txteachers
Registered
I'm horrible about doing trip reports once I get home, so decided I'd post along the way! Hopefully this will benefit those of you who haven't been to GC and amuse those of you who frequent or live on the island!
We arrived evening of June 26...we flew in from DFW via IAH on Continental (all of the Continental folks at DFW were AWESOME...those at IAH a little grumpier) and are staying 2 weeks at Morritt's Tortuga and 1 week at The Reef. We rented a small car from Andy's (across the street from the airport and nice to work with!) I've found they have the best rates.
Thought I knew where to go...made a wrong turn...had to ask directions...but finally made it to the East End - boy, the roundabouts make me nervous!
As my hubbie was checking in, I headed to Fosters just down the street from Morritt's for some food! Check in was easy and I found Fosters to be so convenient and had lots of choices! Sort of like a small version of the Neighborhood Walmart.
Our unit is a 1 bedroom - 1st floor - pool view (okay bushes view
). It is clean and pretty - it's a timeshare and it is nothing fancy. The website says no hair dryer or iron...but it has both and the safe is large enough for my laptop. There were no ice cube trays - but I called the front desk and within a half hour they delivered more than what I asked for!
We're planning on doing mostly shore diving...and a few boat dives sprinkled in!
When we were here in 2002 our favorite dive site was Turtle Reef...so that's where we headed to yesterday.
The weather so far has been sort of overcast, and thunderstorms the 1st night.
Turtle Reef -
This is such an easy shore dive...stepping down a ladder like going into a swimming pool!
Our 1st dive was 67 minutes (with 1000# left), max depth 56', average 43' - we headed to the mini-wall and went to the left past all of the beautiful Tarpon...I do Reef surveys focusing on the small and larger fish fish - not the tiny ones (gobbies, blennies, etc) and had 51 species identified. There are so many of the tiny ones, but I don't know well enough to id...for some reason they won't stand still long enough to check for all the identifying marks!
We went in about noon - earlier in the day there was current - none now! My favorite fish from this dive - aside from the Tarpon, was a small Queen Triggerfish in a large hole on the way to the wall. The visibility was a little down because of the rain I mentioned earlier.
Water temperature 82F - according to my dive computer.
Our inbetween time...had a great chicken avocado sandwich and garden salad - quite tasty!!!
2nd dive - 65 minutes (with 900# left), max depth 68', average 39'...next time we'll do this one first since it is a tad deeper! :shocked2:
We liked the dive to the right better...I don't know, seemed a little healthier? Fish - 55species including 2 Nassau grouper, a lobster out of his hole, and a large octupus (based on his beak size) in his hole!
Obviously water - same temperature - but I should have put my shorty skin on over the long sleeve skin I was wearing - I was a little cool by the end of the dive.
TROUBLES...my husband wanted to try out his new camera - Canon PowerShot G-10 with an Ikelite DS 51...BUT prior to getting into the water we figure out the flash ISN'T working!!! He had played and played with his camera, but hadn't set the strobe up and tried it out!
BLESSING...So on the way back to the EastEnd he runs into SunSet and asks a lady exactly where Cathy Church's shop is - it's Cathy Church!! (It is 4:45ish - they close at 5.) She was AWESOME...she diagnosed the problem - the cable that goes from the flash to the housing was bad!!! YEA CATHY - fortunately she had the cable!(Although IKELITE doesn't want her to carry parts because their stuff doesn't break - or some other just as odd reason!)
So...Lord willing there will be pictures!
OH MY...we did need to get groceries ... we're here 3 wks - so we cook on vacation ... I don't cook very little during the school year - and by cooking in I can dive more! :blinking:
So we stopped at Foster's by the airport - what was I thinking - Saturday evening - they're closed on Sunday. Everyone on the island MUST have been there! Yes, I know there are other locations - but, this just seemed so convenient. Getting into the parking lot and finding a parking spot was a trip in and of itself!
It took an hour...the produce section and meats was the most crowded! Egads! But once I had my groceries I only had to wait for one person in front of me. I think every check out lane was open...hmmm, that doesn't happen at home!!! Next time - different grocery store...if the parking lot is a zoo DON'T GO THERE!
