Sun 22 Aug 2010
What a gorgeous week-end to be in and about the water!
Water is around 85 degrees and with enough sunscreen, one can stay in for very long and never get cold.
This Sunday we went for a trip to the North side of the island for some snorkeling on a secluded beach. Here is the sight when you get there. Now that’s a great sight!
Here is a view from about 50-70ft out in the water towards the beach.
Right about where I took the above picture from are the “underwater vents” that I discussed in a previous post. If you missed it, scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on “Next page” and go two pages back. In my previous post I had mentioned that they were hot water vents. They are actually cold water vents. Who cares anyway? 🙂 In any case, there are multiple vents that spew yellow-ish cold water into the ocean. It smells of sulfur and the water is all distorted around that area. Quite a strange phenomenon. I don’t have an underwater camera (I should though!) but even from above you can see the yellow color that’s coming from the ocean bed. There are better underwater pictures in my previous post.
I also had brought with my gloves, net and Lionfish license. (need a license to catch/kill them) I only saw one and managed to catch it in under 10 seconds. With the net and a stick, you have to gently herd it so that it swims into the net. Upon death, I fed it to some anemones. It was an amazing sight. The anemones loved their free lunch and wrapped around it and had no intention of letting go. For those who are not aware why I am doing this, Lionfish are a beautiful yet invasive species (they belong in the Pacific) who have been in Cayman for a bit more than two years now. In some islands such as the Bahamas they have essentially taken over the reefs since they are voracious eaters and have no predators in these waters. So for now (until a local fish decides to step in) there are a few hundred individuals (including yours truly) who are allowed to catch and remove these fish from the water. The reason that not everyone is allowed is that there is a technique to catch them. If not done properly, Lionfish can sting and apparently its very painful, although not lethal.
The one i caught was a +-4 inch juvenile.
That’s all for now! No storms on the horizon. There is one system brewing in the Atlantic, but not heading this way. Peak of hurricane season is Sept 10th, so close to being over.
As usual, a fascinating and informative post. Good thing there are no vents here, at Seven Mile Beach. I would have probably blamed the children for emitting gases! The Lionfish are so beautiful, but I know how destructive they will be. Is the one you caught about the average size here? We are leaving today to return to the States after 11 wonderful days. Daily diving and snorkling and enjoying your beautiful island. (an aside: a turtle came onshore Saturday night and laid eggs on our beach! What a treat to see how large the nest is!) I promise to check back to your blog often. Take care!
Micho,
Here is the link to the guide I compiled for the Anchor Point Vents. Directions on how to find it along with an interactive Google map are included. Glad you got to check it out and heard you bumped into an acquittance of mine while there. Small world.
http://snorkelblog.tumblr.com/post/660260753/anchor-point
Regards,
Testudo