DIVING GRAND CAYMANby Nick Magnis
I was also very impressed by the attention to safety that my dive master provided in planning the dives and during the time under water. They also provided the standard sized air bottles with more than 3,000 psi pressure so that only the heavy air suckers had problems staying under for the full dive profile. Although I brought my own equipment, I noted that the diving gear for rent by the dive master was of good quality. My dive master was very helpful to me in assisting with some buoyancy problems that I was encountering. As a consequence, I was most relaxed diving on Grand Cayman Island and was able to enjoy the fascinating sea life that surrounds the spectacular reefs. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism |
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TM
I was following the dive master through a cavern fifty feet below the surface of the sea concentrating on staying close to the bottom so that the Scuba gear on my back would not scrape the overhanging coral mass when I detected bright sunlight streaming through the far end of the cavern. I rotated my body slightly to get a better view of the sunlight and saw thousands and thousands of minnows ahead of me forming a mass that filled the cavern in a great swirl of motion. The sun, streaming through this mass, silhouetted the school of fish and enabled me to discern the order that prevailed, as they all seemed to flow this way and that in synchronization. As I approached the school, I stretched out my hand toward the mass and the fish in the vicinity of my hand moved in unison away from me as if my fingers were a repelling magnetic pole being poked at a clump of iron filings.� I swam through the cavern, the minnows swirling in a great circle around me, and just after exiting, I saw three or four large tarpons hovering in the area. The tarpon feed on these minnows and, I assume, swoop through these caverns at feeding time with their jaws working ferociously as they encounter the huge schools of minnows. My dive master said that by the autumn, the minnow schools are almost all depleted by their predators.
Grand Cayman Island is a small, flat island mostly uninhabited and largely covered by low-growing shrubs, stunted trees and occasional coconut palms. There is only coral rubble and sand where the ground is bare and the white of these surfaces contrast with the green vegetation. After a few miles driving about this island, one has seen all of its mysteries, all that are above the level of the sea, that is. However, below the surrounding sea is another matter. There life is manifest in such an immense variety of forms, animate and inanimate, that it is, for me, a breathtaking experience to glide over the coral reefs and observe the sea's fecundity. The coral, living creatures, come in dozens of forms, shapes and colors, but mostly somber hues. Their delight, for me, are in the panoply of shapes that range from the precisely developed, but rigid, brain corals to those varieties that are willowy and flexible and flow back and forth with the underwater currents. The fish that inhabit the reefs have the most brilliant colors; their defense is obviously not camouflage. It must be to take refuge in the niches and recesses that are so abundantly provided in coral reefs. There are some fish in the sea near the reefs that blend in with the sandy bottoms to escape detection. Some predators, like the tarpon and barracuda, are on patrol along the reefs during the day although I am not certain when they feed.� There are other predators, like the moray eels, that feed at night and are rarely seen during the daytime. The morays occupy recesses in the reefs during their daytime vigil.� 
The coral reefs off Grand Cayman are rich in variety and diving there was a joyful experience. I saw turtles on several occasions but I did miss one of the special features of the area, "sting-ray city".� In rather shallow water, fifteen feet, there is a feeding area for the stingrays that has been provided by the diving operators.� While feeding in this area of abundance, these large predators swoop over the divers who can reach out and pet the underside of the rays without provoking the dreaded sting.� Snorkelers can also view the excitement from above. My schedule did not permit me to share in the excitement.� Perhaps next time.
Scuba diving is undoubtedly the most memorable tourist experience at Grand Cayman and the government has set aside "replenishment" areas of substantial size off shore. These are coral reefs where no diving is permitted. Presumably, when diving at these reefs is again permitted, reefs currently now being dived will become replenishment areas. The government recognizes that any reef being visited by divers will undergo some damage even though most divers would not maliciously destroy the coral. However, flippers will brush against the coral inadvertently or divers will brush their hands against the coral polyps causing damage.� Eventually, a replenishment period is required or the growth of the reef will be adversely impacted.