Blog

Liz and I started Living The Dream Divers with the want to offer something different to Cayman Diving. We wanted to give world class customer service, to small groups on big custom made dive boats.

We have both been working in the dive industry for over 15 years. In this time we have worked all over the world with amazing people on many different boats. We wanted LTDD to have the very best dive vessel and waited until we found the right boat. Our first boat named Our Boat was just that, Our Boat was made by Newton in 1996, specifically designed for Grand Cayman scuba diving. We bought her from a dive operation on island and set to work in making her right for us. An engine rebuild, paint job, adding electronics and many other creature comforts were what we did to bring her up to date and ready to take divers. She was a huge hit and will always have a special place in our hearts. She now lives in The Cayman Islands Yacht Club, ready to take divers and snorkelers to Sting Ray City and on private charters like the famous Grill N’ Chill.

Our Boat was the perfect start for our dream. Early on, we realized that to offer a full service product, we would need a second boat. We looked at all of our options, knew what we wanted, and what would take LTDD to the next level. There are many dive boats and we explored all the options but there was only one choice for us. We knew we would only be happy with the highest quality boat, built and designed specifically for our divers safety and comfort. The only problem was that little thing called money After looking at banks and investors , Liz and I wanted to keep our company ours and we decided that our dream could only continue with us at the helm. In April 2011, life savings in hand, we called Bryan at Newton Boats and placed our order for a custom designed 36 Newton Dive Special! Wow! Somehow we had done it, but it didn’t seem real.

Newton have been making boats for over 30 years. Based in Slidell, Louisiana they have focused on one thing, to be the boat of choice for the dive industry. Their boats are found all over the world from Florida to Australia. Their painstaking attention to detail and passion for customer satisfaction have made them the leader in dive boats. Built to ABS and Coast Guard standards they are simply the best dive vessel in the world. During the six month build time we became very familiar with the Newton team. Their tried and trusted design with a few of our little touches made this boat the only Newton of its kind in the world!

She arrived on island on November 10^th and has been in full operation since. Some of you have dived and snorkeled from her and we hope to welcome you all on board on your next cayman diving vacation.

Naming of her was easy as Liz and I have thought of little else so she is literally….

 “OUR DREAM BOAT!”

The New Lion Fish Tracker

Congratulations to our very own Liz for obtaining the PADI Distinctive Specialty, Lion Fish Tracker.  Liz has become one of the very first Cayman Dive Instructors to get this rating.  Using PADI outlines, the training given by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment as well as her own knowledge of this invasive species, she will be able to teach any certified diver to safely spot, track and remove this fish during her Cayman Dive instruction lesson.

As you know, Liz is my wife so I am a little biased! but in over 12 years of teaching I have never met a more patient and caring instructor.  She has a gentle way that is a joy to work with and be a student of.

This new Lion Fish Tracker course is for the certified diver and will not just teach you all about this fish, how it lives, breeds and how it came to be this far from home.  It will also teach you the safest and most humane way to remove it from the reef.  Cayman Dive Instruction is fun and this course is a excellent addition to any Cayman Islands Dive vacation.  You need to complete two Cayman Dives and then you can carry nets on all of your dives.

For more information about this course or any Cayman Diving please contact us anytime.

Summer time is an incredible time for Cayman Diving. The water is an a delightful 87F, in fact yesterday at the end of my dive, my computer showed 88 degrees!!! We have been able to dive the very best of Grand Cayman Diving, with regular trips to the North Wall and some awesome round the island trips.

Our slip in the Yacht Club gives us perfect access to Cayman’s North Wall Diving, this is considered by most to be the Best Cayman Diving and we take advantage of this every opportunity we get. This summer season has seen some of the best Cayman Diving with awesome creature sightings. Having dived the waters around the Cayman Islands for 13 years this year, I have to say I have never seen as many Eagle Rays as this summer season of Cayman Diving. These beautiful, majestic creatures are a huge favorite of Cayman Divers. As our company logo it has a special place in our hearts and makes every Cayman Diving experience special. The North Wall is known for regular Eagle Ray sightings and the summer months usually are the best time. They fly off the wall gliding past delighted divers. This year during our Cayman Diving trips we have seen large groups of Eagle Rays swimming in formation. Whether it is your first Cayman Diving experience or you have dived all over the world, this sight brings a “WOW” factor to every log book. During one dive alone this week I saw 12 Eagle Rays swimming together which was the most I have ever seen!

As well as Eagle Rays we have had some amazing Cayman Diving encounters with Green Turtles, Eels and some rare Shark sightings. Carl had an awesome Cayman Dive when he was leading his divers over the wall at Castle Drop Off and a large Hammer Head shark swam past. After 14 months of being on the island, Scotty finally saw 2 big sharks on one Cayman dive- a hammerhead and a reef shark. Last Monday, Liz was hovering off the edge of Black-forest Wall and a reef shark swam past her and the group as well! There are a small number of Hammer Head sharks that live around the island. Their diet of injured fish and Stingrays are easy to find in our waters but low numbers are caused by over fishing and slow breading cycles. In July and early August it is the the mating season for Reef Sharks. This amazing animal is rare and breeds on a two year cycle. The North Wall makes for a perfect mating area and the shallow mangroves are ideal to give birth. The shallow water and plant cover give the baby sharks the protection and food they need before they head out to the big blue!!!

