Dive Operators

Cayman Character

By Kirk Brown

OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Looking down from a descending Island Air prop plane to see an unpaved runway with grassy shoulders is a pretty good clue that you're not in Kansas anymore. Try a remote and relaxing Caribbean paradise called Little Cayman.

''This is an island for people who want to get away,'' explains Tom Gotterup as he drives down a dusty gravel road.

The retired police officer and former Marine had to get away from a Cuban patrol vessel when he and his wife brought their dive boat to Little Cayman. He is currently the manager of Reef Divers at the Little Cayman Beach Resort.

Gotterup's truck passes a crew of workers who are installing power lines on the last remote section of the island without electricity. We stop at a small pond that was stocked with tarpon by the storm surge from a 1932 hurricane. The tarpon have evolved and now thrive in the brackish water.

Back in the truck, Gotterup points out the dock where a barge delivers supplies to the island every week - weather permitting. Living here is not cheap; a loaf of bread can cost $4.50.

He also takes me into the island's only place of worship, a tiny wooden Baptist church with five rows of pews. After driving by the oceanfront cemetery and island museum, we spend a few minutes hiking on the nature trail that cuts across the island.

That's about all there is to do on Little Cayman except for diving. For many visitors, the lack of must-see topside attractions is itself an attraction. And who can complain about nonexistent stop lights and traffic jams?

Plus, the noticeable absence of noise is soothing. Standing on an observation deck overlooking a lagoon, the only sounds that can be heard are the afternoon breeze rustling through trees, the relentless pounding of the surf and the occasional shrill cry of a whistling duck.

We stayed at the Little Cayman Beach Resort, where the sense of peace and quiet is further reinforced by the conspicuously missing telephones in nicely appointed rooms. The resort also features a spa, which is run by Gotterup's wife, Laurie.

As the sun sets, the resort's guests dine on a tasteful spread of salads, chicken, steak, fish, pasta and deserts at the nightly buffet. When the mood strikes, Tom Gotterup entertains the weary-looking divers with jokes and tall tales until the last dishes are cleared away. And on Friday nights, the hot tub is no match for resort manager Neal Parsons' renditions of The King's favorite hits.

While an inviting hammock is never far away, relaxation is not the main reason that most people travel to Little Cayman. They come to experience the island's unforgettable underwater panoramas.

Most of the 41 named dive sites with moorings are scattered along Bloody Bay Wall, a precipice that drops 6,000 feet off Little Cayman's north shore. The majority of diving takes places in depths ranging from 50 to 110 feet.

A word of caution for first-time visitors: remember to keep an eye on the air and depth gauges during your initial dive on Bloody Bay Wall because it is easy to become utterly captivated in the crystal-clear water.

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