Diving Grand Cayman

December is here and it's time to return to Grand Cayman. I should be happy as a clam, but steam is still coming out of my ears. AA pulled a bait and switch by changing my flight times from an afternoon departure to a 6:30am departure arriving even later than the flight I booked in August. I would have cancelled and taken a different airline, but unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere as far as airlines are concerned. Competition? Ha,ha,ha!
(Someday we'll have the last laugh. Wait till Airbnb goes airborn!)

My first day on the island was a beach day. No diving, but I set up a couple of West Wall dives today (I had already booked dives on the East End of Grand Cayman before arrival). This year, a couple of pelicans entertained us on the beach. Very nice.

Diving is as close to human-powered flight as I've ever gotten. But then, I've never attempted skydiving.

The Cayman Wall is a 2000 foot dropoff that levels off for a bit, before plunging into the 25,000 foot Cayman Trench. But that hardly matters when your visibility is limited to a mere 100 feet... even at 100 feet below the surface. And since you can "fly" underwater, the deeper you go, the closer you get to the "ground". Right?
So relax.

Stay close to the Wall and you'll never get lost.

Following the first "deep" dive (to 100 feet), a second "shallow dive" (to about 50 feet) is the usual profile. On these dives, the bottom is clearly visible. This is a good place to look for various sea creatures...

Like a stingray buried in the sand.

Or a shark sleeping under a ledge.

It's all, you know... good.

Back on dry land, it's time for a saunter down the beach to the best beach bar on the island...
But first, a quick selfie is mandatory at the legendary beachside "porno bed".

Calico Jack's beach bar.

The East End of Grand Cayman is not famous for its beach. Or beach bars. But the diving is spectacular.

A nice underwater seascape.

A juvenile redband parrotfish.
I think he winked at me!

The wreck of the Kittiwake... a submarine rescue boat deliberately sunk as an added diving attraction.

The Discovery Point Gang prepares for an impending green flash!
Marty, one more pina colada, please, to help me focus!

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

Here are a few underwater videos:

Video dive clips

There are two ways to view the slides:

Select a Thumbnail

Automatic Slideshow
(10 second delay - press F11 for fullscreen!)