Trip Report Trip Report: Cayman Aggressor IV, April 28-May 5, 2018

[Ironborn]

Executive Summary/TLDR

This trip on the Cayman Aggressor IV (CAIV) restored my confidence in Aggressor Fleet after my first liveaboard trip on the Belize Aggressor III (BAIII) left an unflattering first impression (read my trip report on it). The positive reputation of the CAIV crew is well-deserved, but this second liveaboard trip of mine nonetheless enabled me to clarify my personal likes and dislikes in the ways that liveaboards may operate, and there were a few decisions and actions that I found questionable. The diving conditions were excellent and enabled some of the easiest and most comfortable dives that I have experienced thus far. The marine life nonetheless left much to be desired and, with several major exceptions, was often underwhelming, even by Caribbean standards. This trip also fueled and further clarified my interest in wreck dives. This trip was an efficient, cost-effective way to sample two of the three Cayman Islands in one visit and cross them off my list. I agree with the prevailing view that Little Cayman has better diving than Grand Cayman, but the reasons for and the degree of my preference differ. The two islands were enjoyable enough for one trip but, with one exception, did not impress me enough to return to either of them, when there are so many other new places to visit that I might prefer. I earned my second “Iron Diver” award, completing all 26 dives available that week.

Genesis and Planning

Many divers revisit the same destinations with the same or similar operators repeatedly, but I have made a point of trying different destinations and different styles and business models in order to find those that fit me the best and also in order to broaden my horizons and experience. My current favorites are the shore diving of Bonaire & Curaçao and the muck diving of the Philippines, but I nonetheless continue to shop around, to see if I will find other places or styles that fit me just as well or better.

The Cayman Islands are such a popular and well-known diving destination that I felt that I should try them at least once, as I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. If for no other reason, Grand Cayman (GCM) is the most easily accessible of any of the top-tier Caribbean dive destinations for a New Yorker, with frequent 4-hour direct flights from JFK on JetBlue and Cayman Airways. I went with JetBlue because it was already a preferred airline of mine and I was a bit reluctant to try Cayman Airways, given what I have heard about some of the small Caribbean airlines and its use of the chaotic JFK Terminal 1; JetBlue's Terminal 5 is much better. I nonetheless would have flown on Cayman Airways if I had stayed at a terrestrial resort on Little Cayman (LCM), as it would have enabled me to have one ticket for the whole trip (JFK-GCM-LCM). Airfares from New York on both airlines were reasonable in comparison with other popular Caribbean destinations.

Prices for potential terrestrial trip options in the Cayman Islands were another matter. I had heard that the Cayman Islands were expensive, but I had thought that it meant “expensive by Caribbean standards,” not “expensive by New York and London standards.” Indeed, one terrestrial option that I considered would have cost more for a week on Grand Cayman than I spent on a trip to London, excluding airfare. Prices for stand-alone dive operations were usually within reason, but the cost of individual Nitrox tanks would have added up for those operations that did not offer packages. The overpriced terrestrial lodging and, to a lesser degree, the cost and inconvenience of food and transport were bigger objections for me. I might spend that much on a hotel room in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or somewhere else where I plan to use the room for something other than sleeping, but it made no sense to me to pay such high prices for lodging when I just needed a place to sleep. Beyond the high prices that I found hard to justify, I anticipated that the conservative culture of the Cayman Islands would probably be unappealing to me, and that the lack of terrestrial activities and attractions, beyond offshore banking and Cuban cigars, would bore me to tears. I can deal with expensive, and I can deal with boring, but I cannot deal with both expensive and boring at the same time.

The CAIV, which is evidently one of the more highly regarded dive operations in the Cayman Islands in its own right, struck me as a solution to this problem. It was by far the most convenient and cost-effective option, both in terms of the absolute number of dives that it enabled and from a “cost per dive” perspective, and it eliminated the logistical complications of a terrestrial environment that I probably would have found unappealing. Another advantage of the CAIV was the potential opportunity to sample two or even all three islands in a one-week trip, which would be difficult or rushed on land. I was having a hard time deciding between Grand Cayman and Little Cayman, and which parts of Grand Cayman to visit, so the CAIV offered a simple solution to that dilemma with the potential to sample all three islands, after which I could return to areas of further interest for subsequent terrestrial visits.

I remained interested in trying liveaboards despite my first liveaboard trip on the BAIII, the highlights of which included running the boat aground and a generator failure that forced us to return to port and miss dives. I recognized that I had either been unusually unlucky that week or had chosen my boat poorly and wanted to give liveaboards in general and Aggressor Fleet in particular another chance. Liveaboards have so many advantages, and Aggressor Fleet has such a huge market share and worldwide presence, that I thought it was worth another shot. I nonetheless wanted to try them again in a place that was not too remote, given the incidents in my BAIII trip, and the Cayman Islands fit the bill in that regard. The often glowing reviews of the CAIV on Scubaboard and Undercurrent persuaded me that it would be a sounder and safer investment than the BAIII, and some of the guests on my BAIII trip highly recommended the CAIV as well. Another factor was the voucher that I had received from Aggressor Fleet for the missed dives from my BAIII trip, which, combined with one of Aggressor Fleet's sales in early 2018, made this trip significantly cheaper than any terrestrial alternative.

