Cayman Islands

Region: Western Caribbean (between Cuba and Central America)
Type: Coral reef walls, wrecks, stingray encounters, macro, shark diving
Islands: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac
Significance: One of the Caribbean’s premier underwater photography destinations; home to the iconic Stingray City; host of major photography workshops and the Digital Shootout; site of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame
First Wetpixel coverage: 2002

Overview

The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory comprising three islands — Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac — located in the western Caribbean between Cuba and Central America. Christopher Columbus originally named them “Las Tortugas” for their abundance of sea turtles (^[1]). The islands offer warm, clear tropical waters with diverse underwater topography, making them a frequent destination for underwater photographers of all levels.

The Cayman Islands appear extensively throughout the Wetpixel archive, featuring in photography workshops led by Alex Mustard, Stephen Frink, David Doubilet, and Cathy Church, as well as serving as the primary venue for the Backscatter Digital Shootout for multiple years. Alex Mustard described the islands’ photographic appeal: “Cayman is a great place for underwater photography because of the abundance of colourful and friendly subject matter, the calm conditions and the clear water” (^[2]). Stephen Frink referenced shooting stingrays at Grand Cayman’s Sandbar using the Seacam S45 viewfinder for over/unders as early as 2002, one of the earliest Cayman mentions in the Wetpixel archive (^[3]). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Frink listed Grand Cayman among his top “near-term” dive travel priorities as it offered “consistently good diving” and was “quick and easy” to reach from South Florida (^[4]).

Key Dive Sites

Grand Cayman

• Stingray City / Sandbar — The islands’ most iconic dive and snorkel site, located in Grand Cayman’s North Sound. Known for its plethora of curious southern Caribbean stingrays in shallow water, it has been a main attraction for over two decades since Skin Diver magazine reported on it in 1987. The shallow waters offer opportunities for over-under images during sunrise (^[5]). Stephen Frink shot his “Stingray Ballet” video here using a Canon 5D Mark II with a 14mm lens in available light, employing the “white fin” white-balance technique (^[6]). In 2010, a controversial proposal by the Cayman Islands Liquor Licensing Board to grant a permit for a floating bar in the Marine Park drew significant opposition from the Wetpixel community (^[7]). A 2012 census conducted by the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment showed a 38% decline in stingray numbers compared to 2008, with three researchers from the Georgia Aquarium also undertaking a health survey; the decline had been noted anecdotally since 2010 (^[8]).

• North Wall — Features a dramatic drop-off with sites like Princess Penny’s Pinnacle. Tony Land described it as the main wall with a “fantastic drop-off” (^[9]).

• West Bay — Known for superb and colorful sponges. Home to dive operator Divetech’s house reef, which features the Guardian of the Reef statue and is rich in macro subjects including spinyhead blennies, flagfin blennies, shortfin pipefish, swallowtail headshield slugs, and reef squid (^[10]).

• Mini Walls — Reef sections starting between 25 and 45 feet and descending to about 70 feet. Tony Land described these as his preferred sites, noting that “the sandy patches adjacent to the mini wall are where I find most of my macro critters” and that the depth allows for excellent long dives. Land used a rebreather with the Nauticam EMWL lens on multi-hour dives to get closer to marine life without the disturbance of bubbles (^[11]).

• East End (Ocean Frontiers) — The base for Alex Mustard’s Grand Cayman workshops and the Cayman Digital Madness events. Mustard considered it to have “the best diving on the islands” (^[12]). Caribbean reef sharks are frequently seen here, along with the occasional hammerhead (^[13]). This location is where Mustard shot his award-winning “Night Moves” image, a 3-second long exposure of bar jacks hunting over a coral reef at night, which became the first underwater photo to win the overall GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2013 (^[14]).

