Last Dive of 2010!

What a dive! Over 100 feet visibility, tons of fish and creatures, great photo ops and our friends as dive buddies. Does not get any better than that.

Site: Turtle Farm Mini Wall

Max Depth: 64 feet

Dive Time: 72 minutes

Water Temp: 78

Fish & creatures seen: Gray Angels; Queen Angels; Black Groupers; Trumpet Fish; Scorpion Fish; a giant Gray Doris (so rare!!!); Octopus and Furry Sea Cucumber.

We are going back next year (tomorrow afternoon!) to take more pics.

On our side we prepare to take more divers on guided dives and u/w photo safaris on 2011.

Until next dive. Have a great New Year and remember, if everyone gives, nobody has to take!

Sergio

Some photos West Side and Sting Ray City

Dario and I went for a shore dive and also to Sting Ray City. Dario was trying his new camera and housing and the different options and features of his photo equipment. The result was varied but a learning experience after all. The reef again was very active although vis was a bit low (for Cayman standards). Sting Ray City was pretty fun. Visibility was great and although there was some current to contend with, the ray were awesome and the Moray Eel visited our group of divers.

Until next one

Long time since last dive!

Tracy and I left on August 21 st for our annual vacation that took us through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. We visited Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park; Zion and Las Vegas. We drove, we hiked, we climbed up, fly fished and canyoneered up and down those areas. Had encounters with many animals (bears, wolves, moose, elks, bisons, eagles, ospreys and more) and took hundreds of pics. Upon our return we wanted to go diving however the weather on the Caymans kept us out of the water for over a month. We managed one dive last Friday to tune up our underwater equipment, we explored the cow well on another dive and we moved a mooring block for one of the Don Foster's boat. We found lots of fish on the reef, good vis in the pond and successfully re- located the cement block. Here are some of the pics form our adventures up north and here in Cayman. Next dive will have to wait as seas are rough again for a little while.

Until next one!

Nite Dives Galore!

It is very late. Tracy and I did complete another amazing Night dive. What a week end!

We saw so many incredible creatures but the two Sea Horses getting together during their mating ritual and the Grass Squid were the stars of the night. Here are just a couple of pics!

Until next one!

Sergio

Diving Marathon!

Tracy and I dedicated last week end (that is Friday, Saturday and Sunday) to long dives each day (over two hours per dive). Fish life has been amazing! Each dive, new creatures, more creatures and great fish behavior. We found an octopus that grabbed our torch and pulled it to his den. What a chore to get it back! And how incredible strong this creatures are. Just awesome! Pipe fish is still there and we heard of two sea horses now in the area of Casuarina Point Reef. We can not wait to go again tomorrow!

Sergio

Four Days of Diving!

Mornings, afternoon and twilight dives on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Reef location: Casuarina Point Reef @ Don Foster's Dive. Very active reef with many Tarpons, Turtles, Snappers, Black Groupers amongst many others. Every dive we saw something awesome! Here are three pictures that show some of what we were entertained for almost two hours on each dive. One picture (Tracy's) shows a Connie while eating what it may be a Blue Tang or perhaps a Chromis (not sure). The other picture shows a White Nose Pipe Fish that we found Sunday and then again Monday! Third pic shows the invasive Lion Fish so common now in our waters.

Until next dive!

Silver Sides and big fish!

We spent last Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday diving the reefs from Casuarina Point to Eden Rock. We dove at different times of the day including two dives a day. We carried our cameras and the dives were a Photo Fest. So many fish! Lots of Tarpon all around, over 300 Horse eye Jacks, a couple of the caves and tunnels by Devils Grotto were packed with Silver Sides. We encounter a Goliath Grouper and also several Black and Purple Mouth groupers. One big Black Grouper was even schooling with the Horse Eye Jacks for a while during the late afternoon. Small and big turtles modeled for us to practice our much needed photo skills. Another big size fish was a Dog Snapper and also a beautiful Crevalle Jack cruising along.

We also enjoyed watching a lobster, small blennies and hermit crabs.

Even though we were watching our bottom time as we wanted to be conservative, each dive was over one hour and a half! So much to see and enjoy in only 35 feet of water. I can't wait to go back on Friday!

Until next one.

