Just like the other days, Day 5 started with a buffet style breakfast. Then, we gathered our gear and boarded the boat “Twin Sister” to go the first dive site. After a short boat ride, we arrived at our first dive site “Hepp’s Pipeline”. With the help of the dive masters, my partner, Nico Boyd, and I jumped into the water enthusiastic for another day of diving.
With the dive time being about 35 minutes, we reached a maximum depth of 70 feet. It is among the most healthy, colorful dive sites on the Cayman Islands. The reef is know for the iconic mini wall just around 55 feet. Throughout the dive, I recognized the large quantity of French Angelfish. They are easily noticeable for their compressed, deep-body and the large backward pointing spine on the gill cover. They spend most of their lives on the reef, tending to hide in coral. They feed on sponges, algae, bryozoans, and tunicates. Then, as we continued on our dive, the dive master used his flashlight to point out a massive Spiny lobster hiding in a reef. It’s long legs were pointing out a crevice in a coral patch. This dive has been one of my favorites on the trip as it seemed to be a healthy coral full of life and color.
We then travelled to the second dive site by the name “Spanish Bay Reef” and took a small break to decompress our bodies. During the break, we were able to jump from the top of the boat into the water and have some fun. This site received its name from the late Spanish Bay Hotel right in the shore from the site. However, hurricane Ivan in 2004 resulted in many damages to the hotel and they did not have sufficient funds to repair the building. Even though my goggles became fogged many times throughout the dive, making it hard to see, the reef contain many flourishing coral heads and a shallow wall around 30 feet deep. Near the top of the wall, I recognized a school of French Grunts swimming close to the coral. This type of fish has a almond shape body and is yellow with blue horizontal stripes. They feed on crustaceans, bivalves, and various small fishes. The name originates from the grunting sound they generate by grinding their teeth. Like in almost all of the dives before, I could not keep my eyes off the many Black Durgon. However, unlike before, the light enabled me to see the true colors of the fish, instead of the all black. The fish is a blimp-shape triggerfish with bright lines running along its dorsal fins. From a distance, the fish appears to be completely black; however, since I was in shallower water I caught a glimpse of the dark greenish-black with purple overtones color. They inhabit seaward reefs and are extremely common around oceanic islands.
Finally, after a filling lunch, we boarded the boat once again around 2 p.m. to go to Sting Ray City roughly 45 minutes away. After the pre-dive discussion about safety, we jumped in the roughly 13 feet deep sandbar full of Southern Atlantic stingrays and many marine life. Immediately, I saw two stingrays gliding gracefully below me. They were extremely friends and allowed us to play and pet them. I would describe the feel as a slimy cow hide. They followed the two dive masters everywhere as they were feeding them squid. As a result of this experience, I conclude that Stingray City is humane and ethical as it was mutually beneficial for both parties of humans and the stingrays: money for the island, fun for tourists, food for the stingrays. Today, it is the biggest tourist attraction on the island and brings in lots of money for the island.
We finished our night after dinner with some break time to do what we want. A couple of us in a group played various card games and had a lot of laughs. Overall, it was a great day and I had a lot of fun with my peers.
