Introduction
The Cayman Islands, which are located in the Western Caribbean Sea, have recently emerged as a tourist mecca. The three islands comprising of Grand Cayman, which is the main island, along with Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are home to some of the best beach resorts in the world and are also popular for its beach resorts as well as an abundance of scuba diving and snorkelling sites. Grand Cayman itself boasts of more than 200 dive sites. Besides, Cayman Brac is popular for its deep sea fishing activities of tuna, marlin, and barracuda. Little Cayman is truly little, with an area of just 10 square miles. Nevertheless, it is popular for its diverse wildlife such as rock iguanas and red-foot boobies.
While many tourists enjoy the stunning terrestrial views such as Cayman’s amazing sandy white beaches surrounded by crystal clear water, there is more to these three amazing islands in the form of abundant underwater delights. Those who have gone for Cayman tours to explore marine life cannot but speak of the amazing sights they have witnessed there. There are many ways of exploring Cayman underwater which include diving, snorkelling, scuba, and even helmet dives. You might even prefer to explore the seas with the help of a submarine dive in Cayman. In fact, Cayman Islands Submarine Tours are very popular with cruise ship visitors and other people who want to explore the seas but do not want to get wet. There are many reasons that make the Cayman Islands extremely popular for diving and snorkelling activities:
A submarine underwater tour in the Cayman Islands
- Warm water all around the year
Since the Cayman Islands are located in the tropical zone in the western Caribbean, the waters remain warm and inviting throughout the year. Typical underwater temperatures during the winter remain around 79 degrees to around 85 degrees F in the summer. Additionally, the waters remain remarkably calm and many mornings, the sea remains serene and still. This makes the sea around Cayman an unusually perfect divers’ paradise.
- Stunning Underwater visibility
The underwater visibility here is absolutely spectacular, which consistently ranges from around 80 to 100 feet for inshore diving sites. This often reaches around 200 feet along the outer edges. Since the Cayman Islands do not have any rivers and have a comparatively flat surface, there is no danger of soil erosion or water runoff. Also the surrounding coral reefs filter the seawater and keep them clean. Moreover, there is virtually no underwater current in the shallow to medium depth dive areas, and very little underwater current that exists on some wall dives. Heavy sea swells rarely occur in the area of the Cayman Islands.
Cayman Islands Coral Reefs
- Magnificent Underwater Sights
As part of Cayman tours, you can also view the amazing underwater sights here. The Cayman Islands are actually the tops of a sheer underwater mountain range called the Cayman Ridge. The walls of this range are breathtakingly vertical and offer fabulous diving opportunities. These magnificent underwater sea cliffs are home to brilliantly coloured sponges, coral trees of varying colours, and hundreds of delicate marine life. Also, the amazing coral reefs that surround these islands comprise of many grottos, caverns, tunnels, and sunlit caves that are teeming with marine life such as Silversides, Tarpon, groupers and jacks. Besides, there is nothing to do but absolutely marvel at majestic sponges such as barrel sponges and rare vase sponges, which are found in various hues ranging from red to orange and many other hues in between.
- Extraordinary Shipwrecks
No underwater trip in the Cayman Islands is complete without visiting the shipwrecks here. Since these shipwrecks are diveable as well, they offer a wealth of diving opportunities to seasoned as well as amateur divers. Wrecks such as that of the Kittiwake and the Balboa are simply amazing to view. The wreck of the Capt. Keith Tibbetts off Cayman Brac and that of the Soto Trader are a must on any underwater visitor’s itinerary.
- Exotic Marine Life
Perhaps the most majestic of all attractions in the Cayman Islands is the teeming marine life here. At Stingray City, divers and snorkelers can easily interact with tame Stingrays who can be easily fed with squid. You also come across other marine life including giant sea turtles, giant Tarpon, spotted eagle rays and Angelfish. Among the coral reefs, you will find Scrawled Filefish, Barracuda, moray eels, hogfish, horse-eye jacks, snappers and grunts. A night dive in the Cayman Islands will reveal even more exotic marine life that will leave you spellbound.
Conclusion
Surely, the seas around the Cayman Islands present an unforgettable water world, which is unique and exceptional in its own right. Explore Cayman underwater and admire the amazing sea life beneath the surface of the waves! Hope you enjoy your underwater excursion in the Cayman Islands. Good Luck!