Cayman Watersports Guidelines including appendix C

[divezonescuba]

Here it is for anyone who would like to see it.

 

[AggieDiver]

Interesting to read that they are now prohibiting feeding culled lionfish to any other marine life. Guess they had too many sharks getting too interested in divers...hopefully the groupers learned how good they taste already and will pass it on.

 

[String]

Thats been banned for a good number of years (but still happens regularly). It completely changes the natural behaviour of the marine life. The snapper in particular will meekly follow divers around on dives and even take them to lionfish and wait to steal it off the spear or get fed it. Which is 100% unnatural.
As well of that there are aggressive eels, nurse sharks that follow people like puppies and the odd reef shark.
Its a very sensible ban but unfortunately its not 100% enforced still.

 

[scubadada]

I'm interested in this item:

10. All shore divers must have one dive float/flag in the water per buddy team. This flag may be their personal flag, loaned or given, sold or rented. No flag is required if diving in a marked dive area. All shore divers must be informed of the Cayman Islands laws and regulations requiring a float/flag for all shore diving activities and Marine Conservation Laws.

I don't think I've ever seen a float/flag on a shore dive on Grand Cayman. I've only shore dived from Turtle Reef, Lighthouse Point, and Cobalt Coast. Are these marked areas and exempt from the flag rule or what?

 

[divezonescuba]

We actually got busted by the cayman brac police at of all places handcuff reef / police cut. They did not leave until I got into the minivan to go get one from reef divers.

Reef divers was actually surprised that this happened.

 

[String]

I'm interested in this item:

10. All shore divers must have one dive float/flag in the water per buddy team. This flag may be their personal flag, loaned or given, sold or rented. No flag is required if diving in a marked dive area. All shore divers must be informed of the Cayman Islands laws and regulations requiring a float/flag for all shore diving activities and Marine Conservation Laws.

I don't think I've ever seen a float/flag on a shore dive on Grand Cayman. I've on shore dived from Turtle Reef, Lighthouse Point, and Cobalt Coast. Are these marked areas and exempt from the flag rule or what?

Those are both marked areas in that they fly the US Navy dive flag on the shore and both have marked pencil buoys. The other shore diving centres are the same.
Unmarked would be something like people doing their own thing from a public dock or cemetery beach etc.

 

[vincent54]

Handcuff has a lot of boat traffic. Reef Divers should have known better. I put my flag on shore and it still doesn't satisfy the law. Nowadays, i swim to a buoy, tie it off and hopefully find my way back to the right buoy.

and they don't like solo diving on Brac. I don't think they rent tanks if they know you are solo diving.

 

[KeithG]

We actually got busted by the cayman brac police at of all places handcuff reef / police cut. They did not leave until I got into the minivan to go get one from reef divers.

Reef divers was actually surprised that this happened.

This make no sense. The document lists the guidelines for CITA tour operators. They are rules. They are not federal laws (for divers or any one). These are rules that dive operators in good standing with CITA must follow. Why would police become involved? There are no laws, they have no jurisdiction. Tell them to go away. YMMV...

This reminds me of the parking ticket fiasco we had here in Toronto a few years ago. Except in the opposite. Private parking lots started issuing "look a like" city parking tickets. They looked like city parking tickets except that payee was the parking lot. Not allowed. No law has been broken. You could toss the "ticket". Note that the parking lot could legally tow your car, but they could not issue a "private" parking ticket. If the private lot got accredited by the city then they could issue a real city parking ticket, but then all ticket revenue went to the city.

So why do the police think they have any business becoming involved in the rules of a trade association? Or am I missing something obvious?

 

[tilikum]

Isn't Bonaire solo friendly?

 

[scubadada]

Isn't Bonaire solo friendly?

See Solo diving on Bonaire