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

The Boat and the Crew

Many Aggressor liveaboards are similar in design and layout, and the CAIV was comparable to the BAIII in that regard. The difference was that nothing broke down or malfunctioned during my trip on the CAIV, and I found it reassuring that one of the crew members was an engineer that could fix things, just in case they did break. The 20 year-old CAIV may have had a bit more cosmetic wear and tear, but none of it impacted my experience. In any event, they will soon be replacing the CAIV with a new, larger, and more comfortable boat. The CAIV will become the Bahamas Aggressor. (The captain of the BAIII once mentioned to us that he had transferred a poorly performing crew member to the Bahamas, so perhaps the Bahamas is where Aggressor Fleet sends people and things that no one wants anymore. Given some of the reviews of the Bahamas Aggressor that I have read, that would not surprise me. If I did a liveaboard trip in the Bahamas, I would go on the more highly regarded AquaCat or Juliet.)

Given the crew issues that I had encountered on the BAIII, I researched the CAIV crew quite thoroughly, and the reviews and trip reports inspired confidence in that regard. The crew turned out to be as capable and dedicated as I had expected, although they may be different individuals than the crew members about which I had read, as there had evidently been some turnover. The captain and one of the divemasters were Venezuelan, the other divemaster was Mexican, the engineer (who also served as a divemaster) and the steward were Filipino, and the cook was Jamaican. Some of the other guests were evidently unfamiliar with Spanish-accented English and may have had a hard time understanding the captain when he said things like “jello tank” (yellow tank) and “cheap wreck” (shipwreck), for example, but I had no such problems, and such misunderstandings were often a source of amusement.

The captain in particular inspired a great deal of confidence. He was much more directly involved in daily operations and hands-on than the captain of the BAIII. He delivered many or most of the dive briefings himself, which were very thorough and informative and often quite humorous. The captain also led a large proportion of the dives himself and performed many other tasks, such as taking our food orders and cleaning our tables after our meals. From a management perspective, it was reassuring to see a leader who is not too proud to do some of the humbler day-to-day tasks himself.

As far as I know, nothing went wrong, or if it did, they fixed it before I knew about it. They provided the steel 100 tank that I had booked. The cook accommodated the dietary restrictions of a vegetarian guest. They loaned replacement gear, at no extra cost, to a guest whose gear malfunctioned. My tank fills were always spot on in terms of both PSI and Nitrox mixes. The only functional problem of this nature was that, like the BAIII, they only had two Nitrox analyzers, which is probably not enough for 18ish divers. Overall, the crew clearly runs a very tight ship, and one of my few criticisms of their operational style would be that sometimes it was a bit too tight. I understand that liveaboards have a lot of do's and don'ts for both safety and comfort reasons, but this crew seemed to have a lot more don'ts, the rationales for which sometimes seemed unclear or questionable. One guest joked that he was waiting for a crew member to follow him to the head to tell him how to wipe himself.

The CAIV put two guides in the water for each dive, in a refreshing change from the BAIII, which only put in one at a time, one of whom was both useless and abrasive. A larger proportion of CAIV guests chose to follow one of these two guides, perhaps because this crew inspired so much more confidence. I went with the guides because I was traveling solo and did not have a buddy with me. The downside of the better crew was that it could become a bit crowded following one of the two guides, and I wonder if the large amount of divers in one spot scared away a significant proportion of marine life.

The guides did occasionally point out notable marine life, but not much. I am uncertain as to whether or not this dearth of sightings was due to low biodensity and biodiversity, the large amount of divers in one spot scaring away animals, or a lack of focus. I would strongly emphasize the first two factors but cannot discount the last factor either. Leading a group of up to eight divers must consume a lot of their attention, and the crew's emphasis on its own photography must have been a distraction as well. As with the BAIII, the CAIV crew provides photos of guests and also offers to sell a DVD of footage and still shots from the week. The crew's collection of material for this DVD must distract them from spotting marine life, as they seemed to focus on photographing guests, rather than spotting animals, which makes no sense to me. One could occasionally find animals by looking at whatever the guides had been photographing, which was not always clear, as some of these animals had strong camouflage, such as the below scorpionfish and stingray; perhaps the guides just assumed that we would see them taking a picture in that spot and find the animals ourselves, rather than pointing them out to us.

