(August 4-11, 2005)

In September of 2004, Grand Cayman experienced the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. Miraculously, there were no reported deaths and few injuries. It is a testament to the people of this little island nation and their fortitude in the face of disaster. Nearly a year later, Cayman is rebounding from the blow to its citizens and the tourist trade upon which they depend. While the land shows the scars of the great storm, little has changed below the surface of the water. The marine life still abounds. The waters are still crystal clear. And the diving is still among the best in the world.

As we began our drive to the East End, the first thing we noticed were so many of the trees had been stripped bare of their foliage. Some were showing signs of new growth and the promise of a greener tomorrow. A lot of homes and businesses were wearing plywood boards over windows--a result of Emily's visit in July. The fact that they were still up made me wonder if residents weren't a little nervous about the predicted severe season we were in the midst of.

We adjusted to driving on the left side of the road and soon found our way onto the main road leading to Boddentown. Along the way we noticed some of the damage to homes and businesses along the shore line. Some looked like back lot movie house facades--the part facing the street almost untouched and the shore side completely gone.

The saddest sight was the Cayman Dive Lodge. We had been there often and enjoyed the diving comradery, the hospitality, and the great food put out by their cooks. It lay in shambles along side the road. This trip we would be diving with Ocean Frontiers who were able to get up and running in good time.

Our Resort Stay:

Ocean Frontiers operates from Compass Point, a condominium dive resort featuring one and two bedroom condos with small kitchens. A little farther up the road is The Reef Resort where we chose to stay. They have studios, one bedroom suites and two bedroom condos. The larger accommodations have small kitchens. We stayed in a studio equipped with a small refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee pot, and a toaster. The good news: it saved a lot of money making breakfast and lunch in the room. The bad news: every time I made toast, the heat alarm went off in the room. I learned to move the toaster to the other end. (Note: Stop at the IGA that's right next to the airport before heading out. They had great choices for lunchmeat and microwavable foods. Hurley's on the East End was leveled and there was only one other small grocer out that direction.)

The Reef Resort is beautiful. It survived quite well because it is built of sturdy block walls. (Next door, the Morritt's Tortuga Resort did not fair as well. They were planning to level the two buildings closest to the shoreline. Unfortunately anything with a wooden frame did not hold up under Ivan's raging wind and water.) The rooms were immaculate and beautifully decorated. We had a small whirlpool tub, two bathroom sinks, and a shower. There was no hairdryer but there was an iron and ironing board--guess that was if you were inclined to iron your wet suit.

The kitchen area was a little tight on working space. A few more inches of counter would have helped. The cupboards yielded dishes, cups, glasses, and silverware--enough for two. Paper towels, a dish cloth, sponge, dish soap, can opener, and coffee filters were also provided. There was no freezer section in our refrigerator but ice was available on the first level of the condo unit.

The Thirsty Surfer at the front of the resort sold a few small grocery items such as milk, snacks, and beverages, and has internet access. The resort has a restaurant, Castro's Hideaway--but more on that in the dining section. The downside is that breakfast isn't served until 8 a.m. and, if you are diving, you need to be at the boat dock at 8 in the morning.

Concierge services were very nice. We received great recommendations and directions to restaurants that were reopened in the area. Lots of fun activities and theme nights, a great pool and hot tub, plenty of beach chairs, a beachside bar and grill, and a dive shop on the premises were just a few more of the amenities offered. Actually, I can't remember a more luxurious dive trip.

The Dining:

Since we had a rental car, our dining choices were expanded. We stayed mostly on the east side of the island. Near the resort where we found two great spots, Portofinos and Over The Edge. Portofinos is an Italian/Caribbean restaurant. Dining is in or out on a lovely porch overlooking the beach. On Sunday, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. they have a killer buffet for only $16 CSI (around $20 US). Salads, lots of entree choices--including omelets made to order, and a great dessert table with a make your own sundae section contributed to an expanding waistline.

Over the Edge was about three to four miles west of the Reef Resort. It was more moderately priced but had a unique selection of dinners handwritten on one menu consisting of a dry erase board. The catch of the day, mahi mahi was grilled to perfection and accompanied by a fresh green salad. The second dinner we had there, I ordered a salmon Caesar salad--excellent. Bob had a hamburger one night that was tasty and reasonably priced ($8-9 US) when you consider a Burger King meal deal is about $5.00 US. There were no "sweets" as our French hostess said, but she directed us to a grocery store up the road a bit that sold ice cream bars. One of the best parts of the meal was the sunset, but be aware once the sun goes down the mosquitoes come out and this dining porch sits out over shallow water. A little protection for your legs will make you more comfortable.