• USS Kittiwake — A 2,290-ton, 251-foot submarine rescue vessel sunk off the west coast of Grand Cayman on January 5, 2011, after seven years of preparation. The sinking was broadcast live on the shipwreck’s website, with over 1,300 people watching online. Sitting in shallow water suitable for both snorkelers and divers, it became one of the Caymans’ most popular dive sites and the islands’ first private dive site, with all divers receiving a medallion before being allowed on the wreck (^[15]). Originally at 64 feet, the wreck was toppled onto its port side by Tropical Storm Nate in October 2017, coming to rest approximately 20 feet deeper and impacting the adjacent dive site known as San Chute. Local Ambassador Divers owner Jason Washington assessed the wreck as unsafe immediately after the storm (^[16]). In 2011, a barnacle-encrusted SeaLife point-and-shoot camera containing 153 images of the Kittiwake and other Grand Cayman dive sites washed ashore in St. Augustine, Florida, prompting Sunset House to publish the images on Facebook in search of the camera’s owner (^[17]). Tony Land created composite night images of the wreck and photographed goliath grouper in schools of silversides around it (^[18]).

Little Cayman

• Bloody Bay Wall / Bloody Bay Marine Park — The primary diving area for the Digital Shootout events held at Little Cayman Beach Resort. The wall diving here attracted groups of up to 80 participants for week-long underwater imaging workshops (^[19]). Tony Land photographed spotted moray eels, Caribbean reef sharks, lettuce leaf sea slugs, and nudibranchs (Flabellina engeli) along Bloody Bay Wall (^[20]). Russ Sanoian of Backscatter published “The Nightstalker,” a video of a hunting octopus filmed during a night dive at Little Cayman, documenting the animal alternating between hunting and returning to touch his hand (^[21]).

• Nassau Grouper Spawning Aggregation — The West End of Little Cayman hosts the last viable spawning aggregation of Nassau grouper in the Cayman Islands, and one of the last healthy spawning sites in the Caribbean. A fishing ban on spawning areas was enacted in 2003 after severe overfishing threatened the population, and was extended for a further eight years in 2011 by the Cayman Marine Conservation Board following campaigning by REEF and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment. Anna DeLoach, who was involved in the initial assessment of the breeding groups in 2002, led the public campaign for the ban’s extension (^[22], ^[23]). The Grouper Moon Project, a collaboration between REEF and the Department of Environment, studied the aggregations and produced a DiveFilm HD documentary featuring footage of spawning aggregations and stressing the need for continued protection (^[24]).

Cayman Brac

• MV Keith Tibbetts — A wreck off Cayman Brac featured in HD video shot by Berkley White and Rusty Sanoian using a Canon 5D Mark II. The camera was attached to a Sierra Dive Scooter with a Deluxe Scooter Swivel camera mount, allowing for smooth stabilized footage (^[25]). Tony Land photographed the wreck’s deck guns and fluorescent coral on its hull (^[26]).

Marine Life

The Cayman Islands are known for several signature species:

• Southern stingrays — The defining wildlife encounter at Stingray City, though numbers declined 38% between 2008 and 2012 as confirmed by a joint census between the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Department of Environment (^[27]).
• Sea turtles — Hawksbill and green turtles are the most common, with occasional loggerheads. The abundance of turtles inspired Columbus’s original name for the islands (^[28]).
• Caribbean reef sharks — Frequently seen on Grand Cayman’s east end and at Little Cayman (^[29]). In 2016, the Cayman Islands declared their exclusive economic zone closed to commercial shark fishing, creating a shark sanctuary. Wayne Panton, Minister of Financial Services, Commerce, and Environment, announced the protections alongside similar declarations from St. Maarten, Curacao, and Grenada, together covering 46,190 square miles of new protections. Sir Richard Branson joined the announcement alongside representatives from The Pew Charitable Trusts (^[30]).
• Nassau grouper — An endangered Caribbean species with a critical spawning site off Little Cayman, protected by fishing bans since 2003. REEF researchers documented the aggregation through the Grouper Moon Project, finding that the ban resulted in higher numbers of this endangered species (^[31]).
• “Stinky” the loner dolphin — A sexually confused young male dolphin that frequented Cayman dive sites for approximately four years beginning around 2008, making aggressive attempts to mate with divers. Michael Maes posted video of an encounter, and Wetpixel reported the behavior as dangerous due to the animal’s size and power. Keri Wilk encountered and photographed “Stinky” while shooting the Nikon D600 and Nauticam NA-D600 review for DivePhotoGuide in the Cayman Islands (^[32], ^[33]).
• Macro subjects — Grand Cayman’s mini walls and house reefs host shortfin pipefish, spinyhead blennies, flagfin blennies, swallowtail headshield slugs, feather dusters, and reef squid (^[34]).

