CAYMAN ISLANDS UPDATE
Sunday, April 19, 09
Cayman Islands
5:30 AM. Too early really, but I am wide awake and with the exciting two-tank dive planned for today, I cannot sleep anymore. Looking at the thermometer, it is already 81F and clear as a bell and no wind. Should be good for no waves and getting back into the boat. Boat diving in the wind is not fun. Getting into the water and the actual dive in the wind is not the problem, but getting back into the boat in a high surf can be a challenge. A hearty breakfast of Oatmeal (it keeps me warm) and by 6AM my dive kit in the truck, then…“Shit Don, it’s only 6 AM and I don’t have to at the boat till 7:45!” It’s only a 15 minute drive, so back into the house and do dishes. “I knew I should have done these damm things last night.” I laughed. Killed the time checking my email and surfing the internet. I see in The Dive Magazine there is a give-away to the Cayman Islands. LOL…Guess I need not enter that one. (But Gale might???)
On the road and at the boat almost late! A wee bit too much internet. They phoned me when I was five minutes away wanting to know where I was…they was all on the boat, ready and waiting! They were early, I was not late…my story and I am damm well sticking to it…at least that’s what I told them. Good thing I have dove with all of them many times.
We are diving on Sun Divers boat with Captain and owner Olen Miller and Master diver Donny. Olen was recently put on the Cayman Islands Diving Hall of Fame for his contribution to the original development of scuba diving on Cayman. He has more than 5000 dives over a 30 years span! (so says him…LOL) We are diving a site on the south coast of Cayman islands called The Big Tunnel. I have never dove it before, but I am sure it is exciting. Olin described it as mystic and deep. A 15 minute ride over fairly smooth waters and we moor on one of thirty or so buoys floating within a 500 yard radius…all of them a different dive site. Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have 365 registered dive sites.
Over we go and on the “OK” signal down we go. What I saw was a sight to behold! I was amazed to say the least. We dropped to 85’ and in front of my eyes was this huge…and I mean huge, massively big coral head. It extended to within 50’ of the surface and down into the abyss it went. We were on the edge of a 5000’ wall (one that goes right round Cayman) and this coral head just disappeared down. We swam around part of it and dropped into a hole. This took us down and out the side of the coral head at 123’. From there, we went in and out of several tunnels and one in particular, was right in the middle of the coral head and went up and up and up. It reminded me of a spiral stair case. We came out at 80’. Inside this giant coral head, this colossal mountain, built over a period of a million years or so, of living masses of micro-organisms, was an amazing diversity of fish and marine life! Big fish, small fish and fish of all the colors of the rainbow. I carry an underwater flashlight, but I didn’t once need it as all were we went, there was light and I don’t know where it was coming from. Wild is a very subdued word to describe it. Unearthly would be closer. There was 5foot Tarpons…hundreds of them. 3-5 foot Barracudas…lots of them too. I got my picture taken with a 6 or 8 foot Green moray Eel 2 feet behind my shoulder! (That one, when he sends it to me, I will post for sure) and as many turtles as I have fingers and toes. We saw Lobsters and Crabs, Yellow Tailed Tuna and Huge Groupers. It was one of the most amazing dives Cayman Islands have given to me.
Dive specs: 123 ft., 39 minutes, 79F.
The second dive, shallower, and was a good dive, but after the first one, it was hard to get too excited. It was on a site named Eagle Nest and was also on the south side. Lots of Barracudas and turtles. Specs: 76ft, 51 min and also 79F.
I did say the first dive was one of the best dives. Two weekends ago I was diving the north side on a site named China Gardens (same boat, same guys, but two girls as well) we saw a 10 ft Hammerhead Shark (50’) away, and four Spotted Eagle Rays…very, very big and very, VERY close! The one was close enough to me (5feet!) that I could see him blinking and the color of his eyes. They swam in unison like synchronized swimmers…only in slow motion. They were about 20ft away from us and they turned and swam right at us. Then at five feet away, they turned and swam right in front of us. We were all frozen…mesmerized!
Hope you enjoyed reading this and hope you don’t mind. I know not all are into scuba diving like I am, but it is a wonderful world down there and if you have ever had even an inkling of desire to try scuba, do it! Anyone of almost any age can scuba dive. Feel like floating in the shy? Try diving...it’s the same thing.
