On GC Trip Report

[Jersey]

Staying at 7 Mile Beach Resort w/ parents.Normal dive buddy has to work, so I'm the lone diver. Arrived Sunday on Usless Air, no problems. Early dinner Sunday at Morgans Harbour - yummy and great views. Monday stocked in provisions, walk through G-town and some beach / snorkel time.

Drizzling and cloudy Tues morn, walked to Ambassador Divers, bringing along a bribe of a couple slices of fresh baked lemon glazed pound cake for the staff. (I often bribe dive staff with food to make sure I have a safe dive and get back to boat!) 6 total divers - 3 Japanese, myself, DM Mike and trainee Pedro. Sentinal Rock for the first site - 101 feet, 86 degree water, 100 foot vis, 40 min run. Very nice, except for the Lionfish. The sun came out while we were down and we ascended to flat seas and sunny skies.

Interval then into Peppermint Reef - 50 foot to sand bottom w/ patch reefs and coral head, 86 degrees, 50 min. Ray laying in chute doing ray thing, small turtle, gray and french angels, lots of life, I could do this all day. No current, no breeze, bliss!

Back to shop by 11:45.

Afternoon dive w/ Mac from 7 Mile Watersports. Shore dive from Eden Rock. 44 foot, 84 degrees, 47 minutes. Surface swim out to bouy, nice easy swim thru's, gang-o-tarpon hanging out (3 footers) in the tunnels. Queen and gray angels, large black durgeon, large puffer, schools of horse eyed jacks, couple grouper, potato cod, bar jacks, schooling blue tang in the coral rubble. Great dive, covering quite a bit of ground. Stuff everywhere, don't neglect to look in the rubble for little guys - shrimp, flamingo tongues, blennies...

Diving air, fills 3,000- 3,100 lbs. Off to carb up on pasta for dinner and pack up gear for 2 tank morning dive.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Thanks for the report. SMB is where we stay on our annual visits. Keep the reports coming and attach some pics if you can.

 

[Jersey]

Been out diving - more boats, more shore.
Weds was boat diving with Ambassador and DM Mike, 2 more great dives:
Hemps Pipeline - just 2 divers on the boat! Turtles, 1 big one and a sea cucumber for Akiko. Shallow dive - 70 feet, 45 minutes. Bit of a current here - 35 minutes into current, 4 minute return flight. Surface interval followed by:
Chain Reef - 50 feet, 60 min, photo delight! Park me on a coral and I'll watch what swims by. Large lobsters, schools of passive french grunts at the bottom of the mooring, very photogenic. Queen and grey angels, big midnight parrot, large grouper, just a fish-a-palozza.
Lunch at Sunshine Grill, followed by a tour of Caybrew, along with samples.
While I've been diving the family was parasailing and horseback riding.
Shore diving with Mac, today up to Macabuca - North and South. First dive North - 68 feet, 44 min. Easy entry down the ladder, swim out and drop down. Mooring balls and a trench make navigating this site a dream. Drop over nice mini-wall to sand bottom with coral heads. Barracuda, free swimming eel, scrawled filefish, angels, trunk fish, sleeping greater soapfish (which begs the question - why isn't there a lesser soapfish?), garden eels all waving about. At one point I got caught up in a slight running current, until Mac motioned me off the wall about 4 feet and no more current - it pays to have a local guide who knows the waters and sites. Nice surface interval, change out tanks and off to the South side. Back through the same sand channel, over the wall and down to 58 feet, 49 minutes. Started off into the current. Beautiful overhangs with purple sponges and wire-whip coral hanging down. About 10 minutes the most amazing school of tarpon - big, little, mid - just hanging in the current between the wall and a coral head where the water is squeezed through. I felt like a kid in the candy store. The mini-coral head at my feet is swarming with little cleaner shrimp. Talk about decisions. Also found the usual fish - various grouper, hinds, jacks, coneys. Current picked up considerably during dive.

All tanks nice 3000 psi fills, both Eden Beach and Macabuca have facilities as well.
I spent the afternnon catching up on work, lounging and snorkeling the beach off 7MBR. While I was out shore diving, the family took a trip with a purported 'local'. Supposed to be an opportunity to learn about Cayman culture, meet locals, see off the beaten path locals only sites. It turned into a hike of Mastic Trail - not what was sold. Very disappointed, nor is the Trail somewhere you would take 70+ yr olds w/ artificial knees, clearly not in the best of shape. OK - mom says she isn't in THAT bad shape, even the Army member said the tour and hike was worse then deployment. (Not to mention several inappropriate comments.) Many of the group of 11 felt the trip was not as promised...
Hhmmm, lets see if I can get some pictures on here.