Photography Workshops and Events

Grand Cayman Digital Jam / Digital Madness

A series of photography workshop-competitions held on Grand Cayman beginning in 2005. The Grand Cayman Digital Jam 2005, led by Alex Mustard with sponsorship from Dive Chronicles, ran from January 22-29, 2005, offering over $20,000 in prizes (^[35], ^[36]). The event evolved into Cayman Digital Madness, with the 2006 edition offering over $30,000 in prizes and hosted by Stephen Frink, Cathy Church, and Mustard at multiple locations around the island. Frink also arranged for Daniel Brown, an Adobe Evangelist, to conduct Photoshop seminars at the event (^[37], ^[38]). DiveTech and Cobalt Coast Dive Resort hosted the Digital Jam 2008, January 12-19, 2008 (^[39]).

Alex Mustard Workshops

Mustard ran recurring workshops on Grand Cayman, typically based at Ocean Frontiers on the East End or at Compass Point Resort. A January 2009 workshop focused on lighting techniques, limited to 12 participants, with 7 nights at Compass Point for $2,165. The course included photo lectures, interactive seminars, group image review, a 1:1 pool photo tune-up session, and 6 days of photographic diving (^[40]). A Kittiwake comment from January 2011 confirms Mustard was still running “Digital Madness” workshops at Ocean Frontiers at that time (^[41]).

Digital Shootout (Little Cayman)

Backscatter’s annual Digital Shootout was held at Little Cayman Beach Resort for multiple years, with participants diving the Bloody Bay Marine Park. Founded by Dan Baldocchi and Berkley White of Under Exposures, the event had been running photo expeditions for over fifteen years by 2012 (^[42]).

The 2010 event featured DSLR video shooting and Canon 5D Mark II footage. Participants and staff, including Berkley White, Jim Decker, and Russ Sanoian from Backscatter, shot footage using Magic Filters and the “white fin” white-balance technique (^[43]). The 2011 Shootout moved to Bonaire for its tenth year, then returned to Little Cayman for 2012 (^[44]).

The 2012 edition, the event’s eleventh year, attracted 80 participants with seminars and workshops run by Berkley White, Sterling Zumbrunn, Erin Quigley, and Mary Lynn Price. Over a ton of demo gear from Aquatica, Nauticam, Light & Motion, Pegasus Thruster, and Canon USA was shipped to Little Cayman for testing. Over $35,000 in prizes were awarded, with Mark Devillier winning the Jim Watt Award (^[45]). The 2014 Shootout, the event’s thirteenth year, again drew 80 photographers, described as “a boot camp with benefits for underwater image-makers” (^[46]). The 2016 Jim Watt Award went to Greg Sherman (^[47]), and the 2019 edition attracted 70 participants and 20 staff, with Natasha Hinojosa winning the Jim Watt Award (^[48]).

David Doubilet Workshop

In 2015, David Doubilet, Jen Hayes, and Hal Silverman offered a one-week photography workshop at Sunset House on Grand Cayman from May 16 to 23, under the auspices of Syracuse University’s Newhouse MPD program. The workshop consisted of daily lectures, diving/shooting, post-production, and evening presentations of each day’s work. Doubilet described it as an opportunity he was “very excited” about and noted Newhouse’s “proven history with National Geographic” (^[49], ^[50]).

Cathy Church

Cathy Church, a well-known underwater photography educator, is based in Grand Cayman and operates the Cathy Church Photo Centre. She offers private and group workshop sessions on the island and has been a fixture of Cayman underwater photography for decades. She also traveled to US dive shows (Our World Underwater in Dallas and Chicago, Beneath the Sea in New Jersey, and Seattle/Tacoma) to conduct workshops and free seminars (^[51]). Forum members noted taking private classes with Church on Grand Cayman as far back as the early 2000s.

