Milk Conch, Jawfish and Coral bleaching

I'm doing a bit of diving this week. Here are a few selects from today's dive at Royal Palms ledge off Seven Mile Beach. I think there is good hope for the bleached corals as the water has noticeably cooled and I still see live tissue on most of the corals I saw today. I suspect the extensive bleaching that occurred this summer may well have been the worst to date in Cayman since I arrived in 1983. This white anemone is normally solid yellowish green, but has bleached too. Several other cnidarians have bleached as well as the hard corals.

The Milk Conch and Yellow Headed Jawfish were more common sightings, yet always wonderful creatures.

Enjoy!

Pirate's Week Fireworks 2009

Tonight's opening fireworks show for Grand Cayman's Pirate's Week 2009 was yet another spectacular pyrotechnic display on a cool, breezy night in George Town Harbor. Wow!

Click to see big!

Aerial Photo 10,000 feet Grand Cayman

Wow, I finally got up to 10,000' in the helicopter a few days ago for this spectacular view of Northwest Point, Grand Cayman. With the doors off, I am standing with one foot on the skid and exposed to the violent downwash of the rotors... it was like being flash-frozen. It was a surprise aspect of the experience, to become numb cold in the tropics. The pilot is demonstrating what he could do if I were to fall out.