Little Cayman, British West Indies – The sky cleared in time to light up the underwater world. As promised in the boat’s predive orientation, a playful grouper greeted the divers like a dog waiting for its guardian to return home. Visibility off the sheer coral wall was the Caribbean gold standard of 100 feet. Turtles, small schooling fish and endless multihued coral formations were the order of the day.
It was an ideal morning of scuba diving until returning to the resort’s dock. “We saw the hammerhead!” was the proclamation from the other boat unloading at the same time.
The first rule of diving: The elusive Little Cayman hammerhead – or any other significant shark – will always be seen by the other boat, the boat not taken in the afternoon or the half of the group that swam in the other direction.
Here it is 30 years after the movie “Jaws,” and it’s not only safe to go back in the water, shark sightings actually are coveted by divers. Even the most relaxing of dive trips requires the occasional adrenaline spike. Spend any time in the water and the overwhelming urge to see sharks replaces any instinct to avoid them.
“If you think you don’t want to see sharks, you will after your first dive,” said Ryan Lawson, dive operations manager at Little Cayman Beach Resort.
Shark pictures can be guaranteed by booking a great white excursion 200 miles off San Diego in the fall. But divers head to Little Cayman for ultimate relaxation, stress busting and usually ideal diving conditions. The biggest challenge for some is untethering the cellphones and laptops.
Hit the buoyancy just right while gliding between coral formations, and you can imagine floating through Boulder Canyon without the cars below. The only sound comes from drawing out of the air tank and ensuing bubbles. Just breathe, relax, repeat – and check the air pressure gauge to know when to return to the boat. The closest to a topside distraction comes when a dive computer emits an alarm that sounds too much like a cellphone.
The boat rides in Little Cayman are short. The water is warm. There is little, if any, current to fight, thereby extending the air supply. Dives of an hour are the norm instead of drawing low at 40 minutes or less in more air-taxing conditions. You won’t find Nemo, the clownfish more common to Pacific waters, but you won’t have to deal with perilous currents.
Little Cayman’s main attraction is the wall diving rated third in the world by a survey in the June issue of Scuba Diving magazine. Any place better requires crossing the international date line.
The seemingly endless Bloody Bay Wall flanking half the north side of the narrow 10-mile island drops off in 20 feet of water and plunges straight down for thousands of feet. There’s plenty to see 60 to 80 feet below – although some divers for some reason are mesmerized by pushing the depth numbers on the computer like the speedometer in a car.
Turn away from the wall, and it’s one big, blue abyss. Face the wall, and there’s a different critter in every nook and cranny. A huge lobster might hide under a ledge, while a spidery shrimp inhabits a tube sponge.
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WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
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For the navigationally challenged, wall diving is nearly foolproof. If you head out with the wall on your right, the wall will be on your left for the return.
As consolation for missing the hammerhead, unusually active nurse sharks made frequent appearances on this dive trip, including two in an upside down food fight. Nurse sharks usually are tame bottom dwellers resembling catfish overdosed on steroids.
“Nurse sharks should be respected more,” Lawson said. “Some people pull their tails. Their teeth were designed to crush conch shells. They won’t take off a piece of you but can put your arm in a vise.”
No, thanks.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
