Michele Westmorland had visited Grand Cayman once before, but she was excited to return and sample the diving on the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman as well PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHELE WESTMORLAND
I
sleepily opened my eyes to the sight of clear turquoise water and sandy beaches extending in every direction. “Fabulous!” I exclaimed from my window seat on approach to Grand Cayman. Even though I was a little blurry-eyed, or should I say red-eyed, from my overnight flight from the Pacific Northwest, it was a lovely sight to wake up to. The Cayman Islands are one of the top diving destinations in the world and although I had been to Grand Cayman once before, I was excited to cover new ground this visit at the other two islands that make up the territory - Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. After decades of diving, friends are surprised when I reveal I have only dived in the Cayman Islands once. This is largely because the history of the country goes far back by diving standards, beginning in the late-1950s when the first dive shop appeared. More shops opened as news of the excellent diving spread. Liveaboard dive boats were not seen in the Caymans until 1984. The late-Wayne Hasson, along with his wife Anne, commissioned the first yacht to explore these islands and reefs in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. After partnering with Wayne Brown, an experienced businessman and avid diver, in 2007, the Aggressor fleet (www.aggressor.com) has grown remarkably. One of the newest members is the Cayman Aggressor V. All I could say as I boarded was ‘Wow, what a beauty!’ I could not wait to set my gear up on the spacious dive deck and get back in the water.
22
WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