Cayman Islands Underwater Photography Competition

The Cayman Islands Tourist Authority (CITA) hosted an annual Underwater Photography Competition in conjunction with the International Underwater Film Festival. The competition was open to anyone, with all entries required to have been taken in the Cayman Islands. Categories included Cayman Wrecks, Turtles, Critter/Macro, Scenic (excluding turtles, stingrays, and wrecks), and Creative (including advanced photo editing) (^[52], ^[53]).

International Underwater Film Festival

Held annually on Grand Cayman in conjunction with the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The 2012 edition took place at the Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa on November 8, presented by CITA and Diver’s Alert Network (DAN). Featured filmmakers included Frans DeBacker (who produced Cayman Odyssea, a short tribute to the underwater world of the Cayman Islands), Leslie Leaney (ISDHF Museum Director and publisher of The Journal of Diving History), Howard and Michele Hall, Michael Maes (who produced Fragile Cayman), and Dr. Guy Harvey. The Halls showed Raja, shot with a RED Digital Cinema camera in Raja Ampat. For the first time, the festival featured two short films from local videographers (^[54]).

International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame

Grand Cayman hosts the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, which has held annual induction ceremonies since 2001. The 2009 ceremony, the event’s ninth, inducted Kimiuo Aisek, Geri Murphy, Howard Rosenstein, and Larry Smith, with local honorees Stuart Freeman and Ollen Miller (^[55]).

Formula 3 Freediving Grand Prix

In 2011, the Formula 3 freediving Grand Prix was held in Grand Cayman, featuring freedive scooter racing. DiveFilm HD released a three-part series of video highlights directed and edited by Goh Iromoto, filmed with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 7D SLRs with GoPro HDs for POV shots (^[56]).

Conservation

The Cayman Islands have been recognized as a leader in Caribbean marine conservation, with an extensive network of marine parks established beginning 25 years before 2011 (^[57]). Key conservation milestones covered by Wetpixel include:

• 2003: Nassau grouper fishing ban enacted at spawning aggregation sites after severe overfishing threatened the population (^[58]).
• 2011: Grouper fishing ban extended for a further eight years by the Cayman Marine Conservation Board, following campaigning by REEF, the Department of Environment, and community advocates including Anna DeLoach. The ban protected the last viable Nassau grouper spawning aggregation in the Cayman Islands, located at the West End of Little Cayman (^[59]).
• 2016: Paul Allen’s 300-foot mega yacht MV Tatoosh (purchased in 2001 for $100 million) dragged its anchor and reportedly destroyed 80 percent of the West Bay Replenishment Zone, a reef protected for 30 years. Allen was not aboard the vessel when the incident occurred (^[60]).
• 2016: The Cayman Islands declared their exclusive economic zone closed to commercial shark fishing, creating a shark sanctuary. Wayne Panton, Minister of Financial Services, Commerce, and Environment, announced the protections alongside similar declarations from St. Maarten, Curacao, and Grenada, together covering 46,190 square miles. The new sanctuaries raised the total number of Caribbean shark sanctuaries to seven (^[61]).
• 2019: A contentious proposal to expand Grand Cayman’s George Town Harbor drew environmental opposition. Jean-Michel Cousteau had published an open letter in 2018 strongly opposing the planned port expansion, and recorded a video condemning its environmental impact. However, in December 2019, he significantly softened his position after speaking with the preferred bidders, Verdant Isle Port Partners. Wetpixel’s investigative coverage noted the apparent conflict of interest: in September 2019, Carnival Corporation had announced a partnership with Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, and Carnival was funding the proposed George Town cruise pier project. Neither Cousteau nor Ocean Futures responded to Wetpixel’s inquiries. At the time, Carnival’s cruise line subsidiary was facing Florida court charges for environmental breaches and had already been fined $60 million for violating previous court environmental protection rulings (^[62]).

