It was time to take a get away trip, but i wasn’t feeling up to the jet lag. I wanted to go diving, and I knew I wanted it to be good, but wasn’t sure where to go that was reasonably close. I debated over Bonaire, again, but was just not set on it. So I did a little more research into Grand Cayman, and finally settled on nearby Little Cayman Island. We only had a week to spend, and it was only a 2 hour time change, so I shouldn’t have any jet lag issues going home.
Little Cayman is a small island about 50 miles to the north east of Grand Cayman. It is small. About 12 miles long, and a population of 180. Only 3 dive shops and “resorts” exist on the island. It was perfect! Because it was so remote, it also meant it was a little more difficult to get too. We had to overnight in either Grand Cayman island or in Florida. The route I picked had us overnight in Tampa, then switch to Cayman airlines in the morning. I thought if we were on the same airline from Tampa to Little Cayman they couldn’t lose our bags. But the flight was 30 mins late into Grand Cayman, so we ended up with only 30 mins to clear immigration and customs, re drop our bags with the airline and make it back thru security to the gates. They decide to search ALL of David’s items, I had time to go to the bathroom, and he was still being searched at security. They started calling our names for final boarding when david finally cleared security and we ran the short distance to our gate to board the small twin turbo prop plane. Well, 30 mins was not enough time. When we landed after our short flight to little Cayman, our bags were not on the plane. This was the last flight of the day to Little Cayman, so we would have to wait til morning for our bags. I had not packed a spare set of clothes in my hand bag, so I was stuck with what I was wearing. The Club we stayed at really shined in their customer service here. They got us set up with complimentary rental dive gear so we would not miss our first day of diving. Thank goodness for wet suits to cover my lack of swim suit! By the time we returned from diving, the resort had retrieved our bags from the airport and had them waiting in our room for us. Excellent service!
I decided to stay at the Southern Cross Club, and it was an excellent choice, as you can tell from just taking care of us for not having our bags at arrival. The dive boat and crew were great as well! They set up all our gear and changed out tanks at every dive. No need to lift a finger! The food was absolutely delicious. Our room was right on the beach, we could open the drapes each morning and lay in bed and watch the water. Or step out to the porch in the afternoon to read and watch the gorgeous scenery. They also had a few toys to play with in the afternoon. Kayaks, SUPs, and bikes all were included with the resort stay.
Each day after diving we’d head back to our room and shower off in our private outdoor shower, which also overlooked the water and beach. Heaven!
The Club provided Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner every day. It was fabulous to not have to think about where or what to eat. And did I mention is was absolutely delicious? Every day!
The diving was great. We enjoyed each dive site and were treated to new creatures or corals. The first couple days were a bit rainy so the light wasn’t as good, but I found using my flashlight helped add the missing light back in. It didn’t matter that the lighting wasn't super, as I watched a nurse shark and grouper run around trying to get to a lion fish that was tucked up inside a cove. We stayed there for at least 10mins watching the 2 fish go in and out trying to get a snack of the lion fish. It was pretty cool. It was also fun to look up and see the rain falling on the water surface. Ive always loved watching the rain fall on the top of the water, I enjoyed it just as much from down below.
Since Southern Cross Club is a very small resort, 14 rooms, we had the opportunity to get to know some of the other guests. We really enjoyed chatting with them each day, reminiscing on the dives, discussing life, and making new friends. It really was an enjoyable time.
We tried on the kayaks and made it across the lagoon to Owen island for an afternoon. Another day, we took the bikes out and rode along the small airport out to the west tip of the island and viewed the waves crashing on the north shore. Another afternoon we took out the SUPs and tried out Stand up paddle boarding. It was a first for both of us. When the wind blew, I was like a big sail, and the board struggled to obey my paddle and just kept turning me around. Nonetheless we persisted and made it across the lagoon.
As the sun came out for the last couple of days we enjoyed beautiful sunrises and sunsets! All from our porch or the beach just in front of our room. Southern Cross Club has numerous repeat visitors, that come year after year. I understand why.
sunrise our last day
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