Photo Album

September 2006

Nekton Rorqual Liveaboard

Click on the picture for a full size view. Hold the curser over the thumbnail for a description.

The Dives

Sunday, September 24th:

Grand Cayman, Jax Dax (Weight/equipment check dive - No Camera)

Turtles, Spotted Trunkfish, Black Durgons, Fairy Basslets, Rock Hinds, Lobsters, Schoolmasters, Garden Eels, Lizardfish, Queen Angels, French Angels, Tangs, Parrotfish etc

Grand Cayman, Doc Poulson Wreck and Reef (Two Dives)

Stingray, Porcupinefish, Gray Angel, schools of Horse-Eye Jacks, Yellowtail Goatfish, Diamond Blennies, Schoolmasters, Trumpetfish, Bicolor Damselfish, Butterflyfish, Tangs, Black Durgons, Hogfish, Spanish Hogfish, Tobaccofish, Stoplight and Queen Parrotfish etc

Grand Cayman, Doc Poulson Wreck (Night Dive)

Big Rainbow Parrotfish sleeping on top of the wreck, Lobsters, Jacks, Flamingo tongues, fed the little red worms to the Brain Coral

Click on the image below for a Night Dive Movie Clip

Monday, September 25th:

Grand Cayman, Tarpon Alley (Two Dives ~ Deepest Dive)

Dog Snappers, 4-Eye Butterflyfish, Blue Parrotfish/Initial Phase, Hermit Crabs, Fairy Basslets, Damselfish, Porkfish, Hogfish, Both Gray and Queen Angels, Honeycombed Cowfish, Squirrelfish, Smooth Trunkfish, Diamond Blennies, Tiger Groupers, Red Snappers, Tangs, many schools of Blue Chromis etc

Grand Cayman, McCurly's Wall (Two Dives)

Lots of nice Sponges and Rope Corals on the pinnacle near the Babylon mooring (right next to the McCurly's Wall mooring), lots of juveniles, Smooth Trunkfish, juvenile Drum, Trumpetfish, Squirrelfish, Creole Wrasse, Blue Chromis, Dusky Damselfish, Stoplight Parrotfish, Fairy Basslets everywhere, Yellowtail Snappers, Slender Filefish, Goldface Toby's, Butterflyfish, Spotted Moray Eel, White Spotted Filefish/Orange phase, Dash Goatfish etc

Grand Cayman, McCurly's Wall/Babylon Pinnacle (Night Dive ~ No Camera)

Relaxing night dive around the top of the pinnacle, stayed around 45 feet, Arrow Crabs, huge Clinging Crab, Lobsters, Hogfish in its red mottled phase, many sleeping Parrotfish, etc

Tuesday, September 26th:

Little Cayman, Bloody Bay - Marilyns Cut (Day Boat)

Due to Bloody Bay Marine Park rules some of us volunteered to dive off a smaller day boat to lessen the number of divers per boat in the park. This allowed us two different dive locations within Bloody Bay.

Many Nassau Grouper, squirrelfish, Lobsters, Barracuda, bearded Fireworms, swim throughs, lots of cleaning stations and juveniles, beautiful SeaFans, Coral and Sponges along deep vertical drop off

Little Cayman, Bloody Bay - Three Fathom Wall/Mixing Bowl (Day Boat)

Started out along the wall against the current, came back in a fairly strong current almost like a drift dive on top of wall at about 25 feet, great fun.

Nassau Grouper, Lobster, Pederson and Banded Coral Shrimp, Squirrelfish, Blue Chromis and Wrasse in schools, Banded Butterflyfish, 4-Eye Butterflyfish, Black Durgon, Slender Filefish, Toby's, Yellowtail Snappers, Graysbys, Barracuda, Dash Goatfish, many damselfish and assorted juveniles etc

Little Cayman, Black Hole (Three Dives)

Spent most of the time in the shallows, though went through a few chimneys, swim throughs and down a long sand chute cut. Two large Spotted Eagle Rays swam a full 360 around us, eight foot Nurse Shark under a ledge, lots of Nassau Grouper, a pair of large French Angels, Hogfish, juvenile Stoplight and Queen Parrotfish, juvenile Yellowtail Damselfish, Queen Triggerfish, Saddled Blenny, Tangs etc

Little Cayman, Black Hole (Night Dive ~ No Camera)

This is the night dive pontificated about on the front page. Little Cayman's version of Deadliest Catch.

