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Specialties: Snorkeling, Wreck Diving, Live-aboard
Diving. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman together won
Rodale’s SCUBA Diving magazine’s award for “Best Overall
Caribbean Destination.”
The Cayman
Islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba.
Christopher Columbus first sighted the Cayman Islands in 1503 on
his last voyage to the new world. He named them Las Tortugas or
“The Islands of the Turtles” for the large number of sea turtles
he found. Cayman’s official logo, “Sir Turtle” depicts a turtle
in a pirate’s costume. For years both elements helped shape the
islands’ economy and culture. The Cayman Islands are known for
their world-class wall, their abundant and colorful fish,
excellent visibility, and easy access for travelers.
Grand Cayman
is the main island and her sister islands are Cayman Brac and
Little Cayman. When pronouncing Grand Cayman or Little Cayman,
locals frequently accent the second syllable (kay MAN). Grand
Cayman is 22 miles long and seven miles wide while the sister
islands are about 12 miles long and 1 ˝ miles wide. Each of the
three islands sits on top of a steep underwater mountain,
alongside the Cayman Trench, the deepest water in the
Caribbean. This magnificent mountain range, which starts just
southeast of Cuba and stretches nearly to Belize, is equivalent
in size to the great Rockies. Stunning black coral, giant
barrel sponges, bright orange elephant ear sponges, and other
corals make great canyons, chimneys and swim-throughs. In
addition to the coral, divers also enjoy colorful schools of
fish, eagle rays and sting rays, sea turtles, barracuda and an
occasional black-tip shark. The islands are surrounded by a
ring of coral reefs, the graveyard for over 300 ships. Lying
all round the islands are the hulls of sailing ships and
steamers. The “Wreck of the Ten Sails” was in 1788 when ten
ships went down at Gun Bay on Grand Cayman. These sunken
vessels are now an attraction for divers. Tales of buried
treasure and buccaneers add romance to the history of the Cayman
Islands.
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Grand Cayman
Island: Snorkelers and divers alike enjoy Sting Ray City.
In addition to world class diving, Grand Cayman offers numerous
top-side activities: golf, submarine rides, shopping, or
visiting museums, parks and galleries. The Seven Mile Beach in
Grand Cayman stretches north of George Town and is considered
one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. The Cayman Turtle
Farm is the world’s first commercial green turtle farming
project located at North West Point. Rum Point has a beautiful
garden of orchids and colorful parrots. The Kiemanus Museum in
George Town has treasures from ancient shipwrecks. Unlike many
Caribbean destinations, it is possible to enjoy a first-class
meal every night of the week on Grand Cayman.
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Cayman Brac is about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman.
Cayman Brac has about 45 dive sites that are pristine,
beautiful, and exciting. Beyond the fringing reef surrounding
the island are shallow sites that are perfect for snorkeling and
diving. Divers also find more overlapping plate coral and
lettuce coral than on the other islands. Pillar coral and
mountainous star coral are also abundant. Cayman Brac also is
home to Spot, a male bottlenose dolphin that once resided on
Grand Cayman with his mate. After the female died, Spot moved
to the waters around Cayman Brac. Although he is a wild
dolphin, Spot is extremely approachable and playful and not
deterred by the bubbles of scuba divers. Cayman Brac also has
some great shore diving. Cayman Brac has a bluff running the
entire length of the island with caverns reputed to contain
pirate treasure. Nests of the rare bird, the booby, can be
found here.
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Little
Cayman
is known for its legendary wall dives. Bloody Bay Marine Park
has walls that start very shallow with an extreme vertical
plunge. Unlike most walls that have two tiers, the shelves in
Bloody Bay Marine Park merge into a single vertical wall, a
spectacular geological development. Diving Little Cayman
requires more advanced diving skills than her sister islands due
to depth and vertical walls.
Best
Diving Months: November through April.
Water
Temperature: Water temperatures range from 80°F to 85°F but
a light wet suit is a good idea for deeper dives.
Underwater
Visibility: Usually ranges from 75 to 100 feet.
Airport
Info: Grand Cayman’s Owen Robert’s International Airport and
some carriers fly directly into Cayman Brac. Island Air flies
from Grand Cayman to the two sister islands. There is no ferry
service between the islands.
Documents
and Customs Regulations: A passport is preferred but U.S.
citizens may use a certified, original birth certificate (with a
raised seal), and a driver’s license (as a photo ID). All
travelers should have a round-trip or onward ticket.
Language:
English
Climate:
Cayman climate is tropical with air temperatures from 70°F to
86°F in the winter and 85°F to 90°F in the summer. Rain is
typical from May to October. From November to April, Cayman has
cool, relatively dry winters. The dry season funs from February
to mid-April.
Government:
British Crown Colony
Electrical
Current: 110 volts, 60 cycles AC and compatible with
American appliances.
Current
Weather:
Get current weather from Weather.com
Currency:
Cayman Islands Dollar (KYD). Get
current exchange rate from XE.com
Current
Time: Cayman
Islands.
Get current time from WorldTimeServer.com
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