Diving in the Cayman Islands

The Cayman with Kids Sea Camp was awesome

Melanie (16-year-old): Diving in The Cayman Islands, both Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, gave me the opportunity to experience and explore the unknown. The underwater landscapes and astonishing creatures provided a breathtaking view. One amazing sight that we encountered while diving was an old shipwreck. Within the walls and portholes of the ship inhabited many different organisms using the wreck as protection and shelter. Seeing this wonderful sight taught me that a ship that sinks in a tragedy can create a beautifully sacred hideaway for sea life to call their home.

Mariah (13-year-old): During summer 2018 I had an amazing trip to the Cayman Islands and diving both Cayman Brac and Little Cayman! I was a little nervous because I have never heard of it, but it was amazing. Every day we did dives in the crystal clear water, we saw amazing creatures like sea turtles, puffer fish, and huge groupers. Not only was it fun in the water but also there were so many fun activities to do! We had a karaoke night and volleyball tournament but my most favorite was the crab racing, we all picked a crab and raced them and the one out of the circle first won! Cayman Brac was amazing and I hope to go back there again.

Just want to share. This is from Makayla my 19-year-old and I just say wow! Margo thanks for the amazing Kid Sea Camp trip and all that you do for all the other kids and families!!

Thanks again!
Maureen & Steve Weatherspoon

Grouper a diver’s best friend
You always hear people talk about how their dog is their best friend; Some people go on about how cows and other animals we consume have emotions and feel pain just like people do. You might read about how lobsters screech when you boil them alive in a pot, but the fact that they might have the mental capacity for emotion and thoughts seems outlandish until you actually witness it, and are forced to empathize. In Cayman Brac I encountered for the first time, the grouper, a type of fish savored in many places and often overfished. This leaves devastated numbers of increasingly small fish, barely able to live their potentially long lives due to high demand for restaurants and supermarkets.

As I watched the grouper follow groups of divers around underwater, wanting to be pet, and showing the divers where to find the lionfish (an invasive species of fish the grouper will only scavenge and not hunt), I realized for myself that other animals besides humans, even fish, have lives worth more than the way we treat them. As every grouper acted differently, with its own personality, I realized that even the animals we see as the most primitive are aware of themselves and their surroundings. It is that very concept of self which makes it evident that we need to reevaluate the way we view where our food comes from, and the which practices we should tolerate in the gathering of these foods. The solution does not need to be the discontinuation of meat-eating, but to stop viewing these creatures as just a piece of meat, and rather something to be grateful for and cherished.

Makayla Weatherspoon