Diving in Grand Cayman

On Sunday, September 24, 2004, the Cayman Islands got hammered by Ivan, a category 5 hurricane with 150 mph winds.

My brother Pedro and I decided it would be wise to skip our usual trip that year. Many other touristas did the same. Meanwhile, the Caymans have been busy rebuilding. Oh god, have they been building ! But I don't want to go into that here...

I want to talk about diving!

This is December, 2005. It's been over a year since Ivan the Terrible, and it's time to find out if 100 feet of water overhead provides any protection from a category 5 hurricane...

It does !

This is Babylon, a famous and relatively remote site on the northeast side of Grand Cayman.
There is still plenty of beautiful (and brittle) black coral around.

What about wildlife ?
Well, this is Horse-Eyed Jack. I mean, these are Horse-Eyed Jacks...

I hope this isn't their traditional Hurricane Dance !

An almost too friendly moray eel (watch your fingers !) came out to play with us at Stingray City, while most of the rays were busy panhandling the school of snorklers standing in the shallows nearby...

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But not all of them !

"You can't beat fun."
- Silas "Chum" Spengler

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