| We were doing a photo shoot on Little Cayman with a boatload of dive gear, some shapely models and a groupie named Maurice. All was well until the beautiful people got silly. What do you expect from folks who consider standing in front of a camera work? Between shots, two models forgot their brains and decided to do a wardrobe change in the middle of the beach, in broad daylight. And, in the Caymans, nudity is not allowed. I'm sure we told them that. |
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| _** Within seconds we heard a four-wheel-drive Jeep roaring around the corner like the Dukes of Hazzard and driven by none other than Officer Bruce, Little Cayman?s only cop. Did I mention that models have bad luck, too? **_ |
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| Caught red-handed, we apologized and explained to Officer Bruce that we were doing a magazine article and that the models lived in South Beach, where clothes are considered optional. After a stern warning and a short lecture, he kindly let us off."But don" get caught nekkid in da Brac," he said. "Dey trow you under da jail over der. Dey might not be as nice as me."Within his admonition, I detected a bit of local pride. Perhaps even some friendly competition. Could there be a bit of sibling rivalry between the sister isles of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman? I'd never thought about it, especially since the two islands are usually spoken of in the same breath. Plus, they even have a cooperative PR effort, SITA, the Sister Island Tourism Association. Still, it made some sense Yankees and Mets, Venus and Serena, and now Brac and Little. Yeah, maybe there was a rivalry cooking.For years, Little Cayman has won the diving spotlight with Bloody Bay Wall, a stretch of reef that's been described as the world's most stupendous wall dive. Little C is where early divers, who had tripped around Grand Cayman's expansive reefs, came to explore new worlds, to go where no diver had gone before and all that. A few cozy resorts, like Pirate's Point, Southern Cross Club, Paradise Villas and Sam McCoy's Lodge, catered to a sprinkling of divers, and still do. As the word of hidden paradise leaked out, Little Cayman jumped into the pampering biz with the all-inclusive (but still quaint) Little Cayman Beach Resort a perfect backdrop for our above-water shots.We had models around the pool, next to the huge Newton dive boats, along the pier, in the spa and at the poolside bar, where Maurice kept them hydrated with fruit juice and the male staff and off-duty divemasters hovered in the background ready to assist at a moment's notice.We also knocked out some frames downtownat LC's one church, one store and one bank (open one day a week), all of which serve the fewer than 200 permanent residents.It's a sad reality that photos of dive gear always look better above water. Because I was ready to go diving and the photographer wasn't."It's tough to set up shots underwater, not to mention getting the right light," Curtis admonished."But, dude, Bloody Bay Wall awaits.""Just give me one more day," he pleaded.I'd worked with Curtis Boggs before and he was a pro."It's your call," I said.The plan was to get some scenic shots along the crest of Bloody Bay Wall, the renowned reef starting at 20 feet and plunging to 6,000. The seas had been calm for several days so the northwest side of LC, where Bloody Bay Wall, Jackson Bight and Mixing Bowl converge, was prime time. But if the winds kicked up we could miss out on wall-diving heaven.At sunrise the next day Boggs tapped on my door."Look at the palm trees," he said. "Not a frond moving. Dead calm.""Bloody Bay, here we come."Somehow we got our contingent of models, photographer and hangers-on moving in sync to make four dives that day two at Bloody Bay and two along the southeastern shore at Lighthouse Wall and Jay's Reef both just minutes from the hotel. The real surprise here was the models. They took off over the lip and down the wall on our Bloody Bay dives like they were eagles launching from their roost. Of course, Maurice completely missed the turtles munching on bright orange and red sponges, the swim-throughs crammed with silversides and even the three or four spotted eagle rays that passed a couple times as if they were begging for his attention. While Maurice ogled, our models posed perfectly in front of giant barrel sponges and got face to face with Nassau groupers at several cleaning stations.Satisfied with our shots on Little Cayman, and filled with a newfound respect for our models diving skills, we celebrated that night at the Hungry Iguana, where the models total command of the room's attention equaled what we'd seen earlier on the reef.The next day, we packed our gear and boarded Island Air's twin-prop plane, lifting off the nostalgic grass and coral runway. We were ready for Cayman Brac's diving with a Russian (destroyer) twist something LC decidedly does not have.Big sister Cayman Brac has a few high points on its scorecard as well. For one, it has the Bluff Cayman's highest elevation at 140-feet. There's also a full-size jet runway to accommodate direct flights on Cayman Airways 737s.Brackers, as they're sometimes affectionately called, can also brag that in 1503 Columbus discovered their island first. Of course, it's probably because the Brac is farther west and has the Bluff. Still, bragging rights are bragging rights, regardless of circumstances. |
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| ** In a daring bit of French savoir-faire, Jean-Michel Cousteau stood on the bridge of the M/V Captain Keith Tibbets, decked out in dive gear, as the ship went down in 100 feet of water. Nothing of the sort had ever happened in Little Cayman before ** |
