Our day 4 started with a downpour of rain throughout the early morning and ending just after breakfast. We arrived at the alternate dock and boarded the boat by 8:00 and began the ride to the first dive site called the “Big Dipper”, just off the coast of 7 Mile Beach. My partner, Nico Boyd, and I were ready for the first dive and hopped right in.
During the first dive, I reached a maximum depth of 103 feet and was in the water for 30 minutes. Not long after descending, many of us spotted a pufferfish. Although the fish was deflated, it was still an awesome fish to see. The majority of pufferfish species are toxic and many are among the most poisonous vertebrates in the world. It appeared extremely timid and swam away from all of the divers. Additionally, while swimming through the sandy bottom, we saw multiple garden eels in hole in the ground. They live in burrows in the sea floor and their name derives from the practice of sticking their head out while hiding most of their body. Since they stay in groups, they tend to resemble the plants in a garden. As we got closer, they inched more and more into the ground and until ultimately they were gone.
We then travelled to the second dive site called “Chain Reef” and gave our body time to decompress before the dive. The reef received its name from the large anchor and chain on the floor. This site was largely sandy and had many coral patches. My max depth during this dive was around 50 feet and we stayed in the water for 40 minute. Upon swimming over the many coral patches, I came across two trumpet fish swimming very close to the reef, almost hidden. It had a greatly elongated and compressed body, close to the shape of a pencil. They range from one to three feet long and are mainly found between 15-80 feet down. Additionally, while swimming between two coral patches I saw two squirrelfish under a ledge. It had large eyes, a spiked dorsal fin, and red and orange body. Such fish is entirely nocturnal, and during the day remains hidden in crevices, or under ledges. The dive was extremely relaxing as we had a lot of time to take pictures and explore the bottom. We all ascended together and boarded to the boat to head back to the hotel for lunch.
After a small break, we drove to the Cayman Turtle Centre. It is a conservation facility and tourist attraction with turtles, birds, a crocodile, and a variety of Cayman Marine life. We were able to pick up baby turtles and watch very large green turtles eat and swim. I additionally was able to feed pigeons from my hand. The facility had a large amount of turtles and other large fish, such as barracudas and nurse sharks.
After a great dinner, we all gathered our supplies once again for a night snorkel. After talking through the plan, we were given flashlights and hopped into the water with our buddy. We saw a lot of marine life that only come out at night. The flashlights easily illuminated the water and allowed us to see. Immediately, I saw two large Spiny Lobsters eating. They seemed to float along the ocean floor and were unbothered by all of us. Additionally, as we swam farther out, I spotted in the corner of my eye two squid swim at the bottom. Although quite small, they were partially translucent and brown. We then got out of the water and completed the night together playing a game of pool volleyball. Overall, today has been a great day and full of memories that will last forever.