Paul on Instagram: “A stingray buried in the sand, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Scorpionfish, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #scubadiving #diving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

Diving Conditions, Itinerary, and Dive Sites

Both Grand Cayman and Little Cayman had some of the easiest and most comfortable diving conditions that I have ever encountered. I had heard the most about the crystal-clear blue water and the high visibility, and in that regard the waters of both islands delivered. Cozumel may have had comparable visibility, but it came with the trade-off of strong currents, which were negligible on both Grand Cayman and Little Cayman. Despite my use of a stronger lighting system for my camera, most of my photos had little or no backscatter, except for those subjects that stirred up a lot of sand, such as stingrays, or the crumbs that turtles created as they fed on sponges. On a related note, I cannot recall seeing any significant human refuse in the water, other than that associated with the shipwrecks.

I understand that Cozumel owes much of its high visibility to its routinely strong currents, so I am curious as to how and why the visibility in the Cayman Islands remains so high, as I hardly ever noticed any significant current. This week yielded the most-current free diving I have ever encountered. I am curious as to whether or not this ostensible lack of current is a feature that others have observed, the luck of the draw, or the result of deliberate timing by the CAIV crew. Surface chop was also mild or negligible on both islands, and I cannot recall encountering any surge underwater. The only uncomfortable water movement resulted from the occasional swinging of the boat itself.

Grand Cayman also had the warmest water that I have encountered in my diving experience, typically 83-85 degrees Fahrenheit. Little Cayman was slightly less warm but still quite comfortable at 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit. I am curious as to whether or not the slight difference in water temperature between the two islands is typical or was a random fluctuation due to weather or other factors. In any event, I never felt the slightest chill, even after five dives a day in a 3mm full wetsuit for several days.

One of the most important lessons that I learned from my trip to the Philippines earlier this year (read my trip report on it) is the degree to which conditions that are uncomfortable or unfavorable for humans may be better for animals and vice versa. In that regard, the Philippines and the Cayman Islands were polar opposites. Puerto Galera and Anilao had low visibility, colder water, and occasionally strong currents, and their waters were teeming with large numbers and a wide variety of animals. The waters of Grand Cayman and Little Cayman were much better for humans but may not be as good for the animals, which were lacking in both numbers and variety, even by the lower standards of the Caribbean. Perhaps the clear water has less plankton or fewer nutrients. Perhaps a lack of current delivers less food to the filter feeders and attracts fewer mobile animals. Perhaps the warm water has less oxygen for the water-breathing animals (but would not affect both islands' numerous air-breathing turtles) and causes coral bleaching, of which I frequently saw evidence. By the same token, I wonder if the slightly cooler water temperatures on Little Cayman (assuming that they were not a fluke) could have contributed to the greater amount and diversity of marine life that I observed there.

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

Grand Cayman vs. Little Cayman and North Side vs. West Side

I had read that many divers preferred Little Cayman to Grand Cayman, and that Little Cayman was a frequent contender for the oft-disputed title of “best diving in the Caribbean.” I found few or no clear, specific, or consistent explanations or justifications for this preference, which led me to question it. I asked about such preferences on a thread on Scubaboard when I was still considering a terrestrial trip. I received a wide variety of answers, ranging from the shallower depths of the tops of the walls on Little Cayman to the quality of the punch at Little Cayman Beach Resort, but the shallower depths and the more pristine reefs seemed to be the most frequently cited factors. A minority argued in favor of the East End of Grand Cayman as comparable to or even better than Little Cayman in terms of marine life.

I timed my trip for late April-early May in order to maximize the likelihood that the weather would be calm enough for the crossing to Little Cayman: long enough after winter, but well before hurricane season. In that regard I succeeded, as our trip was the first trip that had been able to make the crossing in quite a while, and our crossing was relatively mild. Perhaps the unusually persistent wintry weather that the Northeastern U.S. continued to experience well after the official end of winter had been trickling down to the Caribbean. The captain saw a window of opportunity and eagerly seized it, heading directly for Little Cayman after everyone had boarded and settled in on Saturday evening.

Nonetheless, we only stayed on Little Cayman for two days, for reasons that surprised me and had not come up in my pre-trip research. A cold front - perhaps another remnant of this year's unusually long winter in the Northeastern U.S - brought northerly winds that rendered the shallow northern Little Cayman dive sites unsafe for the CAIV. Northerly winds would swing the boat south, in the direction of shore and perilously shallow water. I saw this phenomenon myself upon returning from one dive – there was barely enough room between the bottom of the hull and the reef for me to stand upright. If the boat stayed along the northern wall, it would have ran the risk of running around in the shallows.