We love what we do and delight in sharing our passion for Cayman Diving. We are looking forward to the next few weeks of awesome Cayman Diving. To plan a trip it is easy; just e-mail Liz! dive@ltddivers.com anytime and she will help plan the Best Cayman Diving vacation.

This article from The Cayman Compass is real interesting. Anything that helps us to understand this amazing creature can only be good for Cayman Diving.

t has been three months but Tina the Tiger has decided to leave Grand Cayman and go on tour.

The tiger shark had a location tracking satellite tag attached to her, which has been giving updates on her movements regularly.

Tina was tagged as part of a collaborative project between the Department of Environment, Marine Conservation International, the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Save Our Seas Foundation.

The project is undertaking an extensive survey of the sharks around the Cayman Islands to understand what types of sharks, whales and dolphins are in Cayman waters and what their needs are.

A number of sharks have now been tagged, including blacktip reef, Caribbean reef, nurse, lemon and tiger sharks on Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

With less than 10 per cent of the global shark population left, this survey is about better understanding the Cayman Islands’ marine biodiversity, how local sharks are faring and what pressures they face.

Tiger sharks are a key part of the ecological web and their presence promotes a healthy food chain.

As Tim Austin, deputy director of the DoE, points out: “This translates to a balance of fish and other marine organisms, including fish of importance to fishermen.”

Tina the tiger shark swam around Grand Cayman to the west and then headed off south.

After a few days, she then headed over toward the Sister Isles before powering up to Cuba, swimming at a steady four miles per hour.

Mr. Harvey noted that there are a number of tiger sharks tagged through the Research Institute off Bermuda that have migrated south before heading back up to Bermuda, and wondered if Tina would eventually head to this hotspot.

“I am thrilled to see Tina’s progress and wonder what triggered her departure from Grand Cayman,” said project leader Mauvis Gore.

By contrast, Luiza, a second tiger shark also tagged last December, has remained close to Grand Cayman.

Ms Gore is part of an international team that leads the project funded by the UK’s Overseas Territory Environment Programme and the Save Our Seas Foundation.

The project works with fishermen and divers whose expertise and observations are important to the project.

Any sightings of sharks, whales or dolphins can be reported to the DoE at DOE@GOV.KY or on 949-8469.

livingthedreamdivers blog 8411

Cayman Diving is full of beautiful fish & coral. As many of you are aware during your cayman diving trip you will see that Lion Fish have invaded our waters. These fish are living in the Cayman reefs as an invasive species. The Cayman Islands Department of the Environment together with REEF have been working on the best solution to combat this huge problem. They have been quick acting and been able to change and develop new plans as needed. They started with a full in depth seminar that educated cayman diving instructors and Cayman Divers about these invasive fish. In the beginning we used nets to catch the fish. This was a great start but proved not good enough against this agile creature. The DOE then licensed dive operators and Cayman Dive masters and Cayman Dive instructors to use a government made speargun. During this time they worked with the government and local laws to make it possible to import a much stronger and more efficient Hawaiian Sling. This spear has proved to be the best solution yet. During lots of Cayman Diving we have removed 100′s and 100′s of Lion Fish and even learned a lot about this fish.

They only problem with this is that only Cayman dive professionals are licensed making visitors and others unable to cull the fish. This month PADI together with the D.O.E introduced the PADI sanctioned distinctive speciality ‘Lion Fish Tracker’! This valuable and exciting Cayman Dive Instruction course enables everyone to get involved in removing this fish from our waters and protecting our small reef fish from this veracious predator.

This two dive Cayman Dive Instruction speciality will teach you all the skills needed and also the facts behind this beautiful but dangerous fish. For more information about this Cayman Dive Instruction course and find out how you can help our reefs contact us.

We just had the most amazing week of diving Grand Cayman‘s north wall. Quite often in the spring and summer months, we see a lot of eagle rays. Last week we saw as many as 20 on one dive and groups of 6-8 on most other dives!

A group of beautiful eagle rays on Lemon wall

The eagle ray is one of our favorite cayman diving creatures. So much so, when we designed our logo, we knew it could only be one critter- the eagle ray. When we lived on Cayman Brac we would see them everyday inside the protected lagoon where we kept our boats. Quite often they would fly out of the water- this is a sight to see and we always thought it was a sign of great luck and good karma.

