I woke up to the delightful sound of the rooster again this morning and made my way down to breakfast to prepare for an adventurous day. The highlight of the diving was exploring the dive site, Bonnie’s Arch. Captain Lee, our dive master and instructor, explained to us that Bonnie was one of the first people to capture images and video of marine life in the Grand Cayman reefs and sell footage to local shops. After Bonnie’s passing, it was decided that for all of Bonnie’s videography, it was only fitting that her favorite dive spot should be named after her. The “arch” part comes into play because there is, well, a distinctive, 10 ft diameter arch made of coral. Coral arches are formed when a constant current or flow of material eroded the surrounding rock, eventually creating a gaping hole with and natural bridge. Going through the arch multiple times was very entertaining.
The rest of the day was based around Sea turtles and the Cayman Turtle Centre for conservation and tourist attraction, but from the experience, it was mainly for tourist attraction. After a short taxi ride to the centre, we entered and headed towards the lagoon: a place where we could snorkel with sea turtles. It was basically a large concrete lazy river type pool transplanted coral, algae, and green sea turtles. It was a great experience to swim with the turtles. Another section of the centre included a set of concrete tanks where visitors could pick up small green sea turtles. If you are starting to get a somewhat guilty gut feeling, so was I. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the centre and the treatment of the turtles. After the centre visit, some of us had conversations about the treatment of the turtles and whether or not the treatment of the turtles is moral. Upon further research, multiple conclusion were met. Turtles are a migratory species that travel over 1,400 miles and can dive down to 500 feet. The turtles at this centre are held in small, shallow, concrete tanks. In the area where turtles could be picked up, I had the opportunity to grab one and hold it for myself. After a brief moment of excitement, I was taken over by the thought that this turtle in my hands wasn’t waving its fins so I could have a cool picture, but it’s doing that to try and smack my hand so I will release it. This was not a feeling I enjoyed. The controversy comes into play here when culture is brought in. Ms. Mathews provided us with the following analogy: “we have thanksgiving turkey in the United States, and the Grand Cayman has sea turtle”. For many years, turtle meat has been a common food of the Grand Cayman’s culture. The centre not only provides hands on experience with the sea turtles, but also breeds rare sea turtles to sell their meat at market. This practice can take stress off wild populations in order to keep up with the demand of sea turtle meat. There is a line between inhuman treatment and keeping up with the cultural demand for sea turtle meat, however, that line is currently in an unknown location.
After returning from the turtle centre, the gang split into two groups, taking negative or affirmative sides, for or against String Ray City. The site is where squid is used as bait to bring in string rays to dive with The debate was more of a way to gain knowledge of the site so we are prepared to visit the sting ray hub tomorrow. After an hour of discussion, the gang sat down for a lovely sunset dinner.
Following dinner was another adventure, the night snorkel. The main event of the snorkel was a huge, shimmering tarpon. The tarpon was attracted to the light coming out of our flashlights because it knew we were out there to spot marine life, making its night hunt that much easier. The tarpon stayed at a distance, but was first to jump on its prey when the its location was compromised by some students looking for a good time. Towards the end of the night dive, myself and my snorkel buddy turned off the flashlight and waved our hands in the pitch black water. Certain organisms on land and in the sea can produce light through chemical reactions that take place in their body: bioluminescence. This reaction is used by the organisms to evade predators and acts as a defense mechanism. Waving my hands back and forth in the water triggered this reaction, revealing a miniature light show underwater.
Day three was filled with fun excursions, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s dives along the coral and in Stingray City bring.