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| About 1,200 people live on island, so it's cosmopolitan by comparison to Little Cayman. Several car rentals, a few churches and even two hair salons serve the island-opolis. The Brac has Faith Hospital, complete with an emergency room, and a bank that keeps regular hours, five days a week.More people also translates into more hotel rooms, more eateries and more stores, something the models figured out immediately."Can we go shopping today?" they purred in unison as they hugged and rubbed on Boggs."OK, I guess so," he conceded, melting into a pile of goo.While they shopped, we scoured the island on our pre-shoot shot hunt. First we toured two condo resorts, Brac Caribbean Beach Village and Carib Sands Beach Resort, which had pools, diving facilities, the works. Then we checked out two major resorts, Divi Tiara Beach Resort and the Brac Reef Beach Resort (sister to Little Cayman Beach Resort). Finally, we took the road less traveled and found more than a dozen guest houses, cottages and B&Bs. The shot list grew. And that was just topside.Down under, we had the prize wreck of the Cayman Islands to look forward to: the scuttled Russian warship. In 1996, Cayman Brac roared into the record books with the intentional sinking of the Russian ship, which was promptly renamed the M/V Captain Keith Tibbetts after a famous local advocate of Sister Island diving. In a daring bit of French savoir-faire, Jean-Michel Cousteau stood on the bridge, decked out in dive gear, as the ship went down in 100 feet of water.Nothing of the sort had ever happened in Little Cayman, Brackers like to point out.Before dragging models and dive gear down to the ship, Boggs and I checked out the Tibbetts for the best photo angles"I want to shoot it in the afternoon," he proclaimed after our dives. "Better light."So the next morning, before dawn, we pursued another mission. With a fully loaded van we headed east toward the sunrise, where the Bluff's sheer vertical cliffs rose out of the crashing surf. Maurice, our persistent groupie turned bag boy, was rattling off Brac facts, desperately trying to woo the ladies with his expansive knowledge."Brac is Gaelic for cliff," he told the models. "That's how the island got its name." "What?s a Gaelic?" Chandelica-Jo asked. "Gaelic, you know, like Scots." "Scotch?" "No, not scotch," Maurice intoned professorily, "Scottish people. The Brits and Scots first settled the island." By that point, though, C-Jo had detached from Maurice's history lesson to focused on important matters - her makeup. |
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| ** New on the Brac The Oceanic Project** On January 23, 2003, a stunning bronze statue of 2 dolphins and 4 stingrays, the work of renowned artist Dale Evers, was sunk off Cayman Brac. Sponsored by Oceanic, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and Sport Diver Magazine, this monument provides yet another unique and exciting dive in Brac waters. |
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| The sun was rising just as we arrived, and a magical glow played against the chocolaty rocks. Curtis was in heaven. Because, as any photo pro will tell you, photography is all about light - and $20,000 in lenses. He banged off some stunning shots in the natural pools that form at the base of the Bluff.Later, a local man directed us to a real bat cave. Brackers are proud of their caves. They're credited with saving the lives of those who found refuge from Cayman's worst hurricane in1932.As the day wore on, we prepared for our Russian afternoon with the Tibbetts. With three decks to swim through and cute nudibranchs crawling around the wheelhouse, the ship offered plenty of photo ops. Over the years it has also been a magnet for a thick layer of growth, and is considered the Cayman Islands-best wreck dive.We continued our underwater shoot at sites near the Tibbetts at Airport Wall and some of the popular sand chutes. Along the southeastern shore we dove The Hobbit, Lighthouse Reef and Anchor Wall, where a wedged and encrusted anchor from a bygone era is perched at the end of a long swim-through. During the next couple of days we cruised some of the shallows on the northeast side, like Patch Reef and Grunt Valley, where the clear water delivered so much light the fish, corals, models and sponges all glowed with equal beauty.As the sand in our hourglass finally ran out, Curtis and I adjourned to the Captain's Table to determine whether we should crown Little or Brac as Queen of the Sisters. Over dinner and a few rum punches our debate ran headlong into a deadlock. C-Jo stepped in."Why have one, when you can have two. That's my motto," she said with the confidence of someone who'd never heard the word "No." How true ... so we concluded that the only fair thing to do was to dive both of the sisters. We do what we must. |
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| Deco Stops World Class Birding and Fishing Beyond the caves, cliffs and commanding views, Cayman Brac has plenty more above-water nature. More than 200 species visit the Brac at one time or another. Some are migratory, others hang in there year-round. Egrets, sandpipers, spoonbills, red-footed boobies and parrots star in the extensive cast. A 180-acre Brac Parrot Reserve provides safe nesting for the endangered Cayman Brac parrot and includes a two-mile nature trail with 38 species of trees.Little Cayman is strong with Audubon types, too. An interactive center has been built at the edge of the 203-acre Booby Pond Nature Reserve, which is home to more than 5,000 pairs of the noisy critters. Tarpon Lake is a unique brackish enclave for a group of landlocked tarpon and many local species of bird have made guest appearances on its shores. Last of all, iguanas (all 2,000) have the right of way on Little Cayman.Avid fishermen come to Little Cayman in search of "The Grand Slam" a bonefish, permit and tarpon caught all on the same day.There are more dining choices on the Brac the Captain's Table has gained an excellent reputation for its cuisine and there is even a Domino's on the island for die- hard pizza fans. Aunt Sha's is a popular oceanfront restaurant and the Coral Isle is a popular local nightspot. Other eateries include Edd's Place, the G&M Diner, La Esperanza and Sonia's Restaurant. As in Little Cayman, reservations to dine at the two resorts restaurants can also easily be arranged. Last but not least, be sure to stop by one of the local stores for a "pattie"... one bite and you'll be sorry you didn't get two. |
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