July, 1996--Diving, Snorkeling And A Trip to Hell

Before we became certified divers, we did quite a few resort dives. A resort dive includes thirty to forty-five minutes or so of instruction on some very basic things and especially a reminder to breathe. We booked our dive with Eden Rock Dive Center which was just at the other end of Georgetown. I remember that the dive master who gave us instruction was from either Denmark or Norway and told us some tales of diving through the ice--not something I would ever try but sounded fascinating.

After our instruction we waddled down some steps and into the water to explore the Eden Rock dive

site. The caverns were fun to explore and we ran into swarms of silver sides, little silver fish that appear in the grottos and caverns around the island in the summer. 

About halfway into the dive we spotted a plaque that was secured in the rock wall memorializing a diver. Of course you can't say anything under water but when we were topside, we asked about it. I had felt a little spooked because I thought maybe he had died there on a dive. I was assured he did not. It was just placed there because it was his favorite place to dive.

We also found a great spot to snorkel called Cemetery Beach. Back in the day, people would take Cheese Whiz into the water and release some to feed the fish. It is no longer allowed thankfully but the fish back then were really used to the snorkelers feeding them so much so that one fish actually nipped my knuckle. It was the first and only time I've been bitten by a fish.

Of course no trip to Grand Cayman would be complete without a trip to Hell. It's a little community,

very little, in West Bay but it has a post office. There are lava formations there but one of the best parts is the souvenir shop run by "the devil", a very wonderful man who dresses up in red horns and cape and greets everyone. The shop must have been closed (Hell is closed on Sunday) because I don't have any pictures of him for that trip. We did take our grandson the first year he went diving with us (he was 11). He bought a shirt that said "I've been to Hell and back, Grand Cayman" and modeled it for his parents with a big grin on his face when he got home.