Feb/March 2008 Little Cayman Trip Report Little Cayman Beach Resort in the Evening In late Feb of 2008 we paid a visit to the tiny island of Little Cayman for a few days of diving and wildlife viewing. Little Cayman is the smallest and least developed of the three Cayman Islands, located 87 miles northeast of Grand Cayman. I have to been to Grand Cayman Island before and found the hordes of loud cruise ship visitors shopping there to be a bit obnoxious. Little Cayman is a nice antidote to the commercial feel of Grand Cayman. This was our 2nd trip to the island as our first visit in the fall of 2007 got cut short by a mandatory evacuation of the island due to Hurricane Dean. Thankfully the hurricane swung away from the island and it appears to have done minimal damage. The Little Cayman Beach Resort (LCBR) gave us a credit for the days we missed due to our early departure so we decided to come back as the diving was quite fun last time we were here. To get to Little Cayman we transferred at the Owen Roberts airport in Grand Cayman (where a jolly reggae band greeted us under sunny skies) and jumped into a tiny Little Cayman Airways Otter aircraft (where you have a clear view of the pilot manning the controls) for a short 45 minute flight to Little Cayman. Looking out your seat window you may catch a glimpse of sea turtles swimming in the ocean below as I did. The round trip airfare between the two islands is about $115 and I easily booked it via www.caymanairways.com This Twin Otter (De Havilland DHC-6-300) is your ticket to visiting Little Cayman The runway at the Little Cayman Edward Bodden Airfield used to be grass but has been recently paved. The tiny building by the runway houses the airport, post office and fire station and is one of the smallest airports I’ve ever seen. The LCBR has a driver waiting for us and he loads our dive bags into the van, then we take the 2 minute drive to the resort. He points out the sights along the way, these are few and far between on this tiny island. Tiny Island =Tiny Airport on Little Cayman We choose one of the ‘Dive, Eat & Sleep' packages at LCBR as there are not many restaurant options on the island. They gave us room 215 on the 2nd floor; it had a nice private location with a view of the sea through some nearby palm trees. Bananaquits (aka Yellow breast Sugar Birds) would squabble in the trees by our porch in the afternoon. There was a fridge and microwave in our room and I made some instant noodle bowls a few times when the dinner options were not so great (this was mostly due to supply issues in the dining room due to the choppy seas). It appears the rooms have not been redecorated since the 1980’s but we were here for the diving not the accommodations. On Fri night the resort has rather loud and bass-heavy karaoke night so light sleepers better bring some earplugs (although you may still feel the bass throbbing through your pillow depending on how close your room is to the bar). This is the pest control in our room @ Little Cayman Beach Resort There is a pool, hot tub, and outdoor bar in the center of the resort. Divers from all over the world have brought hand-painted wooden signs and they adorn the walls and ceiling of the bar. Some remind me of the primitive works of folk artists R.A. Miller or the Rev. Howard Finster. Sample sign on the bar ceiling @ Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman Out front is a beach area with palm tress, hammocks, and a nice view of the dock and sheltered bay. Sea birds ride the air currents above the beach and survey the horizon. Waterfront @ Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman After checking into our room, we visit Reef Divers (the onsite dive shop) to fill out the paperwork for diving. One of the staff members shows us the nitrox room. It is full of pre-filled tanks that we have to analyze and then write the % on a chart. The approved tanks are then marked with our name and left for the staff to load on the boat. They also provided a mesh bag for our dive gear (regs, bcds, etc.) that we filled up and left outside our door. They took it onto the boat for us in the following morning. Analyzing Nitrox tanks at the Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman During our winter stay (Late Feb/Early March) the seas were quite rough on the North Side of the island and we could see the supply barge full of food waiting offshore on the South Side. It became apparent that the chef was running out of food choices when one breakfast featured egg rolls (not crepes) filled with grape sauce! Thankfully the weather calmed down by the weekend and the barge was able to land. The fresh arugula salad with goat cheese served at dinner that night helped erase the memories of the some of the improvised dinners concocted by the chef earlier in the week. Food here is served buffet style and there is usually something for everyone (including vegetarians). They ring a bell when it is time to eat and a line will form but it moves quickly. The food ranged from bad (the grape egg rolls mentioned above) to quite good (one night a tasty gnocchi with tomato sauce was served). Dock at the Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman On our first day of diving we arrive at the dock around 8:00am. There are 4 boats ready to go; we are assigned to the Island Sister. Divemaster Ben, a friendly Australian with blond dreadlocks, watches us set up our regs and bcd on the tank. I have an air issue with my 1st stage and he quickly swaps it out with one from the dive shop. We will be doing three dives a day, two in the morning and one in the afternoon after lunch. On the afternoon dives we often only have a few other folks on the boat with us. Many