Thanks for your ear,
Inspector
Cayman Islands
5:30 AM. Too early really, but I am wide awake and with the exciting two-tank dive planned for today, I cannot sleep anymore. Looking at the thermometer, it is already 81F and clear as a bell and no wind. Should be good for no waves and getting back into the boat. Boat diving in the wind is not fun. Getting into the water and the actual dive in the wind is not the problem, but getting back into the boat in a high surf can be a challenge. A hearty breakfast of Oatmeal (it keeps me warm) and by 6AM my dive kit in the truck, then…“Shit Don, it’s only 6 AM and I don’t have to at the boat till 7:45!” It’s only a 15 minute drive, so back into the house and do dishes. “I knew I should have done these damm things last night.” I laughed. Killed the time checking my email and surfing the internet. I see in The Dive Magazine there is a give-away to the Cayman Islands. LOL…Guess I need not enter that one. (But Gale might???)
On the road and at the boat almost late! A wee bit too much internet. They phoned me when I was five minutes away wanting to know where I was…they was all on the boat, ready and waiting! They were early, I was not late…my story and I am damm well sticking to it…at least that’s what I told them. Good thing I have dove with all of them many times.
We are diving on Sun Divers boat with Captain and owner Olen Miller and Master diver Donny. Olen was recently put on the Cayman Islands Diving Hall of Fame for his contribution to the original development of scuba diving on Cayman. He has more than 5000 dives over a 30 years span! (so says him…LOL) We are diving a site on the south coast of Cayman islands called The Big Tunnel. I have never dove it before, but I am sure it is exciting. Olin described it as mystic and deep. A 15 minute ride over fairly smooth waters and we moor on one of thirty or so buoys floating within a 500 yard radius…all of them a different dive site. Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have 365 registered dive sites.
Over we go and on the “OK” signal down we go. What I saw was a sight to behold! I was amazed to say the least. We dropped to 85’ and in front of my eyes was this huge…and I mean huge, massively big coral head. It extended to within 50’ of the surface and down into the abyss it went. We were on the edge of a 5000’ wall (one that goes right round Cayman) and this coral head just disappeared down. We swam around part of it and dropped into a hole. This took us down and out the side of the coral head at 123’. From there, we went in and out of several tunnels and one in particular, was right in the middle of the coral head and went up and up and up. It reminded me of a spiral stair case. We came out at 80’. Inside this giant coral head, this colossal mountain, built over a period of a million years or so, of living masses of micro-organisms, was an amazing diversity of fish and marine life! Big fish, small fish and fish of all the colors of the rainbow. I carry an underwater flashlight, but I didn’t once need it as all were we went, there was light and I don’t know where it was coming from. Wild is a very subdued word to describe it. Unearthly would be closer. There was 5foot Tarpons…hundreds of them. 3-5 foot Barracudas…lots of them too. I got my picture taken with a 6 or 8 foot Green moray Eel 2 feet behind my shoulder! (That one, when he sends it to me, I will post for sure) and as many turtles as I have fingers and toes. We saw Lobsters and Crabs, Yellow Tailed Tuna and Huge Groupers. It was one of the most amazing dives Cayman Islands have given to me.
Dive specs: 123 ft., 39 minutes, 79F.
The second dive, shallower, and was a good dive, but after the first one, it was hard to get too excited. It was on a site named Eagle Nest and was also on the south side. Lots of Barracudas and turtles. Specs: 76ft, 51 min and also 79F.
I did say the first dive was one of the best dives. Two weekends ago I was diving the north side on a site named China Gardens (same boat, same guys, but two girls as well) we saw a 10 ft Hammerhead Shark (50’) away, and four Spotted Eagle Rays…very, very big and very, VERY close! The one was close enough to me (5feet!) that I could see him blinking and the color of his eyes. They swam in unison like synchronized swimmers…only in slow motion. They were about 20ft away from us and they turned and swam right at us. Then at five feet away, they turned and swam right in front of us. We were all frozen…mesmerized!
Hope you enjoyed reading this and hope you don’t mind. I know not all are into scuba diving like I am, but it is a wonderful world down there and if you have ever had even an inkling of desire to try scuba, do it! Anyone of almost any age can scuba dive. Feel like floating in the shy? Try diving...it’s the same thing.
Thanks for your ear,
Inspector
