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DIVING GRAND CAYMAN
by 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.