I certainly saw the need to move the boat, but it was unclear to me why we needed to leave Little Cayman altogether and return to Grand Cayman. I asked the captain why we did not simply move to the south side of Little Cayman for shelter from the wind and for deeper sites, or to Cayman Brac for deeper sites. His answer was that those other areas were deeper and thus offered the same type of diving as Grand Cayman, so we might as well go back to Grand Cayman, which we would have had to do at the end of the trip anyway. I found this answer puzzling, particularly since the captain had placed so much importance on coming to Little Cayman in the first place. Perhaps the captain believed that Little Cayman offers better diving only because of the shallower tops of the north wall, and not because of the many other reasons that others have cited. He claimed that the marine life on both islands would be the same, with which I would definitely disagree, based on my admittedly limited experience there. It also sounded like the captain saw no point in going to Cayman Brac at all, even with favorable weather conditions, which disappointed one guest who came on the CAIV because he wanted to cover all three islands in one trip and had a special interest in diving the Russian wreck on Cayman Brac.

So here are my two cents: I would agree that Little Cayman offered better diving than Grand Cayman on average, but a few sites on Grand Cayman were just as good or better, and the disparity between the two islands was not as great as the differences between, say, Bonaire and Curaçao, or Lighthouse Reef and Turneffe Atoll in Belize. The shallow top of the northern Little Cayman wall was advantageous for the longer bottom times that it enabled and the greater ambient light that it provided, but I would argue that the most significant advantages of Little Cayman included greater biodensity and biodiversity and more “sociable” marine life. In keeping with the notion that the presence of larger predators reflects a healthy ecosystem, Little Cayman yielded our only reef shark sighting and some nurse shark sightings, of which there were none on Grand Cayman. The groupers on Little Cayman were both larger and more numerous and diverse than than their Grand Cayman counterparts. The animals on Little Cayman were more approachable, and the groupers on Little Cayman often followed and approached us. More generally, I would say that we saw a greater number and wider variety of more interesting animals on Little Cayman. Look at the photos on my Instagram account, and you will notice that a disproportionate number of them came from Little Cayman, where we only did 9 of our 26 dives.

Would I nominate Little Cayman for “best diving in the Caribbean?” No. I rank it below Bonaire and Lighthouse Reef, on par with Cozumel, and above Curaçao and Turneffe Atoll. We only did nine dives on Little Cayman, so perhaps I did not have enough time to savor it, but I was much more impressed with Lighthouse Reef after only eight dives there during my otherwise unsatisfying BAIII trip.

As for Grand Cayman itself, I also agree with what appears to be the widely-held view that the north side offers better diving than the west side in general, specifically due to heavy diver traffic on the west side and the resulting reef damage and dearth of marine life. Unfortunately, we spent more time on the west side than the north side, possibly due to the same northerly winds that led the captain to leave Little Cayman so early. I think that I would have had a more favorable impression of Grand Cayman overall if we had spent more time on the north side and less time on the west side.

One of my favorite sites on Grand Cayman was “Babylon,” which was at or toward the East End. (The captained explained that the CAIV rarely visits the East End, only when specific weather conditions are present). I had heard that the East End offered more pristine reefs and marine life, and perhaps this site, which was teeming with fish and had noticeably healthier reef growth, provided a taste of what the East End has to offer. One guest joked that he saw more fish at Babylon than he had seen throughout the rest of the trip up to that point. Babylon was the only site at which I felt the “aquarium effect” that I repeatedly felt in Bonaire and (to a lesser degree) in Cozumel.

I had been looking forward to doing our night dive at Babylon, but unfortunately the captain decided to move the boat because of increased surface chop stemming from the wind – for diving reasons, not for boat safety reasons. That decision struck me as excessively conservative, having just exited the water myself with some mild chop without incident, and having completed many night dives in chop worse than what I saw there. The decision to do the night dive at a new, unfamiliar site that we had not dove during the day also went against the best practice of doing night dives at sites already familiar from daytime dives. I felt that the risk of someone getting lost at an unfamiliar site by diving it at night for the first time was greater than any risk that might have stemmed from the relatively mild chop.

One of the most notable exceptions to the often underwhelming quality of the west side dive sites was the popular “Devil's Grotto,” about which I had heard beforehand. Despite what must be a higher volume of diver traffic there, this site somehow yielded more abundant and diverse marine life than any other natural reef on the west side, which might explain its popularity. We dove this site once for the last dive of our trip, both because it was shallower and because the captain was saving the best for last, but I would have preferred another dive or two there – it was that good.

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

Wreck Dives

Given the often underwhelming reefs and marine life on the west side, it should not come as a surprise that some of the most interesting dives there were wreck dives, and one of my greatest takeaways from this trip was a heightened, clearer, and more specific interest in wreck dives. Up to this point, I had done only one substantial wreck dive (the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire) and seen a few other small wrecks or remains of wrecks (“wrecks of wrecks”) in the context of broader reef or wall dives. I had long wanted to do more substantial wreck dives in the interest of trying new and different things, but for various reasons, the stars never aligned, except in Bonaire. I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees in History, so wreck dives seemed like a natural specialty for me to pursue as a diver.

The most famous wreck on Grand Cayman is the well-known USS Kittiwake. The captain wisely got us there early in the morning so that we could dive it before the cruise ship crowds overwhelmed it. It is a striking sight at first glance and quite photogenic if you shoot it head-on from the bow or the stern.

