Little Cayman
Encyclopedia
Little Cayman is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands
. It is located in the Caribbean Sea
, about 75 miles (120 km) northeast of Grand Cayman
and five miles (8 km) west of Cayman Brac
. Little Cayman has a permanent population of less than 170 and is about 10 miles (16 km) long with an average width of 1 mile (2 km)
Most of the island is at sea level
. The highest elevation
is about 40 feet (12 metres).
on May 10, 1503 on his fourth and final voyage, when heavy winds forced his ship off course. At that time, he named the islands "Las Tortugas" for the many sea turtles found living there. The islands were later renamed "Las Caymanas" for the iguanas
that were thought to be caiman
s living there.
The first settlement on the island was in the 17th century, when turtle fishermen set up camps. After a raid by a Spanish
privateer, the settlements were abandoned in 1671 and the island was not resettled until 1833, when Blossom Village was established by a few families. By the early 20th century, a few hundred people lived on Little Cayman and exported phosphate
ore
, coconut
s, and marine rope
.
. The most famous dive site areas, Bloody Bay and Jackson's Bight, are both located on the north side of the island, just west of its midpoint. Bloody Bay is consistently ranked as one of the world's top wall dives with the ocean floor, which was purportedly based on a claim made by the late Phillipe Cousteau. At its shallowest point in Bloody Bay, the drop-off begins at a depth of 18 feet (Three Fathom Wall) and descends to approximately 1000 feet (314 m), in what is a near-vertical topology at recreational depths (and a bit beyond).
The sheer wall dropoffs in Little Cayman, and Bloody Bay Wall in particular, have been a source of exaggeration - not of its degree of verticality, but of the depth to the bottom of the wall: local Dive Resort Divemasters typically claim the proximate depth to be 3000 feet (914.4 m) or 5000 feet (1,524 m). While the local waters do go deeper than, 1000 ft (304.8 m) these depths simply are not as proximate to shore as is suggested or claimed; the 1000 m contour (3000+ ft) has been charted to be approximately one mile offshore on Little Cayman's South side, and 2.5 miles (4 km) offshore of Bloody Bay on the island's North side (Ibid). These distances are generally beyond the normal range expected of freeswimming recreational scuba divers who are not Drift Diving or employing Dive Propulsion Vehicles. This exaggeration phenomenon also exists on Cayman Brac
Walls.
) and water from both Cayman Brac
and Grand Cayman
. Little Cayman has two grocery stores, a few restaurants- mostly located at the resorts, Edward Bodden Airfield
(the airport), a post office, a fire station, and one church. Little Cayman also has a visitor centre for its Red-footed Booby
pond, the largest red-footed booby population in the Caribbean and a designated Ramsar wetland of international importance.
, the critically endangered hawksbill turtle
, and the threatened West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea), also known as the Black-billed Whistling Duck, which are also present to a lesser degree on nearby Cayman Brac as well.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
. It is located in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, about 75 miles (120 km) northeast of Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
and five miles (8 km) west of Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and 5 miles east of Little Cayman. It is about 12 miles long, with an average width of 1 mile...
. Little Cayman has a permanent population of less than 170 and is about 10 miles (16 km) long with an average width of 1 mile (2 km)
Most of the island is at sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The highest elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
is about 40 feet (12 metres).
History
The first recorded sighting of Little Cayman, along with Cayman Brac, was by Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
on May 10, 1503 on his fourth and final voyage, when heavy winds forced his ship off course. At that time, he named the islands "Las Tortugas" for the many sea turtles found living there. The islands were later renamed "Las Caymanas" for the iguanas
Cyclura
Cyclura is a genus of lizards from the family Iguanidae. Members of this genus are known as "cyclurids" or more commonly as rock iguanas and only occur on islands in the West Indies...
that were thought to be caiman
Caiman
Caimans are alligatorid crocodylians within the subfamily Caimaninae. The group is one of two subfamilies of the family Alligatoridae, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Central and South America. They are relatively small crocodilians, with most species reaching lengths of only a few...
s living there.
The first settlement on the island was in the 17th century, when turtle fishermen set up camps. After a raid by a Spanish
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
privateer, the settlements were abandoned in 1671 and the island was not resettled until 1833, when Blossom Village was established by a few families. By the early 20th century, a few hundred people lived on Little Cayman and exported phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, and marine rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
.
Diving
Little Cayman is famous for its scuba divingScuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
. The most famous dive site areas, Bloody Bay and Jackson's Bight, are both located on the north side of the island, just west of its midpoint. Bloody Bay is consistently ranked as one of the world's top wall dives with the ocean floor, which was purportedly based on a claim made by the late Phillipe Cousteau. At its shallowest point in Bloody Bay, the drop-off begins at a depth of 18 feet (Three Fathom Wall) and descends to approximately 1000 feet (314 m), in what is a near-vertical topology at recreational depths (and a bit beyond).
The sheer wall dropoffs in Little Cayman, and Bloody Bay Wall in particular, have been a source of exaggeration - not of its degree of verticality, but of the depth to the bottom of the wall: local Dive Resort Divemasters typically claim the proximate depth to be 3000 feet (914.4 m) or 5000 feet (1,524 m). While the local waters do go deeper than, 1000 ft (304.8 m) these depths simply are not as proximate to shore as is suggested or claimed; the 1000 m contour (3000+ ft) has been charted to be approximately one mile offshore on Little Cayman's South side, and 2.5 miles (4 km) offshore of Bloody Bay on the island's North side (Ibid). These distances are generally beyond the normal range expected of freeswimming recreational scuba divers who are not Drift Diving or employing Dive Propulsion Vehicles. This exaggeration phenomenon also exists on Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and 5 miles east of Little Cayman. It is about 12 miles long, with an average width of 1 mile...
Walls.
Owen Island
A small islet just off the south coast of Little Cayman can be visited via sailboat or kayak. The islet does not have any human habitation, homes or buildings.Accessibility and Services
Little Cayman is accessible by air (via Cayman AirwaysCayman Airways
Cayman Airways is the national flag carrier of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services available on all routes...
) and water from both Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about 90 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and 5 miles east of Little Cayman. It is about 12 miles long, with an average width of 1 mile...
and Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
. Little Cayman has two grocery stores, a few restaurants- mostly located at the resorts, Edward Bodden Airfield
Edward Bodden Airfield
Edward Bodden Airfield , also known as Little Cayman Airport, is an airfield located on the southwest side of Little Cayman, one of the Cayman Islands....
(the airport), a post office, a fire station, and one church. Little Cayman also has a visitor centre for its Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Booby
The Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. As suggested by the name, adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings...
pond, the largest red-footed booby population in the Caribbean and a designated Ramsar wetland of international importance.
Fauna
Other important species present on Little Cayman include the endangered Lesser Caymans iguanaCyclura nubila caymanensis
The Lesser Caymans Iguana or Cayman Brac Iguana or Cayman Island Brown Iguana or Sister Isles Iguana is a critically endangered subspecies of the Cuban Iguana...
, the critically endangered hawksbill turtle
Hawksbill turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in its genus. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. E. imbricata imbricata is the Atlantic subspecies, while E...
, and the threatened West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea), also known as the Black-billed Whistling Duck, which are also present to a lesser degree on nearby Cayman Brac as well.
External links
- CIA World Factbook entry on Grand Cayman (updated May 2, 2006)
- Cayman Islands Government website of Cayman Islands Government