Generally a shy species, spotted eagle rays are wary of divers and are usually difficult to approach. When they are cruising along the north wall, they gently glide past us and don’t seem too bothered by divers. As one of the most beautiful rays, the spotted eagle ray has a dramatic spotted pattern across the dorsal side of the body. The small white, bluish-white, greenish, pearly, or yellow spots are distinct against the black, dark gray, or brown body color. A variation on this pattern includes larger white rings each with a black center, and these rings sometimes join to form lines and circles. The spotted eagle ray reaches a maximum length of 8.2 feet (2.5 m) not including the tail, with the total length including an unbroken tail reaching close to 16.4 feet (5 m) with a maximum published weight is 507 pounds (230 kg). Now, that’s a BIG eagle ray!!

Up close and personal with a spotted eagle ray

The spotted eagle ray is commonly observed in bays and over coral reefs as well as the occasional foray into estuarine habitats. Although it occurs in inshore waters to depths of approximately 200 feet (60 m), the spotted eagle ray spends most of its time swimming in schools in open water. In open waters, spotted eagle rays often form large schools and swim close to the surface. It is known to swim long distances across open waters as evidenced by its presence in Bermuda. This species is capable of leaping completely out of the water when pursued. It swims by “flying” gracefully through the water via the undulation of the pectoral fins.

Mating behavior often includes the pursuit of a female by one or more males. These males grab her dorsum with their upper tooth plate. Spotted eagle rays are ovoviviparous meaning the eggs develop inside the body and hatch within the mother. Up to 4 pups are born in each litter, each measuring 6.7-13.8 inches (17-35 cm). We think they mate in the spring and summer months and this may be the reason we get to see so many this time of year.

Clams, oysters, shrimp, octopus, squid and sea urchins as well as bony fishes provide prey for the spotted eagle ray. This ray is well adapted with its shovel-shaped snout and duck-like bill for searching in the sand for invertebrates. Their main predators are sharks. Sharks, including reef sharks and hammerheads have also been reported to follow spotted eagle rays during the birthing season, feeding on newborn pups.

Their conservation status is considered as “Near Threatened” by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). We feel very lucky to see so many here.

So, come and enjoy some Grand Cayman Scuba Diving today and see of you can find some spotted eagle rays!

Summer is almost here!

The Cayman water temperature has warmed up to 80 degrees after a “chilly” winter here in Grand Cayman. Gary has hung up his shortie wetsuit and is back to wearing his rash guard for diving. We have spent the last week Cayman diving the North wall which is a real treat after the prevailing northerly winds we have had since last December. On Lemon wall we saw 20 eagle rays on one dive which was absolutely amazing.

Today we were back on the West side for an incredible dive on Big Tunnels where we saw 3 Hawksbill turtles, 1 sleeping green turtle, a cloud of millions of silver sides darting back and forth as they cascaded down the wall, a scorpion fish and a lion fish. We had a world famous videographer on board who filmed the first episodes of Deadliest Catch and had the most amazing camera- it was huge. Thanks for diving with us Ken! For our second cayman dive trip of the day, we dived the USS Kittiwake where we were able to get up close to the resident school of squid that has made the wreck their home since it was sunk on Jan.5th.

The best thing about our spring and summer is having the choice of where to dive. Diving all the way around Grand Cayman is spectacular but during the winter we are often unable to get to the North wall as it is just too rough. Having the choice of Cayman dive sites makes for the best Cayman diving, so why not come diving with the best Cayman Dive Operator during the best Cayman weather and enjoy some of these stunning sites this summer.

We can’t wait to see you on board!

LTD Team

The Cayman Diving offers incredible conditions for both new and experienced Cayman divers.

To learn to Cayman Islands scuba dive,  there is no other place better. The water is warm, clear and teeming with interesting and breathtaking corals and fish life. We offer Cayman Dive Instruction courses from PADI Discover Scuba Diving all the way to becoming a PADI Professional. Whether you would like to try Cayman scuba diving for the first time or advance your Cayman Diving knowledge and skills, our professional Cayman Islands instructors work one on one with you to achieve your goals.

We teach our confined water skill development in a calm bay where you are in swimming pool like conditions in water shallow enough to stand up in with fish swimming past you right off the bat. From there, you complete your first Cayman Diving on incredible shallow reefs and walls. Our small group approach with personalized attention not only guarantees you will learn all of the course material and the skills, you will also have loads of time to dive the stunning reefs and walls of Grand Cayman.

This month a group of high school kids from Ohio came to Grand Cayman on a school trip for their oceanography class. We had an amazing time with them and they all completed their open water certification courses. Not only that, they went on to identify cool critters found on the reefs and walls and fine tuned their Cayman Diving skills under the supervision of their Cayman Diving instructors. We even spent the day at Stingray City cuddling rays and enjoying the sandbar. Now that’s a school trip!

Living The Dream Divers has a dedicated team of Cayman Diving professionals who are some of the most highly qualified and experienced in Grand Cayman. This, together with our personal attention, small groups, working at the students pace and our love for diving……..well, there is just no better place to scuba dive in Grand Cayman.

So, if you have always wanted to try Cayman Diving or would like to add to your diving knowledge and skills, drop us an email, give us a call or visit http://www.livingthedreamdivers.com/dive-instruction for more information.

Learning to dive!