Turtle Farm Mini Wall

Another great shore dive! Lots of Tarpons in the Tarpon Cave offered great photo ops. We observed a synergy between Sand Gobies and shrimp. The shrimp worked tirelessly digging out debrie from their den. In an area of one square foot we saw two gobies and two shrimp. The gobies seemed to be acting as a "watchman" while the shrimp dig out. Also we saw a flounder during a hunting run and eventually capturing his prey.

A very curious Golden Tail Morey allowed us to interact with her for a few minutes. Also on the way back, over the shallow hard pan but very close to the mini wall, we found a fish from the Durgon family that I believe we seen before in the deep waters of the 12 Mile Bank. Not so common to this area.

Cloudy, with 90 % chances of great creatures in Cayman!

Friday's forecast of rain and cloudiness did not stop us from diving. Seas were calm and clear. We shore dived from Don Foster's Dive location. This time around we headed to the south area of the 50 feet sand patch. Very active there. Hundreds of Garden Eels were out as well as dozens of conchs crawling over the sand. We found another Lizard Fish buried in the sand and an Eagle Ray allowed us to get close while she was feeding. We observed the ray for several minutes and we took a few pictures. Many Jaw Fish were doing their thing, working on their dens. We watched them for a long period of time, curious to see what they do. On the way back, over the shallows, a small turtle was feeding on a sponge and a medium size Trumpet Fish was on a hunting spree. Great dive. 78 minutes of plain fun! Until next one

Dive, Dive, Dive!

Great adventures were had during this last week end. We dove the Turtle Farm Mini Wall again. As soon as we reached the bottom of the mini wall Tracy found a beautiful Scorpion Fish perched on a small coral outcropping. I was getting ready to take a picture when all of the sudden he/ she swallowed a small fish in a fraction of a second. He jumped on the sand patch and then proceeded to "walk" with his pectoral fins along the sand directly to my camera! He came all the way to my lens (making it impossible for me take the pics. I moved a few feet away, he came forward again. This behavior continued for many minutes until we reached a group of rocks on the bottom where finally decided it was his new home. The Scorpion fish walked along the sandy floor for about 35 feet. At that point Tracy signaled again onto the sand. This time there was a Golden Spotted Eel making her runs trying to feed on crabs and shells buried on the sand. We stayed observing the eel's behavior for another 30 minutes. Watching these fish behavior was like watching a National Geo documentary. Awesome dive!
On Saturday we went back to the Pond (Cow Well). We descended to about 68 feet and broke into a crystal clear water layer coming from the actual ground feed. The entrance to the cave could be seen however we stayed on the outside as we wanted to be very cautious on our exploratory dive. To all surprise, Randy found a crocodile skull (upper mandible). We know crocks are supposedly extinct on the island however it was hard to tell for us whether this skull is a fossil or not. I will send some pics to experts to get more information as soon as i can. Until next dive!

Week End of diving!

Last Friday Tracy and I decided to go back to Turtle Farm since it was a while from our last visit. Winds were WNW therefore was a bit bumpy and vis was not the best. However sea life was plentiful. Tube and Barrel sponges are phenomenal along the mini wall and also along the coral heads on the sand flats around 70 feet of depth. We spent time on a couple of cleaning stations including one with a very busy arrow crab taking care of our fingers. On the Hard pan Tracy found a Pipe Fish (another one!).
On Saturday early morning Tom (from Cayman Kayaks) invited me to check out a fresh water pond in East End. I knew several ponds had been dived through the years but I was excited as the pond was new to me. We were shown the pond by Pastor Mark from East End.The place is on private property (therefore permission is required)and it is adjacent to what Mark described as an "old cattle path that the locals used for a couple of hundred years to reach the pastures". The bush there is full of mosquitoes but the beauty of the jungle and the amount of birds was incredible. Tall trees, Palms, Silver Thatch and mango trees by the dozen all over the place. Talk about protecting the environment, what a Cayman treasure. We checked the pond out first and since the access was not difficult, Tom and I made an experimental/ shallow exploratory dive. There are many small fish close to the surface and many water bugs swimming around. We found those bugs as deep as 40 feet. The water is tea color and visibility will go down to almost zero if the walls were disturbed. We noticed a ledge close to the ten foot mark indicating entrance to a closed space.The lime stone shows the remains of coral skeletons from previous geological periods. We ascended and decided that it will be worth more exploring however doing it with better equipment and more logistics including gear and other experienced cave divers. Tom and I felt comfortable diving with that low visibility. Most of my commercial diving years as a salvage diver were done in zero visibility and within enclosed/ overhead environments however in no way I' m recommending diving any of this sites without the proper training, equipment and authorizations. Cave diving is deadly when done wrong!
After the pond we took off toward Babylon area.The sea was flat calm! We swam to the wall descended to about 70 feet and glided amongst the sea fans, sponges and black coral trees. We dived all the way to shore spending quality time over the shallows and thinking on our next adventure.

