Again please read from last entry first. This is after the trip. I am reposting in case anyone is going this can give you a little insight about Grand Cayman:
You may post my trip on your form at ttp.com. That is cool. So you have been to Ranhams. Isn't a cool place to go and eat. I don't drink so I can't say a neat place to drink. Their ice tea was good, but we don't serve coffee. I really like going off the railing there into the water. Could you do that when you were there, are is this something they just started. I would go back in a minute that is for sure. I had with the shore diving and snorkeling too. The comfort inn has a dive shop called Don Fosters Dive Shop. They were nice in there and I was told about Don not owning the business any more. Dive Supply is a good company to use. They are on seven mile beach up by Wendy's. Oh by the way the beach is 6.5 miles, or so they say. I had a person take me places in a 27 ft. boat. It took the waves whiles and there was bouncing around. It was a good trip. You will have to tell me where you site is at that you are going to post my account of the Caymans. It was a great trip too. Thanks for listening to me rattle on about it.
----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Papa Bear
Date: Feb 10, 2007 3:29 PM
So glad to hear it, I know you would enjoy. I really enjoy all the sites you went to. I think 7 mile is only 5.5miles, but it sounds good. When we go we try to stay away from the cattle boats. We dive with seven mile water sports across the short street from comfort inn. Small operation, but good boat. We also use Fish Eye, their operations is top notch. Love Rackums on the bay! The whole Cayman experience is one that everyone should have in their lives at least once! I have spent many such times there. It has a lot more shore diving than most ever think about. Most consider it a boat dive place, but I have done many shore dives that are great. If it is okay I will post you account of Cayman on my forum at ttp.com.
Papa Bear
----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Denny
Date: Feb 10, 2007 12:15 AM
Greetings, and I am home now. What a disappointment, the weather here. I was liking the weather in Georgetown. I have to tell you I did like the Regal Beach Club and the screen in patios, like you said. I was in condo 112. I was in one second one back from the beach, so I could sit and look at the Caribbean Sea anytime I wanted. Out the sliding glass doors and 25 ft from the pool and 40 ft and three steps down the beach.. Liked being by the Marriot too. Did some snorkeling there also.
On to the diving, and I hope you don't go to sleep in reading this it is going to be long. On the East end of the island is Snapper Hole: The depth is 25ft-65ft. It is called the best shallow dive in the Cayman Islands. It was nice. There were labyrinth of tunnels and caverns. I saw snappers, tarpon and silverside and many more. There was lush corals and sponges there also. My dive partner was a local and he showed me a Lettuce Leaf Sea Slugs. I had no complaints for 78 degree water that is for sure...
Shore diving was so fine too... The reef formations are breath taking there. The colorful fish and that was from the Marriott and my condo on off the beach. In town there is Eden Rock and Devil's Grotto, which is (got cheat an look at dive log) 40-60ft. There are tunnels and caverns thre too. The tapon and siversides are there and a assorment of tropical fish and coral. Love the ladder from the shore at Eden Rock, and a lot of snorkelerrs there too. It is right by Paradise Restuarant and you can sit and watch the snorkelers too.
The wreck of the Cali is a nice dive too. The water is clear and about 15-20ft deep there. Thats what amazed me the most, no deep dive and you saw so much. Just to to Stingray Brewer Gift Shop in Georgetown and you are there.
Now to the North Side; Princess Penny. Depth here is 40-130 ft. It was a wonderful wall to dive too. There is a plaque there dedicated to one of the Caymans divemasters. Like an idoit, I didn't write his name down after the dive. I saw turtles, eagle and spotted rays here, along with other fish. Close about 75ft, just away from the wall is a Massive pinnacle and the caverns have black coral there too. Now some said they saw a shark there on the boat. I have to admit, I didn't see it and it was just a reef shark at that.
Still on the North side, now at Black Forest. Depth is close to 50-130 ft. Here they boast about the collection of Coral pinacles, caverns and tunnels and the black coral. After seeing this, I now see why they boast. You go over and thru some babyrinth of caverns, chutes and tunnels to get to the black coral. One may see a lobsters, crabs, shrim and eels. At one point at the wall, there is a sheer drop off and the sandy bottom is gone. There are also spotted eagle rays and turtles and stingrays there also. Night diving is a blast here too. One can also find a octopus or two, and the seas seems to pop to life then also. The colors of the coral with the lights are wonderful also.
Here are some of the fish that encountered there: Queen and Gray Angelfish. Yellow Snapper, Soldier fish, Flounder. a grunt, puffer fish (they are so cute), cowfish spotted ray and a southern stingray (its different) the tube sponges, fire coral and of course black coral.
Some of the places I just snorkeled at were, Cemetery Beach, Smith Cover, the public beach on Seven Mile Beach ( which I can say is only 6.5 miles long). lol Your are in shallow water and there is usually dark areas in the water from the shore and that would be the present of reef. Sometimes at low tide you can actually see the waves breaking there and exposing some of the coral reefs.
Lets go to Rum Point now. I ate there from a dive boat. I met Captain Marvin there. Had my picture taken with him. He is 90 years old and the father of 18 children and 15 are still living. He is like an icon on the island. He still goes out on the boat too. From there we went to Stingray City and the best place there is the sandbar. Waist deep water and feeding the stingrays. Their wings are soft as silk. I really enjoyed this too.
I went from the North side of the island. I saw where Hurricane Ivan damaged the condo that Tom Cruise stayed in when there filming "The Firm". The waves came over a two story condo. Mya god that is hard to picture too. On the south side, I was showen an area where the waves were 50 ft tall. It actually move a condo across the street. Some huge home are for sell there, but they need a lot of work on them. The blow holes are anything special now, since the hurricane. They use to shoot upward to 20-40ft. Now some go anywhere from 6 inches to five feet at the most. That is damage caused by the Hurricane Ivan. I will say the island looks great for just having been 2 1/2 years ago since Ivan.
I went to a local pub in town called Rankham Pub. I would eat there. It is a relaxed place as they say. I was like many others diving off the railing of the place into the sea. That was fun too. At 7:30 pm just like clock work the tarpon come in to be fed.
Here was my disappointment of the entire trip. About two doors down from the Condo, that I was staying at is the Comfort Inn. Don Foster has a dive shop there. So I went there, to find out he has sold out his business. He no longer dives, for reason no one would say. He is now a huge man and is managing a grocery store at night. That was a disappointment. I didn't like driving on the left side of the road either. I did get use to it. I got honk at a few times, didn't leave the light fast enough to please the ones behind me. I finally got on to the exchange of my dollar compared to their dollar. My dollar was worth 80 cents. So I would be pay 20 % more plus a 5% extra for the exchange, which is a 25% increase. If you eat out and pay with US dollars they add on the 15% tip. I have no complaints about that, either, I had excellent service in all but one place.
You know I could on for a really long time but I think this is long enough for now. Hope I don't put you to sleep but that was my diving there. Have a good day and a much better tomorrow.
Denny |