Cayman has changed...I don't remember people honking so much! No, not at me, well only in the Foster's parking lot!!
more to come...love to hear questions or SUGGESTIONS!
We arrived evening of June 26...we flew in from DFW via IAH on Continental (all of the Continental folks at DFW were AWESOME...those at IAH a little grumpier) and are staying 2 weeks at Morritt's Tortuga and 1 week at The Reef. We rented a small car from Andy's (across the street from the airport and nice to work with!) I've found they have the best rates.
Thought I knew where to go...made a wrong turn...had to ask directions...but finally made it to the East End - boy, the roundabouts make me nervous!
As my hubbie was checking in, I headed to Fosters just down the street from Morritt's for some food! Check in was easy and I found Fosters to be so convenient and had lots of choices! Sort of like a small version of the Neighborhood Walmart.
Our unit is a 1 bedroom - 1st floor - pool view (okay bushes view
). It is clean and pretty - it's a timeshare and it is nothing fancy. The website says no hair dryer or iron...but it has both and the safe is large enough for my laptop. There were no ice cube trays - but I called the front desk and within a half hour they delivered more than what I asked for!We're planning on doing mostly shore diving...and a few boat dives sprinkled in!
When we were here in 2002 our favorite dive site was Turtle Reef...so that's where we headed to yesterday.
The weather so far has been sort of overcast, and thunderstorms the 1st night.
Turtle Reef -
This is such an easy shore dive...stepping down a ladder like going into a swimming pool!
Our 1st dive was 67 minutes (with 1000# left), max depth 56', average 43' - we headed to the mini-wall and went to the left past all of the beautiful Tarpon...I do Reef surveys focusing on the small and larger fish fish - not the tiny ones (gobbies, blennies, etc) and had 51 species identified. There are so many of the tiny ones, but I don't know well enough to id...for some reason they won't stand still long enough to check for all the identifying marks!
We went in about noon - earlier in the day there was current - none now! My favorite fish from this dive - aside from the Tarpon, was a small Queen Triggerfish in a large hole on the way to the wall. The visibility was a little down because of the rain I mentioned earlier.
Water temperature 82F - according to my dive computer.
Our inbetween time...had a great chicken avocado sandwich and garden salad - quite tasty!!!
2nd dive - 65 minutes (with 900# left), max depth 68', average 39'...next time we'll do this one first since it is a tad deeper! :shocked2:
We liked the dive to the right better...I don't know, seemed a little healthier? Fish - 55species including 2 Nassau grouper, a lobster out of his hole, and a large octupus (based on his beak size) in his hole!
Obviously water - same temperature - but I should have put my shorty skin on over the long sleeve skin I was wearing - I was a little cool by the end of the dive.
TROUBLES...my husband wanted to try out his new camera - Canon PowerShot G-10 with an Ikelite DS 51...BUT prior to getting into the water we figure out the flash ISN'T working!!!
He had played and played with his camera, but hadn't set the strobe up and tried it out!BLESSING...So on the way back to the EastEnd he runs into SunSet and asks a lady exactly where Cathy Church's shop is - it's Cathy Church!! (It is 4:45ish - they close at 5.) She was AWESOME...she diagnosed the problem - the cable that goes from the flash to the housing was bad!!! YEA CATHY - fortunately she had the cable!(Although IKELITE doesn't want her to carry parts because their stuff doesn't break - or some other just as odd reason!)
So...Lord willing there will be pictures!
OH MY...we did need to get groceries ... we're here 3 wks - so we cook on vacation ... I don't cook very little during the school year - and by cooking in I can dive more! :blinking:
So we stopped at Foster's by the airport - what was I thinking - Saturday evening - they're closed on Sunday. Everyone on the island MUST have been there! Yes, I know there are other locations - but, this just seemed so convenient. Getting into the parking lot and finding a parking spot was a trip in and of itself!
It took an hour...the produce section and meats was the most crowded! Egads! But once I had my groceries I only had to wait for one person in front of me. I think every check out lane was open...hmmm, that doesn't happen at home!!! Next time - different grocery store...if the parking lot is a zoo DON'T GO THERE!
Cayman has changed...I don't remember people honking so much! No, not at me, well only in the Foster's parking lot!!
more to come...love to hear questions or SUGGESTIONS!