Castro's Hideaway was a very nice restaurant at the Reef Resort. It's on the second floor with dining in or out on a balcony. The prices averaged around $19 CSI but they had nice menu choices and the food was good. You can also order at the bar and grill down on the beach and sit at one of the plastic tables there--not as elegant but the food comes from the same kitchen. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Barefoot Man entertains. It get a little noisy and wild as the evening progresses but if you want a fun party, go. We got there about 9 on Thursday night after Bob did a night dive. The music was good--kind of a Johnny Cash-Bob Dylan-Jimmy Buffet style and audience participation was strongly encouraged. Luckily, we were scarfing down hamburgers and were excused from the Congo line--it's not our kind of fun.

Once Bob got a little more confident with driving from the passenger side of the car and on the left side of the road, we ventured into Georgetown for a dinner at the Lobster Pot. The restaurant is on the second floor and looks out into the harbor. I had Lobster fettuccine. It was heavenly. Lots of lobster, pasta, and a great sauce that was delicate--not overly rich and heavy like some alfredo sauces. We topped the dinner off with a delicious piece of apple streusel with ice cream that we shared between the two of us. Great food--great atmosphere. On the expensive side but worth it for one special night of vacation.

At Last--The Diving!!

We had read on various websites that the diving was pretty much the same as always. Of course these were dive logs kept by dive operators so we weren't too sure we could trust them. Still, we needed to use up the deposit we had made on the dive trip that was canceled because of Ivan. How bad could it be?

Not bad at all--in fact, the diving was as good as ever. The only things we noticed were a couple of log piles (palm trees) caught between some rocky areas on the bottom, an old tire, and less sponges. The soft corals seemed to have survived quite well and the marine fishes were as abundant as ever.

We sited a couple of turtles, some small rays, eels, shrimp, spotted drums, nurse sharks, tons of grunts and snappers, some French angelfish, lots of butterfly fish, and those barracudas who look at you with such menacing eyes. There seemed to be a lot of the juvenile Yellowtail Damselfish--the pretty ones with the blue dots. And, of course the occasional large grumpy-looking grouper.

The wall dives are still a beautiful quiet landscape surrounded by the bluest ocean I've ever seen. Even with overcast skies, the water clarity and visibility was excellent at depths of 90-100 feet. Bob was treated to a great night dive featuring squid feeding on small fish, two very active and colorful octopi, and some rays scurrying along the sandy bottom.

This was our first outing with Ocean Frontiers. It will not be our last. We were treated to great fun and service. Our gear was switched over to fresh tanks between dives and, when diving was done for the day, we put our gear in crates where the wonderful staff took it up and rinsed it all out for the next day of diving. The boats were not overcrowded. They carried about 14 divers on one and 12 on the other. Two tank dives are available in the a.m. and the p.m. There was also an option for a one tank dive in the p.m. Night dives are on Tuesdays and Thursdays and there are special dive trips during the week to Stingray City. Boat trips to the dive sites ranged from 10 to 25 minutes depending upon the weather. The wind kept us diving to the south most of the week so our trips were a bit longer.

One afternoon Bob was pleased to recognize a familiar face among the divers. Rico from the Cayman Dive Lodge (destroyed by Ivan) was among the guests diving. So what happens to a divemaster when the dive shop is leveled by a hurricane? He becomes a banker, of course! With bankers' hours you ought to be able to log some good dive time.

Great to see you, Rico!

Miscellaneous Pictures:

Beach side of Compass Point where Ocean Frontiers operates. All 27 units face the ocean and have kitchens.

The Turtle Farm suffered extensive damage from Ivan but is operating on a smaller scale for now in a temporary location. It didn't look like Hell sustained any damage but it is closed on Sundays.

Spencer's art teacher would be very proud of him. His dive maps show a great sense of color and design. Thankfully, he also has a good sense of direction. Ocean Frontiers has quite an energetic staff. We divers suspected it was all the granola bars in their diet.

Another of Ocean Frontiers divemasters, Art, wants Mom to know she's doing well--working hard and eating healthy. Her stories of Darwin (Australia) make us want to visit.

Questions?

Please contact me with any questions you have. I'll try to answer them if I can.

©Karen Robbins 2005

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Page updated : 10/18/2008 05:41 PM