Ian Popple
Contributor
Hi everyone! Last month we posted a series of cover shot options for our Grand Cayman dive guidebook and asked you to vote for the one you felt best captured the island’s underwater experience. We received an incredible response through social media and here on ScubaBoard.com. We’re excited to announce that the image of the diver swimming through silversides was the one chosen by almost 70 percent of respondents overall. So this is the image that will grace the cover of the newest guidebook in our dive, snorkel and surf series.
The photo was taken at Devil’s Grotto, just south of George Town, by British photographer and marine biologist, Dr. Alex Mustard. This dive and snorkel site is one of many featured in the guidebook using our 3D modeling technology (see images - I've uploaded the pages related to this site). It is also one of the sites that helped put Grand Cayman diving on the map. As many of you may know, Devil’s Grotto is usually calm and current-free and is easily accessible by boat and shore. The site is also relatively shallow, which makes it great for snorkelers and divers as they have plenty of bottom time to explore the whole area.
One of the main draws to Devil’s Grotto is the wonderful network of caverns and tunnels at this site. In the summer months, these tunnels are often filled with schools of silversides (which is when this photo was taken). As Alex Mustard says: “The dive goes from being nice to mind-blowing at this time – diving completely engulfed in millions of tiny fish is the most amazing experience. The silversides part as you swim through them and close ranks behind you. They also attract predators like tarpon, jacks, snapper and grouper that add to the drama of these dives.”
Many thanks to Alex Mustard for the use of this image and many thanks to all of you for your feedback. For those interested in purchasing the Grand Cayman guidebook, or knowing more about it, the Amazon pre-order link is now active and available (link: https://www.amazon.com/Reef-Smart-Guides-Grand-Cayman/dp/1642505846/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=9781642505849&qid=1597684189&s=books&sr=1-1#ace-9859629705). The book will be officially released at the end of October. Lastly, we've had a few people ask us about Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. We are actively working on a second Cayman Islands guidebook that will focus on these two islands together (due for publication late next year). So far we've mapped about 20 sites in Cayman Brac and about 10 in Little Cayman, so we need to head back for another trip and cellect more data, probably for another 10-15 sites. It's a time-consuming process...plus Covid put a spanner in the works!
The photo was taken at Devil’s Grotto, just south of George Town, by British photographer and marine biologist, Dr. Alex Mustard. This dive and snorkel site is one of many featured in the guidebook using our 3D modeling technology (see images - I've uploaded the pages related to this site). It is also one of the sites that helped put Grand Cayman diving on the map. As many of you may know, Devil’s Grotto is usually calm and current-free and is easily accessible by boat and shore. The site is also relatively shallow, which makes it great for snorkelers and divers as they have plenty of bottom time to explore the whole area.
One of the main draws to Devil’s Grotto is the wonderful network of caverns and tunnels at this site. In the summer months, these tunnels are often filled with schools of silversides (which is when this photo was taken). As Alex Mustard says: “The dive goes from being nice to mind-blowing at this time – diving completely engulfed in millions of tiny fish is the most amazing experience. The silversides part as you swim through them and close ranks behind you. They also attract predators like tarpon, jacks, snapper and grouper that add to the drama of these dives.”
Many thanks to Alex Mustard for the use of this image and many thanks to all of you for your feedback. For those interested in purchasing the Grand Cayman guidebook, or knowing more about it, the Amazon pre-order link is now active and available (link: https://www.amazon.com/Reef-Smart-Guides-Grand-Cayman/dp/1642505846/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=9781642505849&qid=1597684189&s=books&sr=1-1#ace-9859629705). The book will be officially released at the end of October. Lastly, we've had a few people ask us about Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. We are actively working on a second Cayman Islands guidebook that will focus on these two islands together (due for publication late next year). So far we've mapped about 20 sites in Cayman Brac and about 10 in Little Cayman, so we need to head back for another trip and cellect more data, probably for another 10-15 sites. It's a time-consuming process...plus Covid put a spanner in the works!