Video Production

Grand Cayman and its sister islands have served as testing and filming locations for underwater video production:

• Seacam S45 viewfinder demo (2002): Stephen Frink referenced using the Seacam S45 viewfinder for over/under stingray photography at Grand Cayman’s Sandbar in his Seacam D1X housing field journal, one of the earliest Cayman references in the Wetpixel archive (^[63]).
• Canon 5D Mark II video (2010): Berkley White and Rusty Sanoian shot stabilized HD video of the MV Keith Tibbetts wreck off Cayman Brac, using a Canon 5D Mark II attached to a Sierra Dive Scooter with a Deluxe Scooter Swivel camera mount (^[64]).
• Stingray Ballet (2010): Stephen Frink produced a DSLR video at Stingray City using a Canon 5D Mark II with a 14mm lens in available light and the “white fin” white-balance technique (^[65]).
• The Nightstalker (2011): Russ Sanoian of Backscatter published a video of a hunting octopus during a night dive at Little Cayman, showing the cephalopod alternating between hunting and affectionately touching his hand (^[66]).
• Formula 3 Freediving Grand Prix (2011): DiveFilm HD released video highlights of freedive scooter racing in Grand Cayman, shot on Canon 5D Mark II and 7D SLRs with GoPro HDs (^[67]).
• Cayman Odyssea / Fragile Cayman (2012): Frans DeBacker produced Cayman Odyssea, a short tribute film, and Michael Maes produced Fragile Cayman, both screened at the International Underwater Film Festival (^[68]).
• RED Camera testing (2014): Sean Ruggeri of RED posted behind-the-scenes footage of underwater tests conducted in Grand Cayman using DRAGON and EPIC MX cameras with experimental filtration. The behind-the-scenes footage was shot with a GoPro (^[69]).

Dive Operations

Key dive operators referenced in the Wetpixel archive include:

• Divetech — Based in West Bay, Grand Cayman. Operates out of Cobalt Coast Dive Resort. Hosted Digital Jam events and Alex Mustard workshops. Represented at DEMA 2007 by Nancy Easterbrook and Brandee Milman (^[70]).
• Ocean Frontiers — Based at the East End of Grand Cayman. Alex Mustard’s preferred base for workshops and Digital Madness events. Sean Crothers of Ocean Frontiers made the first dive of the USS Kittiwake after its sinking (^[71], ^[72]).
• Sunset House — A well-known Grand Cayman dive resort that caters to underwater photographers. Hosted the 2015 Doubilet/Hayes/Silverman workshop. Helped publicize the Kittiwake camera mystery by posting the found camera’s images on Facebook (^[73], ^[74]).
• Ambassador Divers — Grand Cayman operator. Owner Jason Washington assessed the Kittiwake wreck after Tropical Storm Nate, reporting it was not safe (^[75]).
• Little Cayman Beach Resort — Host venue for the annual Digital Shootout on Little Cayman (^[76]).
• Pirate’s Point Resort — A Little Cayman resort where dive pioneer Larry Smith worked as Dive Master in the 1980s before moving to Indonesia. Smith’s obituary notes he first started at Pirate’s Point in the mid-1980s (^[77]).

Notable Photography

The Cayman Islands have been the setting for award-winning underwater images:

• Alex Mustard — “Night Moves” (2013): Shot at the East End of Grand Cayman, this 3-second long exposure of bar jacks hunting over a coral reef at night, lit by continuous lighting and shot on a tripod, became the first underwater photo to win the overall GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Mustard said he was “inspired to be more daring” after speaking at the GDT festival two years prior and took this photo “on the very next shoot I did at the East End of Grand Cayman” (^[78]).
• Keri Wilk — Nikon D600 review (2013): Wilk shot the DivePhotoGuide review of the Nikon D600 and Nauticam NA-D600 housing in the Cayman Islands, producing images including an encounter with “Stinky” the loner dolphin (^[79]).

Publications

• Dive and Travel Grand Cayman (2015) — A comprehensive eBook guide by Steve Rosenberg and Greg Bassett covering 75 dive sites with over 350 images and video content, available on iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle for $8.95 (^[80]).