Clinging Crab on a Sea Fan, Octopus, Stingrays, Adult Spotted Drum, juvenile Drums, Ruby Brittle Star, lots of sleeping fish and a stormy exit

Wednesday, September 27th:

Cayman Brac, Capt.Keith Tibbetts Wreck/Surrounding Reef (Two Dives)

Cayman Islands authorities bought the vessel from Cuba. It was sunk as an artificial reefin 1996. A Russian built Brigadier Type II Class Frigate, 330 ft. long with a 45 ft. beam and weighing 1590 tons, she had formed part of the old Soviet fleet of destroyers stationed in Cuba during the Cold War. We dove all over the wreck and around the coral reefs just beyond.

Big Dog Snappers, several porcupine fish, Barracuda, Stingrays, Arrow Crabs, juvenile Queen Angelfish, Golden Moray Eel, many Nassau Grouper, Red and Rock Hinds, Trumpetfish, big French Angel, Garden Eels, Pederson and Banded Coral Shrimp, Schoolmasters, a hiding Margate and a variety of juveniles etc

Cayman Brac, Atlantis/Radar Reef (Night Dive)

Not much to see on this dive, except lots of jellyfish and Sea Wasps. Several people got stings as soon as they hit the water, me included. The Atlantis project isn't much and rather cheesy. Around the reef saw some large Lobsters, Crab, lots of sleeping Parrotfish and Indigo Hamlets

Jelly Fish Stings Day Two

Thursday, September 28th:

Little Cayman, Bloody Bay Wall/Randy's Gazebo (Two Dives)

Nice couple of swim throughs, chimney and covered ledge, Lobsters, 4-Eye Butterflyfish, Stoplight Parrotfish, Black Durgon, Yellow Stingray hiding on the reef, Barracuda did a safety stop with everyone, Adult Spotted Drum, Orangespotted Filefish, Sharpnose Puffer, Schoolmasters, Queen Angel, Turtle, schools of Blue Chromis and Wrasse, Trumpetfish, Squirrelfish, school of Chub, Honeycombed Cowfish, Green Tube Tunicate, Giant Tunicates and lots of pretty fans and Sea Plumes etc

Some pictures by Dive Master Red below

Little Cayman, Jigsaw Puzzle to Fish-Eye (Drift/Live Dive - Led by DM Denise)

Since there really wasn't much current it was more of a swimming "live-dive" than a drift dive but the ship moved on and we swam along to meet up with it, no navigation back to the mooring. DM Denise led the dive with a buoy and DM Dan stayed back and kept people from wandering off. The props were running and the ship was moving.

Lobster, swimming Turtle, schools of Blue Chromis and Wrasse, some Nassau Groupers, several Giant Anenomes, SailFin Blenny and Diamond Blennies, Balloonfish, Slender Filefish, Schoolmasters, Lots of broken Sea Fans and Coral

Little Cayman, Patty's Place (Twilight Dive ~ No Camera)

Not much to see on this dive, couple of Spotted Porcupinefish, large school of Horse-Eye Jacks, at least six Barracuda all together.

Friday, September 29th:

Grand Cayman, Bonnies Arch (Two Dives, One just after Dawn ~ No Camera for either dive)

Rainy morning, good time to be in the water. Nice site, big archway with lots of "stuff", saw my first juvenile Smooth Trunkfish (looks like a little black marble with yellow spots), Spotted and Smooth Trunkfish adults, 3 Turtles, Lobster, Crab, 4-Eye Butterflyfish, Queen and French Angels, Rock Beautys, bluish Greater Soapfish, Banded Butterflyfish, Stoplight Parrotfish, Spanish Hogfish, Toby's, Schools of Blue Chromis and Creole Wrasse, adult Spotted Drum, Orangespotted Filefish, Scorpionfish (only one of the trip), Golden Moray Eel, Tangs, juvenile Yellowtail Damselfish, lots of cleaner shrimp and cleaner gobies and Diamond Blennies, many assorted Damselfish etc

Grand Cayman, Round Rock (The Final Two Dives)

Big French Angel, HUGE school of Horse-Eye Jacks, few Barracuda, blue(purple?)tipped Giant Anenome, Honeycombed Cowfish, Smooth Truckfish, Yellowtail Snappers, Banded Butterflyfish, MidnightParrotfish (black with dark blue face), lots of Peppermint Gobies, Diamond Blennies, Trumpetfish, Dash Goatfish, Pederson Shrimp, Sting Rays, and the usual suspects Blue Chromis, Wrasse, Damselfish etc... The camera decided to have issues so not many pictures.