Paul on Instagram: “The bow of the USS Kittiwake Shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “The stern of the USS Kittiwake shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

I do not have the training for wreck penetration and thus did not go inside it, but those guests that did commented favorably on the thorough cleaning of its interior for easier penetration by divers. Exploring the outside was not quite as engaging after the initially striking sight, as there was not much growth on it, and it did not seem to attract much mobile marine life. In other words, it looked and felt less like a “wreck” and more like “a ship that happens to be underwater.” I wonder if these observations could be due to the relative newness of the wreck, the large amounts of diver traffic that it attracts, or the tipping of the wreck onto its side during Tropical Storm Nate in October 2017. What this wreck dive suggested to me, in comparison with the other two, is that I would probably find older and more visibly “aged” or “wrecked” wrecks more interesting, but that artificial and “fresher” wrecks like this one might be good for any Wreck Diving course that I might take in the future.

More interesting to me was the Doc Poulson wreck, which is artificial as well but has had more time to develop as a reef. I also wonder if the diversion of so much diver traffic to the Kittiwake has allowed this wreck to develop more growth with less disturbance. Indeed, I would argue that the Doc Poulson has become a healthier reef than the neighboring natural reef and the reefs at many other dive sites on the west side. Diving this wreck at night (we did not dive it during the day) also heightened its spookiness and eeriness, which is another aspect of more authentic-looking, genuine, “aged” or “wrecked” wrecks that I think I will enjoy. I wonder what this wreck is like during the day.

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on the Doc Poulson shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on the Doc Poulson shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A sea cucumber on the Doc Poulson shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

The most interesting wreck dive is no longer intact and thus “the wreck of a wreck:” the Oro Verde. The captain's detailed briefing on the fascinating history of this “wreck of a wreck,” which originated with a marijuana smuggling operation that went wrong (and reminded me of the origins of the Hilma Hooker wreck), reminded me why someone with two degrees in History (i.e. me) should pursue more wreck diving. The originally artificial wreck has become more authentic since a hurricane broke it up, leaving only two large sections of it intact, and creating a neighboring field of debris. This debris field left a striking impression of the power of a hurricane to disturb the underwater environment.

Paul on Instagram: “The remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #padi #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “The remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Coral and sponges growing on the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv…”

The debris field created lots of shelter for what may have been the greatest density of mobile animals that I saw on the west end of Grand Cayman, except perhaps for the Devil's Grotto. Notable animal encounters here included sightings of the only green moray eel that I saw during the entire trip, an army of lobsters, several groupers, a stingray, and a wide variety of fish. The neighboring natural reef was also noticeably healthier and “fishier” than other west side reefs, and I cannot help but wonder if the wreck and the neighboring debris field contributed to those conditions. I had been looking forward to doing our night dive here, as I sensed that the debris field would be even more teeming with life at night. For the second time, however, the captain moved the boat to a new, unfamiliar site for the night dive, which we had not dove during the day, this time without any explanation at all.

Paul on Instagram: “Lobster inside the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Lobsters inside the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Green moray eel amidst the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, with a grouper following it, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving…”

Paul on Instagram: “Green moray eel in the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A grouper amidst the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Schoolmaster snappers in the remains of the Oro Verde shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv…”

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

Marine Life

The reefs on Little Cayman and the north side of Grand Cayman seemed moderately healthy, but interspersed with notable patches of algae or bleached and dead coral. I presume that water temperature is responsible for the bleached and dead coral and perhaps for some of the algae growth as well, along with abundant sunlight due to the water clarity. The algae did not appear to be smothering the living coral but rather growing over the already bleached and dead coral. The west side's natural reefs were in poorer condition, which I would attribute, like other observers, to heavy diver traffic. The healthiest reef was at Babylon, toward the East End.

The sponges seemed to be healthier than one might expect in an environment with almost no current that I could detect. I have of course seen groups of sponges growing together before, but on this trip I saw this phenomenon with some species that I have not seen doing it before, such as barrel sponges.

Paul on Instagram: “Vase sponge, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Barrel sponge, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Barrel sponge, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A group of barrel sponges growing together, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A group of barrel sponges growing together, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

As for mobile marine life, there was a decent, moderate amount of the generic or “garden variety” reef fish that one routinely sees across the Caribbean, e.g. parrotfish, French angelfish, squirrelfish, etc, but not quite enough to have the “aquarium effect” that many divers enjoy, except at Babylon.

