August 1998

Vol. 13, No. 8     What's this?

Little Cayman Diver II

An update on old problems and new crowds

from the August, 1998 issue of Undercurrent  

Sometime ago, the Little Cayman Diver II fell into serious disrepair. Although future divers booked based on promises that the boat would be shipshape, those promises weren't readily kept. We've reported on some of the problems in both the Chapbook and the newsletter.

Recently, we've received several inquiries from readers wondering whether the boat's been brought up to snuff, so we decided to check it out -- and we're glad we did, because it's always great to hear about operations turning themselves around. Of course, live-aboards are high-maintenance operations, but apparently the boat's owners have put some money into it, and Captain Keith reportedly has the boat in great shape and is also working hard to correct any problems that come up. Reader James Virgil (Coeur d'Alene ID), who paid the Little Cayman Diver II his second visit in April, 1998, found the boat "in much better shape than it was in February of '97 as everything worked. It was also cleaner." Things seem to have improved even more since then, with reader Dan Wagner (Indialantic FL), who was aboard the Little Cayman Diver II in May, rating the operation among "the best I have dived with in 44 years. Service was great, crew very helpful at all times, Diane the cook was outstanding.... Capt. Keith was very knowledgeable about sea life found at every buoyed dive site." Readers M. Darrell Briggs and Alice Kreider, who just returned from their fifth trip aboard the Little Cayman Diver II in May, reported that "all systems worked as advertised and expected. Food was top drawer Service provided by the crew was professional and cheerful. The destination is our favorite (mostly because of the boat)."

If there are any remaining complaints, they seem to be about crowded conditions and overdevelopment on Little Cayman in general. As readers Briggs and Kreider lament, "just a few years ago Little Cayman Diver could expect to have Bloody Bay to itself. This year it was not unusual to see half the moorings filled with dive boats, putting extreme pressure on the reef." In addition to the Little Cayman Diver II, the Aggressor coming from Grand Cayman, and day boats coming over from the three resorts on Cayman Brac, there are divers from the original three resorts on Little Cayman and the new Little Cayman Beach Resort. Some days boats run the chance of having to wait in line on a dive site, which is a far cry from the private retreat Briggs and Kreider remember. Their question as to "how much stress the ecology of Little Cayman, the island, can take from the increased building activity of the past few years" is certainly one Cayman developers ought to be asking.

-- J.Q. Trigger