In Cozumel they say you aren't allowed to wear gloves or take your dive knife in the protected park, which is pretty much all diving south of the cruise ship peers.
Are there any restrictions like that in Grand Cayman?
Yes, there's restrictions, most of which are of the common sense variety: don't stomp on the coral, etc. There's an official list
here and
including a map here too , but in descending signifance order (my own personal opinion), the basic hihglights are:
- No Spearguns
- No Shark Feeding
- No damaging of coral
- No 'taking' of any marine life (dead or alive)
- No disturbing/molestation of turtles
- etc
- No wearing gloves.
The reason why I put the 'no gloves' last is because there are times where despite the rules that wearing gloves are an important safety device. Specifically, when you need to do a hang and you're going to use the dive site's mooring line, but its been in the water for more than a month, so it is encrusted with stinging hydroids.
But this doesn't mean that one can or should wear gloves throughout a dive - - merely that one consider having a pair in a pocket if you reasonably expect to do a hang off the mooring line. Granted, having a
Jon line with clip is another way to go, but most people don't even know what a Jon line is, let alone own or carry one (with or without the Clip).
Somewhat similarly, while it is important to not harrass marine life and it would be obvious that a turtle is being harassed if a person grabs onto his shell and goes for a ride, the "no disturbing" criteria can be quite vague and potentially unenforcable. For example, if you're minding your own business, head down in the sand looking at a macro critter and a turtle swims past you but then veers away, then he was disturbed by your mere presence: are you thus in violation?
Is there any kind of "park pass" divers are required to buy to dive any sites?
No ... although I'd argue that there is one, but it is hidden in their very high airport taxes.
-hh