The most glaring gap was the dearth and low variety of more noteworthy or memorable animals, e.g. animals that make you turn on your camera, bang on your tank to get others' attention, or record in your log book. For the first time in my experience of diving with a camera, there were several dives in which I did not turn on my camera at all, even though I was eager to experiment with new components of my camera rig. I make a habit of recording something noteworthy for every dive in my log book, but during this trip I often struggled to find something significant to write about many of our dives. Little Cayman was nonetheless more fulfilling in this regard, and I think that my overall assessment would have been different if we had spent more time there. We did nonetheless encounter some noteworthy animals, but even these encounters were lacking in variety, i.e. the same species over and over again. Compare this trip report of mine to my previous trip reports from Belize, Bonaire, and Cozumel, and the Cayman Island photos on my Instagram to those from Belize, Bonaire, and Cozumel, and you will see the smaller amount and lesser variety of such animals that I encountered in the Cayman Islands.

Sea turtles were clearly the highlight of the mobile marine life on both islands. I had read beforehand that the Cayman Islands were famous for sea turtles, and in that regard the trip definitely delivered. I would say that only Cozumel had as many or more sea turtles. What truly distinguished the sea turtles here though, was not only their abundance but their behavior. In other places, I often saw turtles just resting or swimming around, but here I only saw them eating or surfacing for air. Even though I often saw them eating, they were usually quite small by Caribbean standards, so perhaps they were young.

Paul on Instagram: “A sea turtle eating, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea turtle, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A sea turtle eating a sponge, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A sea turtle eating a sponge on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. The French angelfish was eating its crumbs. #scuba #diving…”

More importantly, the turtles here showed no fear of divers and allowed us to get closer than I have ever experienced before, which was great for photography. The turtles often looked directly into the camera as I was photographing them, as if out of mild curiosity, before they went right back to eating as if I were not there anymore.

Paul on Instagram: “A sea turtle eating a sponge, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A sea turtle eating a sponge, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea turtle, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea turtle, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Groupers were fairly common on both islands, but the groupers of Little Cayman in particular distinguished themselves with their prevalence, size, variety, and behavior. It was quite common to find groupers at cleaning stations as they received cleanings, which made for good photo opportunities:

Paul on Instagram: “A grouper receiving a cleaning, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A grouper receiving a cleaning at “Devil’s Grotto,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

The groupers of Little Cayman further distinguished themselves from their Grand Cayman counterparts by showing greater interest in divers. They often followed us like lost puppies and allowed divers to pet them. The captain explained, as others have claimed, that this behavior was the result of divers feeding them lionfish, but I believe that there may be more to it. The groupers seemed to be quite interested in cameras and would often sneak up on me or into the frame as I was photographing something else. For example, in the below photo, I had originally intended to shoot these sponges when this grouper got in the way, so I decided to roll with it. I have heard other reports of this “photobombing” grouper behavior, which leads me to believe that something other than lionfish feeding must be driving it.

Paul on Instagram: “A grouper amidst sponges, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Larger predators included one reef shark and a few nurse sharks on Little Cayman – but none on Grand Cayman. Beyond that, the largest predators were the occasional barracudas or tarpon. The dearth of larger predators suggested to me low levels of biodensity with which to support them. Eels were also scarce: I only saw three eels through the entire trip, which struck me as remarkably low, since one could easily see that many in a day on Bonaire or Cozumel. There was a green moray out in the open at the Oro Verde, a spotted moray on Little Cayman, and a goldentail moray at the Devil's Grotto.

Paul on Instagram: “Spotted moray eel, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. This eel reminded me of the painting “the Scream” by Edvard Munch. #thescream…”

Paul on Instagram: “Goldentail moray eel at the “Devil’s Grotto,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

Marine Life, Continued

The most distinctive animal encounter was the Stingray City dive. The crew organized it like a shark dive, except that we could safely feed these southern rays by hand, as they lack teeth and suck the food into their mouths. We knelt on the shallow, sandy bottom (12 feet) in a circle and photographed or fed the rays as they went around the circle. This dive has great potential for photography, but: a) there will be many divers in the way (unless you can find a way to integrate them into the composition) and: b) a lot of backscatter, even if you shoot without artificial lighting, as the captain wisely recommended, due to the shallow depth and the amount of sand that both the southern rays and the kneeling divers stir up into the water. Some of my better shots were on the way to and from the spot where we did the dive, often over sea grass beds instead of sand, as there was less backscatter and fewer divers in the way.

Paul on Instagram: “Stingray at “Stingray City,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Stingray at “Stingray City,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Stingray at “Stingray City,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Stingray at “Stingray City,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Stingray at “Stingray City,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Outside of Stingray City, I saw three southern rays: two on Little Cayman and one on Grand Cayman (at the Oro Verde). We also saw a spotted eagle ray at Devil's Grotto. Notice how closely I was able to approach the two southern rays on Little Cayman for these photos; in contrast, I could not get anywhere near the other two rays on Grand Cayman.