Timeline

• 2002-03: Stephen Frink references shooting stingrays at Grand Cayman’s Sandbar using the Seacam S45 viewfinder in his D1X housing field journal (^[81])
• 2004-11: Grand Cayman Digital Jam 2005 announced, led by Alex Mustard, with $20,000+ in prizes (^[82])
• 2005-01: Grand Cayman Digital Jam 2005 held January 22-29 (^[83])
• 2006-06: Cayman Digital Madness event announced with $30,000+ in prizes (^[84])
• 2006-09: Digital Madness 2006 results published; hosted by Stephen Frink, Cathy Church, and Alex Mustard (^[85])
• 2008-01: DiveTech and Cobalt Coast Dive Resort host Digital Jam 2008, January 12-19 (^[86])
• 2009-01: International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame 9th induction ceremony held in Grand Cayman (^[87])
• 2009-01: Alex Mustard lighting workshop at Compass Point Resort, 12 participants (^[88])
• 2010-01: Controversy over proposed floating bar at Stingray City Marine Park (^[89])
• 2010-06: Digital Shootout held on Little Cayman with extensive DSLR video shooting (^[90])
• 2010-07: Berkley White and Rusty Sanoian shoot MV Keith Tibbetts HD video from a scooter (^[91])
• 2010-09: Stephen Frink publishes “Stingray Ballet” DSLR video (^[92])
• 2011-01: USS Kittiwake sunk off Grand Cayman’s west coast; live broadcast viewed by 1,300+ online (^[93])
• 2011-03: Campaign to extend Nassau grouper fishing ban led by Anna DeLoach (^[94])
• 2011-04: Russ Sanoian publishes “The Nightstalker” octopus video from Little Cayman (^[95])
• 2011-06: Formula 3 freediving Grand Prix held in Grand Cayman (^[96])
• 2011-10: Kittiwake camera washes ashore in Florida; Sunset House seeks owner (^[97])
• 2011-12: Grouper fishing ban extended for eight more years (^[98])
• 2012-06: Digital Shootout 2012 at Little Cayman Beach Resort, 80 participants, 11th year (^[99])
• 2012-07: Census shows 38% decline in Stingray City ray population since 2008 (^[100])
• 2012-07: CITA Underwater Photography Competition announced (^[101])
• 2012-09: “Stinky” the loner dolphin reported as a problem for divers in the Caymans (^[102])
• 2012-11: International Underwater Film Festival held at Westin Casuarina Resort (^[103])
• 2013-02: Keri Wilk shoots Nikon D600 review in the Cayman Islands for DivePhotoGuide (^[104])
• 2013-10: Alex Mustard’s “Night Moves,” shot at Grand Cayman’s East End, wins GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (^[105])
• 2014-06: Digital Shootout 2014, thirteenth year, at Little Cayman Beach Resort (^[106])
• 2014-06: RED cameras tested underwater in Grand Cayman using DRAGON and EPIC MX (^[107])
• 2015-05: David Doubilet workshop at Sunset House, Grand Cayman, May 16-23 (^[108])
• 2015-11: Steve Rosenberg’s “Dive and Travel Grand Cayman” eBook released (^[109])
• 2016-01: Paul Allen’s yacht destroys 80% of West Bay Replenishment Zone reef (^[110])
• 2016-06: Cayman Islands declare shark sanctuary alongside St. Maarten, Curacao, and Grenada (^[111])
• 2016-06: Digital Shootout 2016 at Little Cayman; Jim Watt Award to Greg Sherman (^[112])
• 2017-10: Tropical Storm Nate topples USS Kittiwake onto port side, 20 feet deeper (^[113])
• 2019-07: Digital Shootout 2019 at Little Cayman; 70 participants, Jim Watt Award to Natasha Hinojosa (^[114])
• 2019-12: Controversy over George Town Harbor cruise port expansion; Wetpixel investigates Jean-Michel Cousteau’s apparent conflict of interest with Carnival Corporation (^[115])
• 2020-05: Stephen Frink lists Grand Cayman as a near-term dive travel priority during COVID-19 pandemic (^[116])
• 2021-02: Tony Land’s Cayman Islands portfolio featured on Wetpixel Full Frame (^[117])

References