including both ecologically and economically important species like grunts, snapper, Nassau grouper, and cleaner shrimp
2) No known native predators
3) Equipped with venomous dorsal, ventral and anal spines, which deter predators and can cause painful wounds to humans
4) Capable of reproducing year-round with unique reproduction mechanisms not commonly found in native fishes (females can reproduce every 4 days!)
5) Relatively resistant to parasites, giving them another advantage over native species
6) Rapid in their growth, able to outgrow native species with whom they compete for food and space
Below are stomach contents of several fish, and within were several species of native reef fish.

The lionfish were first spotted in Cayman waters in 2008, and since then the Cayman Islands Department of Environment have seen these pests as a genuine threat to the beautiful reefs and have been actively trying to control the populations.
They have issued spear gun licenses to people for use while free diving or scuba diving, ONLY to be used to kill the lionfish. In order to get the license one must get a valid police clearance, and the licensee must go through a course warning against the hazards of lionfish culling.

The lionfish have venomous spines on their body and if they puncture the skin it can be very painful and it is advised to seek medical attention. However once these spines have been cut off the body and meat of the lionfish is completely safe and delicious to eat.

For more information please see the DoE's Lionfish Brochure.

For us avid divers and lionfish hunters, culling these pests is not only a great social activity to participate in, the end result is free, fresh fish for dinner!

Step 1: Arm yourself with your legal and licensed spear from the DoE, a proper container to hold the lionfish, and a cooler of ice. 

Step 2: Spot the lionfish. The fish typically hang out in overhangs or caves, but can be spotted hanging out on the reef like any old fish. They can be found not only on the deep wall, but also in the shallower reefs. These guys know no boundries!

Step 3: Pull your spear taught and approach the fish slowly, they generally are pretty blase to divers and you can get quite close. This is helpful in aiming! Once you have your target, let the spear fly! Once you get the fish on the spear put him in the bucket asap. Sometimes they wriggle off the spear and sometimes the cheeky mutton snappers or groupers will pick them right off your spear before your eyes!

Please note it is illegal to spear the fish and leave them or feed them to the fish lurking over your shoulder. Nassau Groupers (above) and Mutton Snappers (below) are notorious for trying to scam... or steal a free meal.

As seen from the facts above, lionfish reproduce rapidly and you can spot fish that range from teensy tiny (above), to huge delicious swimming filets (below).

Step 4: Once you come up from your dive get these guys on ice immediately. This will help the fish die quickly and keep them fresh. Once you get them to a place to process them you begin with cutting off the spines and putting them somewhere safe. I usually put them in a pot and dump them back to the sea in an area where there is no chance anyone will ever come into contact with a stray spine.

Step 5: Once the spines are safely removed and dealt with, it is time to get off that tasty piece of meat. Just slice it right off like you would any other fish from the head down to the tail, remove any stray bones and skin and you are ready to begin cooking a tasty meal, or freeze them for later consumption.

Above we had a great cull and battered and fried the filets. Can't go wrong with that! Below we stuffed the filets with lime, onion, and curry sauce, then baked them and added fresh cilantro on top and served with rice. I have also been very successful slapping the marinated filets on the BBQ, making fish cakes, using the super fresh filets in ceviche, and the list goes on and on.

This is where the good news comes in for visitors to Silver Sands, many of the restaurants on the island now serve lionfish as a regular fish special on the menu. You can head over to Michaels Genuine in Camana Bay to give it a try. 

As mentioned above the Cayman Islands is very pro active in promoting culling of these tasty pests. There are tournaments that are put together by the Cayman United Lionfish League and DoE, and offer money prizes for the most weight, smallest fish, biggest fish etc. It is a great community activity to participate in and all the fish are given to charity.

Since these tournaments have started we have been seeing less fish and overall less weight, which leads us to believe that for once human intervention is helping.

There have been a few interesting things that we have seen from these tournaments. For example this little stingray that was in the gullet of this monster lionfish. Poor little guy...

All in all the active culling of these invasive species is helping to control the population, and hopefully in the future we can look forward to the native predators (grouper, eels etc...) starting to eat them instead. But in the mean time all us cullers out there will enjoy the hunt and the delicious meal provided by these beautiful pests.