of the people staying at the resort are older and seem to prefer to stick to two dives a day and then take it easy the rest of the day. Another DM from Scotland named Ron gives us a safety briefing. During the dives there will a divemaster in the water for about 30 minutes. You can follow him around or do your own dive. We usually followed the DM as they were good at finding some of the tiny creatures we might miss. Then the reminder of the dive you are on your own. The dives lasted about 60 min depending on the depth and your profile. The crew lowered a hookah and chain below the boat for safety stops if needed. They also employed an underwater siren for emergency purposes. All divers are asked to use computers on their dives. For the first part of the week the sky is overcast and the water is choppy so the boats have to stay on the calmer south side of island. The southern reefs are not as popular as the ones on the north side of the island near the famous Bloody Bay wall, but they are still full of interesting sea life. The water temp is about 81 F but it can get a bit chilly when you get back on the boat and the wind is whipping across the water! I’m glad I brought a long-sleeved wicking t-shirt to change into once on board. We both dive in 3mil wetsuits and my wife wears a hood for extra warmth. The swells are about 5 feet during the first part of the week. This causes the rear ladders on the boat to bounce a bit so the DM set up a yellow tow rope. When we surface we would grab onto the rope, remove our fins, and then pull ourselves to the ladders. The DM would sit on the ladder to hold it still and we would climb aboard. At the end of the day we took our wetsuits and computers back to shed near the dive shop to rinse and dry, leaving to rest of our gear on the boats for the staff to hose down and set up. The LCBR calls this concept “valet diving”. Diving Highlights South Side Dive Sites: Gay’s Reef: See the very tiny slender file fish sitting on a sea fan. We follow the DM Ben around and the back of his fins say “Follow Me I’m Lost”. My wife’s dive computer floods on this dive, I had just changed the battery before we left and apparently the o-ring slipped out of place when I closed the seal back up. The DM cleans it out and we get a replacement battery from the dive shop in the afternoon. Windsock Reef: This reef was named this because you can see the windsock of the Little Cayman Airport when you are on the top deck of the dive boat. The DM Ron (who is from Scotland) tells a joke about an Irishman, a Scotsman, and an Englishman coming across a genie’s lamp before the dive briefing. Going through one swim-through we see a nurse shark resting on the sand. The DM makes the shark sign to everyone and one guy think he means we should surface and looks confused. Lots of barracuda and tiny manta shrimp in the water. A school of Southern Sennet swim by, they resemble juvenile barracuda. A huge lobster eyes us warily from atop a coral head. Sketch of Nurse Shark laying under coral @ Windsock Reef, Little Cayman Uncle Lucky’s Reef: My wife spots a spotted eel hiding in a hole. We see a young little sea turtle. The DM finds a pregnant lobster; she is hiding under a rock and tending to the red eggs with her pinchers. After this dive the videographer plays the DVD on the bar TV screens, he likes to use the trick of having people dive into the water and then replay it backwards. The DVD is well-made; you can purchase it for $40 from the dive shop. Video of our last dive playing at the bar @ Little Cayman Beach Resort Wahoo: The captain sees a huge Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish at the surface after we go down, thankfully no one gets tangled in its fiery coils. See the almost transparent Yellow-Headed Jaw Fish lurking on the bottom sand. A Green Moray hides in the rocks and a huge Nassau Grouper checks us out. Richard’s Reef: Quite a few colorful Yellowtail Damselfish in various stages of life are seen. Two lobsters are up to no good in corner, are they possibly mating? The ride back to the dock is very bumpy and the boat flies over the waves. The jolts make my vision look like some of the jittery camera work of the film 28 Days Later. Soto Trader: This is the only wreck dive we do on the trip. The 120 ft by 30 ft island freighter sank in 1975 after the crew accidentally ignited some fuel while testing a spark plug. We check out the very tiny arrowhead crabs with little blue claws. A conch peers at me with its odd eyes. The DM points out a lettuce sea slug and I watch a mantas shrimp clean a fish. We circle around the wreck and pop into some of the holds, they still contain the remains of cement mixers and jeep parts. In one of the holds a grouper startles me when I turn around and see it grinning at me with its little sharp teeth. Grundy's Gardens: See a large crab hiding in the crevice of the coral. North side Dive sites: Blacktip Boulevard: A deep dive along the wall about 95 feet down. Lots of shy garden eels peer out from the sand and then hide in their holes as we pass over them. A strange Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber slowly crawls across the sand; apparently they can expel their internal organs when faced with danger. Joy's Joy: Really nice swim-throughs here, see a Spotted Drum & another donkey dung sea cucumber Cumber's Caves: Check out the wall drop-off, it’s a mere 6,000 feet down! A large French Angelfish swims by. The garden eels are more approachable here, I lay on the sand near one and it looks at me cautiously. Three string rays cruise the sandy channel pursued by a few photographers. At the end of this dive my wife points behind me and I see a reef shark a few feet away. It slowly