Snorkel South Sound & Wreck of the Pallace

We explored the Sound and the wreck. Water a bit green but over all clear enough. Abundant life especially by the wreck's remains. We were not disappointed with our findings. Tracy found a big Doris (Flat Worm) white with black dots that was the high light of the day. However we also saw several Pygmy file fish, Porcupine fish, box crab, small eel ands a nice school of Needle fish. The grunts as always, were under the wreck in big numbers. Very entertaining afternoon with many photo opportunities.

The Beauties and the Beasts

Saturday 8:30 am we started gearing up for our dive. About 9 am we were in the water heading north towards Devil's Grotto. We noticed a weird current was bringing some thimble jellies, turtle grass and debris. Vis was on the low side over the shallows but nice and blue over at the Grotto. We were greeted by the school of Jacks. Over a hundred of them (I attempted to count them)! We stayed over the sand patch and let them swim by us over and over again. The Snapper was out again also, braver and more curious than before. He kept on bumping my strobes and hanging so close to the lens that any attempt to get a good picture of him was not successful. The caves had a lot of Tarpons in them. After one hour and fifteen minutes we returned to shore with some more pictures, good memories of the new interaction with the creatures and ready for our early lunch.

Great weather is back!

After seven cold fronts that brought rough seas on the west side finally, the East- North- East winds are back, strong but from the right direction! We have done several dives in the almost 30 days since the last post. In each dive we saw something new, a different behavior from known fish or introduced someone new in the world of scuba diving.
Arika took up on diving for the first time. She is a natural and we managed to get some photos and saw turtles, squid and a nurse shark. Unfortunately we saw how discarded plastic debris can badly affect the environment and the creatures that live in it. One Squirrel Fish had swam into the plastic loop from a bottle and this loop got stuck half way into its body length. As he is growing the plastic is digging into his body (dorsal fin and belly sides).
With Dario we did a few photo expeditions including a day with strong NE winds that brought swarms of Warty Jellies. With a purple bumpy bell on the top and long tentacles, these jelly fish are mildly toxic however when they show up in such quantities divers have to be very careful.
Dario and I had great sightings of Tarpons, Turtles, Squid and a big school of Jack.
We can not wait to go back and take more pictures. The reefs are very busy right now with all the food carried with the winds are currents. Until next one!

Another Dive and New Snorkel Site

Kathy and I were looking forward to do a shore dive. The plan was to dive Casuarina Point however, the South west winds had other plans for us. Checking the shore was getting rougher we decided to head over to our friends at Cobalt Coast. Conditions there were much better than the west side. A little surge coming from the Northwest Point area but in general terms pretty flat. Slight current going west once away from shore. Visibility pretty good.We encountered a friendly turtle that allowed us to observe her behavior for several minutes. Nice school of barracudas and an aggregation of Squid. The shallow hard pan is impressive with many Sea Fans and soft corals. Several Queen Triggers were feeding on the shallows as well as the Parrot Fish.
Kathy is a new diver but she is a fast learner and she seemed getting more and more comfortable as we spent time underwater. We need to work on some buoyancy issues that will also help with air consumption. After 45 minute of diving at about 40 feet we return to shore just in time as the current seemed to be getting a bit stronger.
After dropping Kathy back at her hotel, Tracy and I met Jesi and Tom for lunch and then we initiated our mangroves snorkeling adventure. We found a location with a sort of mangrove island protected from the strong South wind. Easy entry without having to disturb the bottom creatures too much. What a pleasant surprise! The area had many gigantic Feather Dusters (crynods), many bivalve shellfish, silver sides, baby barracudas and an incredible array of Orange, Silver and Black Sponges. Also many kinds of tunicates. Now our mission, was to find Sea Horses. Tracy found one brown Sea horse free swimming and Tom was able to take several pictures although lighting was not ideal. Tracy also found a beautiful nudibranch.We spent one hour and half snorkeling the canal! The place is full of life and brings us back to the great importance of protecting the different sound we have around the islands and the mangroves. I wish the builders have a chance to see how many creatures abound in the area and how important the mangroves are for us all.
Til next one!

