divesergeant
Contributor
GCM Trip Report w/ Living The Dream Divers and Ocean Cabanas- Part 1
We prefer Delta’s DTW to ATL to GCM service. But damn, Delta’s prices have been consistently way higher than American. So American it is. At least we can connect thru Charlotte, it’s much less of a zoo than Miami. Travel was hassle free, arriving on GCM on time. Immigration and customs were both a breeze.
Once out of the airport, we collected the Jeep at Marshall’s, then hit Fosters and Blackbeard’s for provisions. I also hit the bank and exchanged currency. Yes, the USD is universally accepted here. But this is their country, and I think it proper and respectful to use their money. Besides, theirs is much prettier. A stern old queen trumps a bunch of old dead US presidents any day.
The Ocean Cabanas
Check in at Ocean Cabanas was as easy as it could get. A Living The Dream boat captain we know well was manning the office. A welcome handshake and hug, and we were checked in.
Dining
As is our custom, Rackam’s got the nod for the first night meal. I always order the West Indian Shrimp Curry. It never disappoints. Nor do her quesadillas.
We usually eat in, ‘cuz I like to cook and it ends up being healthier in ingredients and lesser in quantity. Sure, at a restaurant I could order, eat until I’m full, then push back from the plate. Right….. Not gonna happen…
But we do eat out every few days. And I have to give a shout out to Cimboco. My braised beef short ribs were divine. Her Alfredo fettuccine with jerk chicken was heavenly.
Cayman held elections this week, and referendum to de-criminalize weed passed. I ordered some of Snoop Dogg's 19 Crimes red blend to honor the occasion. Damn, what a delicious wine! (This reminds me, I need to text my chief to tell her it is being decriminalized here, and ask her if I can burn one... What could possible go wrong???)
For eating in, I like to hit the harbor and buy fresh fish. We do our diving, then head from the LTD shop at The Lobster Pot to the harbor. I buy the fresh catch and then head back to the Cabanas. There is a shared gas grill here, and (cue up the heavenly choir) a cast iron skillet in the room. Come dinner time, I season the fish with garlic and onion powder, dredge it in melted butter on the stove, dredge the filet in seasoned bread crumbs, then slap it onto the hot cast iron. (Hmmmm, ‘slap’, is kind of an aggressive term, I wonder what the department shrink would say.) Anyway, I slap it on and it doesn’t get much better nor fresher than this. And the fish is dead already, so it doesn't complain.
Diving
But, this is SCUBABoard, dammit. And you want to read about diving.
So far, we’ve had great diving, great weather, great boat crews, great, well, everything… LTD divers has really hit a home run with their operation. They hire and retain great people, and maintain their boats like they are their children. Bubbles, the official HPIC, (Head Puppy In Charge) runs a tight ship.
LTD has a loyal, repeat, customer base. As evidence, on our first day we got on the boat early and watched the other couples arriving. Yep, dived with them last year. Yep, them too, and them too. We knew all the divers. Day two, almost the same with two new faces.
OK, OK, I hear you in the back waving your arms and shouting, “The diving, dammit, the diving! Tell about the diving!”
Where We Been
DAY 1- Orange Canyon and Killer Puffer
DAY 2- Doc Poulson/Marty’s Reef and Three Trees
Day 3- Big Tunnels and Wild Hammer (and Mrs. DS’s 600th dive!)
Day 4- Little Tunnels and Peter’s Reef
Day 5- NORTHSIDE!!!!!- Eagle Ray Pass and Lemon Reef
Day 6- Tarpon Alley and Monet’s Garden
I’m actually more of a Van Gogh guy, because I like the song, but they didn’t ask me when they named to dive site.
What We Seen
Picture me in a cardigan sweater smiling goofily at the camera…. “Can you say, ’turtles’, boys and girls? I knew you could.”
I nearly got run over by a big loggerhead. Yes, it is mating season. And yes they are kind of myopic So yes, the males tend to cruise past evaluating the divers to see if we are she-turtles. Sorry to disappoint, dude! Better luck next time.