Paul on Instagram: “Stingray, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scubadiving #scuba #diving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “A stingray buried in the sand, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

The night dives were, with the exception of the Doc Poulson wreck, among the more disappointing dives of this trip. I have long been a huge fan of night dives because of the many unusual animal encounters that they often yield, and the opportunity to do a night dive every night (except for the first and last nights) is an important selling point for liveaboards for me. (We missed one night dive for the return crossing to Grand Cayman, and I was OK with that as the cost of visiting Little Cayman.) The four night dives yielded surprisingly few creature encounters, even fewer than the daytime dives.

For me, the highlight of the night dives was the sea basket stars, which were far more numerous than anywhere else that I have been. In other Caribbean destinations, I might have seen one or two over the course of multiple night dives, but here I repeatedly saw multiple sea basket stars in one dive. I found them fascinating and enjoyed the opportunity to photograph them (which is difficult because they close in response to light) and feed the blood worms to them (another helpful tip from the captain).

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #scubadiving #diving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on “Bonnie’s Arch,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on the Doc Poulson shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Sea basket star on the Doc Poulson shipwreck, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Other than sea basket stars, the only noteworthy nocturnal creatures that we saw were a few crabs and lobsters. We also saw a few lobsters out in the open during the day on Little Cayman.

Paul on Instagram: “Crab, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #wideangle #wideanglelens…”

Paul on Instagram: “Crab, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography #wideanglelens…”

Paul on Instagram: “Crab, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #wideangle #wideanglelens…”

Paul on Instagram: “Lobster, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography #sealife…”

For macro enthusiasts, the most common subjects would include juvenile spotted drums (no adults), flamingo tongue cowries, and lettuce sea slugs. There were also two scorpionfish on Little Cayman.

Paul on Instagram: “Juvenile spotted drum at the “Devil’s Grotto,” Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #scubadiving #diving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Scorpionfish, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #scubadiving #diving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

I only used my wide-angle lens and did not use my macro lens; I simply removed my “wet” wide-angle lens when I encountered smaller subjects, which worked well enough with my camera in macro mode. Macro subjects were unusually on the flat, shallow tops of walls and were often in such positions that it would have been difficult or impossible to position myself at the right angle to shoot them without damaging the reef. Wide-angle was probably more productive because of the turtles, groupers, barrel sponges, sea basket stars, and wrecks, and for the reefscapes that many shot in the absence of mobile subjects. Many photographers photographed other divers, in the absence of interesting animal subjects.

Paul on Instagram: “The dive site “Babylon” on the north side of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

(to be continued in the next post on this thread)

 

[Ironborn]

Conclusion

I gave Aggressor Fleet a second chance after it dropped the ball the first time, and it redeemed itself through the CAIV. I would consider other Aggressors in the future, although my research thus far suggests that non-Aggressor liveaboards in many destinations that interest me (Turks & Caicos, Thailand, and the Bahamas) may have better reputations, yield better value for the money, and fit my preferences more closely. There are nonetheless two other destinations where I would consider both the local Aggressors and their local competitors (Jardines de la Reina and Cocos Island), and I might now be more comfortable investing in those more expensive trips to those more remote areas on Aggressors. In other words, it was good, but perhaps I can do better. I also cannot help but notice that, on both trips, we only spent about one-third of each trip in the best and most remote areas (Little Cayman and Lighthouse Reef), which defeats one purpose of a liveaboard. I cannot help but wonder if I might have been better off at resorts on Little Cayman or Lighthouse Reef. Yes, they might have cost more and/or yielded fewer dives, but sometimes you get what you pay for, and quality can trump quantity.

Now that I have had a more normal liveaboard experience, I have a better idea of what specific features to seek in future liveaboards. The large number of divers following the more consistently competent guides frankly felt like a cattle boat experience at times, which I would like to avoid. I understand that some liveaboards split divers up into two groups and send them out to separate spots on dinghies. I understand that the reason for this practice is often due to drift dives or strong currents, but I do like the effect of reducing the crowding at any one spot. I also understand that some liveaboards stagger water entries in order to reduce crowding, which I would also like. Another solution is to find liveaboards with smaller numbers of guests; I found some in Thailand with as few as 10 or 12 guests. My future research will also seek to identify liveaboards with guides that have more of a track record for spotting marine life and that do not distract themselves by taking photos and videos of divers to sell to them.

The CAIV was probably the simplest and most cost-effective way for me to check out the Cayman Islands and determine that they are unlikely to be of further interest to me beyond this one moderately enjoyable trip. I could have easily spent twice as much on a terrestrial trip and gotten similar or less favorable results. If I were to return, however, I would probably stay at one of the dive resorts either on Little Cayman or at the East End of Grand Cayman and avoid the west side of Grand Cayman altogether. One of my reasons for avoiding those resorts this time was that they did not offer enough night dives and I would have nothing to do at night as a solo traveler, but now that I see that the local night dives are lame, and I now have something to do at night (camera maintenance and image reviews), I could live with that. Cost was another factor, and any visit to the East End resort that I considered (Ocean Frontiers) would have to wait until I no longer mind spending more on a room there than I would in London or Las Vegas. The East End was the key area that we did not cover extensively, except at Babylon, which left me with a tantalizing taste of what it might have been like.