circles around us nonchalantly and then disappears into the blue. Sketch of watching a shy Garden Eel on the sandy floor of Cumber's Caves, Little Cayman Sketch of a Reef Shark cruising slowly around us @ Cumber's Caves, Little Cayman Great Wall West: During the dive briefing, our DM Dot notes that while touching sea life is not usually permitted, on this site there are three friendly groupers that will initiate contact and it is o.k. to pet them. A pair of new divers from Michigan get seasick during her briefing, I think one sits out the dive even though the sea is quite mild compared to earlier in the week. We are among the first in the water and a large Nassau Grouper with a pink radio transmitter in its side follows us around to be petted, it gets jealous when my wife looks at Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber and pushes its way in front of it. She scratches under its chin and it seems happy if that is possible for a fish. We also see many turtles on this dive, a small one gets tangled in some sea grass but frees itself. At the end of the dive I spot the spiky Bridled Burrfish hiding among some rocks. Sketch of a very jealous Nassau Grouper @ Great Wall West, Little Cayman Topside Activities: As Little Cayman is so small, there really isn’t much to do other than dive and check out some of the natural scenery of the island. Most of the island appears to be undeveloped but I notice many empty lots for sale so this may change in the future. You can rent mopeds to get around but we stuck to bicycles. Iguana Crossing sign near the Little Cayman Airport LCBR provides free bikes for their guests to use. They have a pretty motley assortment of rusted beach cruisers to choose from, but we managed to find two that worked and did several nice rides around the island. The terrain is mostly flat so the single speed bikes work fine. Unless you plan to spend half a day, you probably won’t have time to ride the complete circuit of the island as part of the road is dirt and slow-going. The best time to ride is early in the morning or an hour before sunset as it is quite hot during the rest of the day. If you have any interest in wildlife, there are several ponds you can visit via bicycle: Typical Bike Ride around Little Cayman Booby Pond Nature Reserve This is one of my favorite spots on Little Cayman Island. The reserve is a 206-acre UNESCO designated National Trust for Red-Footed Boobies and is the largest colony in the Western hemisphere. There are about 20,000 of these seabirds here and they have to dodge a gauntlet of larger Frigate Birds trying to steal the fish they bring back to their young. The best time to visit is very early in the morning or at dusk. I watched parents feeding their young, saw a mother sitting on a nest, and observed a hopeful father-to-be gathering twigs for nest. While out on the dive boats you will often see the boobies out at sea plunging into the ocean for food. Occasionally you will witness some Frigate birds dive bombing them to try to snatch their hard-earned food away. The large numbers of boobies at the colony attest that most of them sneak their food past these pirates of the skies. The White Phase of the Red-Footed Booby at the Booby Pond Nature Reserve, Little Cayman Red-Footed Booby at the Booby Pond Nature Reserve, Little Cayman Near the Southern Cross diving resort there is another dock called Booby Overlook that is visible from the road. If you walk quietly on it you may come across a large flock of Black-necked Stilt. You have to maintain silence while watching them or the flock may sound the alarm call and move away. An interesting fact about stilts is that they have the second-longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by the flamingo. The leggy Black-necked Stilt, Little Cayman Tarpon Lake This lake gets its name from the numerous tarpon you can hear splashing around in the water. The dock here is a good place to view egrets and other water birds. One afternoon we surprised a Green Heron that was standing in one of the row boats. I believe you can arrange for a fishing trip here but I find fishing a bit dull so we didn’t pursue this. The beat-up dock at Tarpon Lake, Little Cayman Green Heron at Tarpon Lake, Little Cayman Mahogany Estate: This is good place to observe iguanas and some folks bring fruit to feed them. The nature center pamphlet advised that feeding them processed foods or meat is not good for their health. Iguana near Mahogany Estate, Little Cayman As we ride around we often see little hermit crabs crossing the road. My wife likes to pick them up and help them across so they don't get smashed by a random car. Saving the lives of hermit crabs that cross the road, one crab at a time on Little Cayman There is a general store near the airport you can ride your bike to pick up food and snacks but be advised that the prices are quite high so you would probably be better off bringing stuff from home. In the evening if it is not overcast you should walk out on the dock at LCBR. The star display overheard will be amazing, especially if you are from a light-polluted major city like me. Also listen for rustling sounds outside your door, it may be the Land Crab out on the prowl. Cuddly Land Crab outside a room door @ the Little Cayman Beach Resort Checking out the fantastic display of stars in the sky on the dock @ the Little Cayman Beach Resort So it was another fun diving trip and I would recommend the Little Cayman Beach Resort to anyone that enjoys diving in the Caribbean. Beware that the tropics may make your hair curly. Sadly it is now it is time to fly home from Little Cayman and get back to work If you have any questions or comments send them to: Trip Report Index