Rays are plentiful. Good stingray watching on SMB, and some decent eagle rays north.
Eels. Um, “Eels! Hey, eels! We’re over here!” Chirp, chirp. So far, no eelage!
Squid- yep, saw quite a few on SMB. Peter’s Reef had a squad of squid.
Fishes/Fish- It seems like we’re seeing more large grouper this trip. It must be prom season for black and Nassau groupers. We’ve seen a bunch hanging around cleaning stations getting spiffed up.
Visibility- it’s Grand Cayman, so vis is typically good. This year it doesn’t seem as clear as some years. Or maybe it is me. But still it is wonderful.
Stony Coral Disease- It might be me, but I seem to recall more last year. I hope I am right.
Lionfish- I know they are there, but we don’t see near as many as years past. The dumb ones that hang at rec depths in the daytime have been shot already, I imagine
Neptune’s Divers ‘reunion’
We dived with Casey at Neptune’s Divers for years, starting wayyyy back in the Cayman Activity Guide era. She closed up several years ago, but we still see her when we are on the island. This year she joined us on a dive trip with LTD. And two other couples we know from diving with Neptunes were also with us. What a hoot!
New Dive Kit
Mrs. DS got a new BC this year. She’s in a ScubaPro Hydros Pro. And loving it. With the 63 Cu Ft tanks she started diving last year (thanks Cinda and LTD!), it is amazing. Buoyancy is still her normal spot-on, but there is less drag than on her old DiveRite Transpac. The DR TransPac is a great setup. The Hydros has outdone it, though. I’m still in my DSS Kydex plate and 17# Torus wing. And 80m Cu Ft tanks. We end up withing 100-200 psi of each other.
New Camera
We snagged an Insta360 Ace Pro 2. I’m not in love with it and miss my old Olympus. But we still have more diving to do, so maybe it will grow on me.
I’ll try to upload some pictures here……
Edit- Well, they were supposed to be here, but they ended up there...
We prefer Delta’s DTW to ATL to GCM service. But damn, Delta’s prices have been consistently way higher than American. So American it is. At least we can connect thru Charlotte, it’s much less of a zoo than Miami. Travel was hassle free, arriving on GCM on time. Immigration and customs were both a breeze.
Once out of the airport, we collected the Jeep at Marshall’s, then hit Fosters and Blackbeard’s for provisions. I also hit the bank and exchanged currency. Yes, the USD is universally accepted here. But this is their country, and I think it proper and respectful to use their money. Besides, theirs is much prettier. A stern old queen trumps a bunch of old dead US presidents any day.
The Ocean Cabanas
Check in at Ocean Cabanas was as easy as it could get. A Living The Dream boat captain we know well was manning the office. A welcome handshake and hug, and we were checked in.
Dining
As is our custom, Rackam’s got the nod for the first night meal. I always order the West Indian Shrimp Curry. It never disappoints. Nor do her quesadillas.
We usually eat in, ‘cuz I like to cook and it ends up being healthier in ingredients and lesser in quantity. Sure, at a restaurant I could order, eat until I’m full, then push back from the plate. Right….. Not gonna happen…
But we do eat out every few days. And I have to give a shout out to Cimboco. My braised beef short ribs were divine. Her Alfredo fettuccine with jerk chicken was heavenly.
Cayman held elections this week, and referendum to de-criminalize weed passed. I ordered some of Snoop Dogg's 19 Crimes red blend to honor the occasion. Damn, what a delicious wine! (This reminds me, I need to text my chief to tell her it is being decriminalized here, and ask her if I can burn one... What could possible go wrong???)