Would I recommend the Cayman Islands to other divers? The answer to that question depends on your reasons for diving. If you are a diver who likes to be underwater for the sake of being underwater, then yes, I would recommend it, as the clear, calm, and warm water is great for humans. If you are a diver who likes to go underwater in order to see animals or other interesting things, then I would instead recommend other Caribbean destinations that, in my experience, can deliver more in that regard, both in absolute terms and especially relative to their cost. I am definitely in the latter camp, which is why I currently have no plans to return, unless someone can persuade me that the East End would be more fulfilling for me, or my observations of the local marine life were way off or flukes. If nothing else, my now-heightened interest in wreck dives was one of the most satisfying results of this trip.

Early on in the trip, the captain shared with us an anecdote about a CAIV guest who fell asleep while diving. I found that a bit difficult to believe at first, but in retrospect it now not only makes sense to me but illustrates a key point about my experience. It was quite comfortable underwater but often equally boring, and I could see how the combination of comfort and lack of stimulation could literally put one to sleep. There was nothing significantly bad about this trip, but, with the significant exceptions of the highlights that I have mentioned, it was not that great either; it was just OK overall.

For Further Discussion

• For repeat visitors to the Cayman Islands: why do you return there instead of trying other places? What would you say are the chief selling points that distinguish it from other popular Caribbean destinations?
  
  
• Can anyone make the case that I might find the East End of Grand Cayman more satisfying than the areas that we visited on this trip, based on my observations and assessments? Would you say that Babylon is representative or typical of East End diving?
  
  
• Can you recommend any liveaboards that either: a) hold a smaller number of divers, perhaps 10-12; b) split up divers into two or more groups or on dinghies or stagger their water entries, thereby reducing crowding; or c) do not photograph or record divers in order to sell them a DVD? Is that DVD a standard practice on Aggressors?
  
  
• What if any reason could the captain have had for not moving the CAIV to the south side of Little Cayman in order to avoid the risk stemming from the northerly winds along the shallow northern wall, instead of returning to Grand Cayman so early?
  
  
• What if any destinations would you recommend as particularly suitable for a Wreck Diving course and wreck penetrations appropriate for a beginner?
  

 

[tkaelin]

Do you think it possible (and you would not be the only one on SB) that you might just be over thinking every possible aspect of your dive trip and possibly at the expense of fully relaxing and enjoying the experience?

 

[mi000ke]

For repeat visitors to the Cayman Islands: why do you return there instead of trying other places? What would you say are the chief selling points that distinguish it from other popular Caribbean destinations?

First of all, that was a very comprehensive and useful review, thanks.

As to this specific question, you identified some of the things that caused us to decide to buy a winter place on Grand Cayman (and i now dive there almost exclusively) after vacationing on Grand Cayman a few times. For me, I was just looking for a place where I can do relaxing dives pretty much year round. I am just extremely happy to be under water, and having dived many other Caribbean islands before setting in GC, I did not notice much difference in marine life on average. Some days we see lots of life, some days not so much, but overall Cayman diving was as good as any place I have dived in terms of marine life, and better in terms of water quality, temperature, current, and visibility (I was told the water is so clear because there is no runoff from the island - no mountains or rivers draining into the ocean). Some people need to change things up to enjoy the experience. I am the opposite. I like diving with the same dive ops, same locals, many repeat visitors I've come to know and befriend, and even the same sites. But the marine life comes and goes and is different each time even at the same sites, so it's still a different experience. And it gets more comfortable as the dives get more familiar, and that works for me. A minor benefit is that I also get local resident rates, which is a significant savings, especially given the amount of diving I am now doing. I've met tons of people who have been coming back to the Caymans for years, because the diving is just so easy and pleasurable.

As to non-diving factors, Grand Cayman is very developed and there is a large non-diving expat community (mostly business folks in the financial services and related industries) who demand a quality of life that you might not find on other islands - again that may or may not be what you are looking for. So there are some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean and almost no bad places to eat, lots of live music, live theater, a movie theater, an outstanding beach (SMB), educational institutions (I'm a musician and both teach and take lessons at the local music school), community events, good (non-tourist) shopping, and great snorkeling. My wife does not dive, so these are even more important to her.

A lot of folks end up here because it is pretty easy to get to from several places in the US such as New York, Boston (where we're from) and Texas (we get a LOT of Texan visiting here).

And while expensive, there are lots of ways to reduce the cost (do a search on SB, especially for anything posted by @KathyV).

And the more time we spend here the more we like it. We end up staying longer each year.

On the other hand, I can see why one might want to visit lots of other places as well. But if it's just about the diving, and you are the average rec diver like I am, I don't think you'll find a more pleasurable place to dive. Just my US$0.02 (or 1.6 Cayman cents)