Cayman Islands Cayman Brac The Jewel Of The Caribbean

Christopher Columbus encountered the Cayman Islands in 1503, he surely must have sighted Cayman Brac first.

The island's most distinguishing feature is, a limestone crag (Bluff) that towers 42m above the Caribbean Sea at the eastern end of this island.

Cayman Brac (Brac is Gaelic for crag), is famous for its excellent diving sites and is being promoted as an all-round eco-tourism destination, with the Bluff part of the experience.

The bluff is a formidable challenge to rock climbers and hikers alike, while nature-lovers will be draawn to the protected Cayman Parrot Preserve at the summit.

The bluff is also pot-marked with hundreds of caves home to thousands of bats, which form an important component of the island's delicately balanced ecosystem. The larger caves also give shelter to the islands human inhabitants (Brackers), during the hurricane season.

Cayman Brac unfortunately sits in the path of one of the more notorious hurricane routes though it was fortunate during 2004 to escape the worst of hurricane Ivan suffering little damage, unlike the more commercially developed Grand Cayman, which was devastated by Ivan.

When initial weather reports showed Ivan, a cat 5 storm was heading straight for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, many Brackers sought shelter in their caves.

During the storms though islanders sheltering in the caves could see waves building up 30 degrees above the horizon and "waves building on top of those they reported.

At a news conference after the hurricane Caymans Chief Minister said diving destinations off the smaller islands appeared to have been enhanced by the storm, providing many new experiences for returning divers.

The storm had cleared out areas constricted with algae and creating new swim-through areas in underwater walls.

Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are regularly rated among the world's best dive locations by readers of Scuba Diving magazine, for its excellent visibility, abundant sea life including sharks, turtles, rays and coral with a water temperature of about 25C in winter are all enhances the appeal.

An underwater cliff is to be found about 20m down, and a Russian destroyer that was sunk for divers to explore, is also popular attraction.

LOWDOWN

The Caymans Islands consist of: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman and are in the Caribbean Sea, about 772km south of Miami, on the US mainland.

Getting there: Miami is the gateway to Grand Cayman. Flight via Miami with transfers from Grand Cayman to the smaller islands.

Size: Cayman Brac, an island roughly 19km by 3km, has a population of about 1300. Little Cayman is smaller still, with fewer than 170 residents on a 16km by 1.6km island.

Language: English is the official language of the Cayman Islands.

Inquiries: Visit www.caymanislands.ky