For eating in, I like to hit the harbor and buy fresh fish. We do our diving, then head from the LTD shop at The Lobster Pot to the harbor. I buy the fresh catch and then head back to the Cabanas. There is a shared gas grill here, and (cue up the heavenly choir) a cast iron skillet in the room. Come dinner time, I season the fish with garlic and onion powder, dredge it in melted butter on the stove, dredge the filet in seasoned bread crumbs, then slap it onto the hot cast iron. (Hmmmm, ‘slap’, is kind of an aggressive term, I wonder what the department shrink would say.) Anyway, I slap it on and it doesn’t get much better nor fresher than this. And the fish is dead already, so it doesn't complain.
Diving
But, this is SCUBABoard, dammit. And you want to read about diving.
So far, we’ve had great diving, great weather, great boat crews, great, well, everything… LTD divers has really hit a home run with their operation. They hire and retain great people, and maintain their boats like they are their children. Bubbles, the official HPIC, (Head Puppy In Charge) runs a tight ship.
LTD has a loyal, repeat, customer base. As evidence, on our first day we got on the boat early and watched the other couples arriving. Yep, dived with them last year. Yep, them too, and them too. We knew all the divers. Day two, almost the same with two new faces.
OK, OK, I hear you in the back waving your arms and shouting, “The diving, dammit, the diving! Tell about the diving!”
Where We Been
DAY 1- Orange Canyon and Killer Puffer
DAY 2- Doc Poulson/Marty’s Reef and Three Trees
Day 3- Big Tunnels and Wild Hammer (and Mrs. DS’s 600th dive!)
Day 4- Little Tunnels and Peter’s Reef
Day 5- NORTHSIDE!!!!!- Eagle Ray Pass and Lemon Reef
Day 6- Tarpon Alley and Monet’s Garden
I’m actually more of a Van Gogh guy, because I like the song, but they didn’t ask me when they named to dive site.
What We Seen
Picture me in a cardigan sweater smiling goofily at the camera…. “Can you say, ’turtles’, boys and girls? I knew you could.”
I nearly got run over by a big loggerhead. Yes, it is mating season. And yes they are kind of myopic So yes, the males tend to cruise past evaluating the divers to see if we are she-turtles. Sorry to disappoint, dude! Better luck next time.
Rays are plentiful. Good stingray watching on SMB, and some decent eagle rays north.
Eels. Um, “Eels! Hey, eels! We’re over here!” Chirp, chirp. So far, no eelage!
Squid- yep, saw quite a few on SMB. Peter’s Reef had a squad of squid.
Fishes/Fish- It seems like we’re seeing more large grouper this trip. It must be prom season for black and Nassau groupers. We’ve seen a bunch hanging around cleaning stations getting spiffed up.
Visibility- it’s Grand Cayman, so vis is typically good. This year it doesn’t seem as clear as some years. Or maybe it is me. But still it is wonderful.
Stony Coral Disease- It might be me, but I seem to recall more last year. I hope I am right.
Lionfish- I know they are there, but we don’t see near as many as years past. The dumb ones that hang at rec depths in the daytime have been shot already, I imagine
Neptune’s Divers ‘reunion’
We dived with Casey at Neptune’s Divers for years, starting wayyyy back in the Cayman Activity Guide era. She closed up several years ago, but we still see her when we are on the island. This year she joined us on a dive trip with LTD. And two other couples we know from diving with Neptunes were also with us. What a hoot!
New Dive Kit
Mrs. DS got a new BC this year. She’s in a ScubaPro Hydros Pro. And loving it. With the 63 Cu Ft tanks she started diving last year (thanks Cinda and LTD!), it is amazing. Buoyancy is still her normal spot-on, but there is less drag than on her old DiveRite Transpac. The DR TransPac is a great setup. The Hydros has outdone it, though. I’m still in my DSS Kydex plate and 17# Torus wing. And 80m Cu Ft tanks. We end up withing 100-200 psi of each other.
New Camera
We snagged an Insta360 Ace Pro 2. I’m not in love with it and miss my old Olympus. But we still have more diving to do, so maybe it will grow on me.
I’ll try to upload some pictures here……
Edit- Well, they were supposed to be here, but they ended up there...