Pablo & Family visit to Cayman

I had the pleasure an honor to meet Pablo and his family during their visit to Grand Cayman.Pablo is an Argentine diver who was referred to me through an acquaintance. He booked a package with Don Foster's Dive Cayman for six days of diving. Pablo's excitement about diving and snorkeling was infectious. He enjoyed several dives in the North, West and South Walls adapting to the weather changes with no problems. The family took a few suggestions about snorkeling and they had a blast together at Morritt's Dock,South Sound, Anchor Point,Casuarina Reef and Devil's Grotto.
I was lucky enough to share some "argentine mate" and good conversation as we planned together places to visit. I also had the opportunity to dive with Pablo in "Cross Roads", "Ned's Tunnels", "Don Foster's Reef" and "Eden Rock".
Pablo's dive skills were excellent and we really enjoyed our dives allowing us to see many creatures, go through many tunnels and even take a few pictures.
On the last day we BBQ at home, enjoyed some wine and a good chat. The family usually do not repeat vacation places as they prefer to explore new sites. However during dinner they talked about the possibility of coming back and continue exploring what the Caymans have to offer. We are waiting with our arms open to go diving again together. Pablo remember there is a lot more to see and Little Cayman and the Brac to visit still! Pia, get certified to dive with your Dad; You are a fish! Until next dive!

International Diving Hall of Fame - Grand Cayman

Last week end we attended the "International Under Water Film Festival" and the "International Diving Hall of Fame Awards Dinner"
For some of us that have been involved in the Diving Industry or just plain diving for fun for a long time, once again this event brought us close to some of the icons of diving that we have seen in TV documentaries or heard of from many many years.
In this year's event and thanks to Cathy Church, we had the opportunity to meet and chat for a little while with Valerie Taylor "The Shark Lady". Ron and Valerie hail from Australia and since the sixties they have been diving all over the world doing documentaries including many National Geographic episodes.
Listening to Valerie how she went from been a Champion Spear fisher to a Champion Conservationist is inspiring. Her passion for all creatures and specially marine creatures and her will to share that passion is a moment that we will not forget.
Although the event was well attended I can not help it but feel sorry for those dive fans that do not know what an opportunity they are missing every time this event comes around.
Since its inception, the International Diving Hall of Fame allowed me to meet personally with the most iconic figures involved in diving including the ones that were already famous when I was a kid. I did not get to meet Lloyd Bridges but I met his family, Jean Michelle Cousteau, Paul Tzimoulis, Stan Waterman, Al Giddings, Gery Murphy and others. They will not remember me but I will certainly remember them,the attention given and the few words we spoke. For ever they will be my heroes!
Until next dive.

We have been involved in improving our skills and testing our photo gear. During our dives we encountered large schools of Squid (30 and up), several turtles, large green moray eels and several friendly Snappers. In the caves near Devil's Grotto the Tarpons were circling around in and out of the caves before taking their daily late afternoon trip south toward Grand Old House Reef. Also the anemones were in full blossom out. Their tips showing off their green, blue and white neon colors.
During our adventure on Saturday we explored the reef south of Don Foster's Dive. We noticed a lot of very healthy soft corals growing tall, many rope sponges of the red and blue variety and many gorgonian seafans. We saw several groupers, a big size Zero who decided to ran around circles around us, a big green moray and even a Lion Fish.
Visibility was down a bit but marine life was very active.

January First 2010! First Day of the new year and first dive too. Tracy, Nakai and I welcomed 2010 with a great dive with one of our friends, Gonzalo. WE had a great time and again we witnessed interesting fish behavior. Tracy found a very cooperative Lizard Fish that kept me entertained for a long while with my camera.
I can not wait to go out again! Until next dive