Trip Report: Cayman Brac, May 9 - 16, 2006

First thing I need to say about Brac Reef Beach Resort, is that it seems to cater to those that dive. It is basically, a Dive Lodge with an excellent buffet, a beach, a bar and a very well run dive shop - Reef Divers. The real attraction is the diving. The on-site dive op provides “valet” service. You do not touch your gear. The Morning of your first dive day you leave it outside your door in a numbered bag they provide and do not haul it again until after your last dive. So, much about the place reminded me of Cayman Diving Lodge, destroyed by Ivan in 2004. CDL was the place that really got me hooked on ocean diving. And I could on and on about CDL, the place I kept returning to, but we need to come to terms with this loss.


On the dive boat you sit down on the dive platform and they bring to you to put on. It really is great not having divers stumbling around the deck with their gear on and probably far more safe as well. (Do the DM a favor and mark your gear in a way that makes it easier to ID)


During the time I was there conditions could not have been better. For most of the week it was dead calm and the sea was smooth as glass. But, it was very hot. The first dive of the trip was the Russian Frigate - Capt. Tibbets. Sunk as a dive wreck, it broke in half on the bottom during one of the recent hurricanes but can still be penetrated safely. Subsequent dives that day were also impressive, but I had been spoiled by my last trip to Coz after hurricane Wilma where all the big animals had come in close to shore.


Food was excellent and most of the divers all sat together at one table and there simply seemed to be no other guests. It seemed to be a very slow week. Locals did frequent the restaurant because I think it was the only one on the island.


Cayman Brac is one of the Cayman’s other islands and you get to it by the twin otter operated by Cayman Airways. Luggage restrictions are very tight and with dive gear there is little room for clothes, but no one there was a fashion critic. But, don’t spill anything on yourself at dinner, you could run out of clean clothes quickly. I did manage to take about 209 pictures underwater especially after I figured out how to use the macro flash feature on my camera. The dive op does give you a complimentary copy of a video that was shot on one of your dive days.


You can see some of the photos I took by clicking my on-line photo gallery:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/roj5/album?.dir=/37fbre2