By Karen Cox
Guest Writer, Dive News Network
There they were! Every time we descended they were there waiting. They were there waiting to follow us. They stalked us like jealous ex-boyfriends making sure we were not on our way to date anyone else. Sometimes they were silently behind us, and others they were right in our face as if they wanted us to acknowledge them. Sometimes they were right next to us just like a good dive buddy; but they were always there. What did they want? Why lunch of course!
Our stalkers were the local groupers of the Cayman Brac area. Normally friendly, divers and groupers have always had a good relationship; however, these overly friendly groupers had learned if they follow the divers, they might get a free, very tasty and exotic meal; lionfish. Groupers cannot catch lionfish, but as soon as the dive master spears one, there’s a grouper right there to eat the tasty carcass.
In March of 2011, I got the chance to dive the Cayman Brac. I often do group dive travel events with the folks at Helena Scuba in Helena, MT. The owners, Karen and Glen McKinnon, plan some fantastic trips and I have never failed to have the best time. Cayman Brac is an island that’s part of the Cayman Islands. It is located about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and 5 miles east of Little Cayman. The Cayman’s a favorite destination place for the rich and famous; however, Cayman Brac has little on it that would appeal to anyone other than a diver.
This trip to the Cayman Brac was one I had scheduled for 2008 but Hurricane Paloma changed those plans. She took her toll on the island and the resort the day before we arrived so our trip was delayed until shortly after they completed re-construction. Our group of 12 people from the Helena Scuba dive shop flew to Cayman Brac in late March. We arrived to an entirely rebuilt Brac Reef Beach Resort.
A family-owned all-inclusive getaway the Cayman Brac Resort is located on four and a half acres of white-sand beachfront on the island of Cayman Brac. Diving is their specialty, but they cater to non-divers too. We settled in comfortably and went directly to Reef Divers II for the dive orientation.
Reef Divers is located on the Brac Reef Beach Resort property just steps from the rooms and dining hall but they are owned and operated by a different company. The boats are newer and in great condition and our BCD’s were waiting for us each morning hanging on a fresh tank. We had the same dive master most of the time during our visit to Cayman Brac. This is really important to me, because I like the concept of my dive master getting to know me as a diver and helps make for a better trip. The dive masters were fun and tried to make each dive briefing entertaining by adding some good (and bad) jokes. One of the dive masters even brought us some fresh fried Lionfish so we could experience just what the groupers found so tasty.
There is a lot of scuba diving to be done in the Cayman Brac area including a 330 ft. Russian Koni class frigate built in the Soviet Union in 1984 for the Cuban Navy. It is easily dived. The Koni II class frigate was purchased and sunk by the Cayman Islands government in September 1996. It was rechristened the M/V Captain Keith Tibbetts, after a well-known Cayman Brac politician when it was sunk. It is located in a sandy area with generally good visibility, approximately 650 ft. offshore from Buccaneer, on the island’s north side, near the western tip of the island. The diving around Cayman Brac is all boat diving however there is very little down time while you travel to the dive sites. There is a choice of 120 dive sites including the world-renowned Bloody Bay Wall which has been rated one of the top dives of the Caribbean.It is a sheer wall and you can look down into the abyss. Divers will discover lobster hanging out at 94 ft.Vis was about 100 ft. and there are a lot of fish along with thousands of garden eels.
The East Chute is a very popular dive site and is located on the north side of the island. This is both a wall dive and a wreck dive. The chute slices through the wall and begins at about 50 ft. The wreck diving part is the Cayman Mariner at 60 ft. This wreck was sunk in 1986. There are rays, groupers and eels that make the Chute and the Cayman Mariner their home. The vis was about 70 ft. Another site everyone talks about is the Inside Out. This is a section of wall on the south side of the island. Among the sand chutes and large sponges you will discover a coral head in about 50 ft. of water. Divers can take this dive all the way to 96 ft. and see great marine life darting along the wall. Both of these dives are fairly easy so all levels of divers will enjoy them. The crystal clear water helps you to appreciate the beauty of the underwater area.Five days just wasn’t enough!
The Brac Reef Beach Resort provides a full meal package and I highly recommend choosing that package. There is almost nothing on Cayman Brac so your dining choices are limited and many locals even come to eat at Brac Reef. The food was buffet style with many different choices plus dessert every night and everything was fabulous! The wait staff was so personable and even knew the names of everyone in our group after only a day. After a fun day of diving there is a nice beach bar with appetizers for purchase and a warm fresh water pool to soak the salt out of your skin.Comfortable lodging, friendly people, good food, great drinks, and superb diving all come together at Brac Reef Beach Resort for a pleasant dive vacation.
Editor’s Note:
Karen Cox is an avid diver as well as a real estate professional for Windermere Real Estate in Oak Harbor, WA.
