A Different Look At Grand Cayman

[ricki]

I took the family down to Grand Cayman just before the holidays for some kiting, diving and general hanging around on island time. The following describes a visit to The Kitehouse in East End, Grand Cayman, http://thekitehouse.com/cayman.htm.




The Cayman Islands are a short flight south from Miami. I usually like to fly Cayman Airways due to the consistently favorable prices and luggage policies.









An interactive map of Grand Cayman with restaurants, sites to be seen, links, etc..
Click image to link to active map




Compass Pointe Resort, http://www.compasspoint.ky/, the home of the Kitehouse in East End. The Resort caters to divers and kiters with some nice rate packages.
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They run several dive boats out of the resort while the Kitehouse stages two boats setup with compressed air and other amenities for kiters.




A look at East End and East Sound, Grand Cayman ringed by barrier reef containing sand bars with waves and deepwater just outside.




Michael Minichiello owner of the Kitehouse Grand Cayman pulls up with the boat to take us out to the sandbar inside the barrier reef. Mike is also an instructor examiner for PASA and periodically has instructor training courses on Cayman.




Part of the Kitehouse gear shop at Compass Pointe. This is the only kite shop anywhere on all three islands of the Caymans.




One of the Kitehouse support boats out on the sand bar inside the barrier reef. I believe this is the boat Mike delivered to Grand Cayman from Key West himself via Cuba. That trip was an adventure in itself! He shipped the other down as deck cargo on a freighter.




A look at one of the Kitehouse's riding sandbars.
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Diving with Ocean Frontiers, http://www.oceanfrontiers.com/



Big on the outside, flat on the inside, getting ready to launch.




Richie Rich giving kiting lessons. The Kitehouse is famous for quality kiting instruction.








Riding along with two GoPro cameras, one in a chest mount and the other on the kite.




Mike pumping up a kite. These guys really take care of you, pump up, setup lines, pass you boards and then tear down everything for you. It is easy to get spoiled!








There is Mike coming up from behind captured by the GoPro mounted on the kite. Stay tuned for the video, should be real interesting!




The Kitehouse office at Kaibo Marina, staffed by George Evans and Laura Clark.




Riding through some swells while tacking out through one of the cuts through the reef to checkout some waves outside.




Look at that water!




Mike pops one inside the reef




A quick video pan across the riding grounds off East End.




George, another instructor comes by with the second boat.








Cruising along the drop off in excellent blue water viz.








Both boats setup on the flats. Lots of room to ride, practice and have fun in all that warm, clear shallow water.




The Kitehouse operation at Kaibo Marina on the northeasern part of the island below Rum Pointe. They run some insane nighttime standup paddles out into the phosphorescent bay.









Checking out the reef. It is a good idea to wear booties here, not for walking on the rock reef but for sea urchins in the grass flats. I didn't see any live coral colonies where I was located but more of a relict cobble reef.












Swinging by the public beach.



Checking out some amazing reefs with Ocean Frontiers out of Compass Pointe. These guys run an efficient, diver service orientated operation. You aren't just another diver with these folks, the work to earn and keep your business with quality service.








Lots of fun to be had out there.




Paddling around Kaibo





Landing the kite to Mike.




Up hook and we're outta there, smiles all around.




Passing by the house with a wind meter close to the riding grounds.



Here is the weather station link for Cayman Chillin, shown above:
http://caymanchillin.com/caymanchillin-weather.html

Grand Cayman is in the tradewind belt, with trade winds from easterly directions with some amplification with cold fronts cycling through in the cooler months. There is flatwater inside the barrier reef with waves outside. Usually, the more populated western end of the island, George Town and Seven Mile Beach have offshore winds much of the year. East End being on the windward side relative to the trades, gets the wind full on less the waves thanks to the reef.



Ocean Frontiers, the excellent dive operation located at Compass Pointe has a livecam overlooking the ocean to the southeast. More about Ocean Frontiers at: http://www.oceanfrontiers.com/




Heading back to the dock at Compass Pointe.




Mike has some nice green drinking coconuts right by the dock. He even whacks them open for you.




Comparing Cay-manian un-cola's



There is a nice restaurant, Tukka, a short walk from Compass Pointe just to the east. They sport a creative selection of Australian-Caribbean dishes including some truly brilliant lionfish ceviche! I was so taken by it and concerned about this invading menace on our reefs, that I wrote an article just about this at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=10332




A 360 degree panorama around the south end of Compass Pointe, the docks and dive boats. The Kitehouse boats are out.
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See you from Cayman for now. Have more images and video to put together including some intriguing video of kiting the flats, cut and area beyond the reef from a kite and chest harness perspective. Thanks to GoPro for putting out such nice, versatile cameras that can be placed almost anywhere!


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