Little Cayman November 2017

Ocean First   Jul 05, 2022

This year’s Thanksgiving adventure to Little Cayman was very relaxing with excellent diving, great food, an attentive staff, and wonderful Ocean First clients.
Our transit from Denver to Little Cayman was uneventful; the final leg was aboard a small 19 seat aircraft that touched down over an inland jungle on a tiny strip of asphalt. You know it’s a small island when baggage claim is simply picking up your bags from a little luggage carrier.

Upon arriving at the Southern Cross Club, we were treated to day three of the Cayman Islands Pirates Week Festival. Imagine a parade of pirates in 70s theme costumes on a handful of floats designed and manned by spirited locals and guests...what a treat!

All the meals were superb! Chef Atul prepared our meals with great care, making sure to meet everyone’s culinary needs and wants. The breakfast and lunch buffets offered a huge variety of delicious bites, and the dinners were themed and always ready to delight.

Diving Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson Bight is always a treat. There are always a lot of little creatures to find, as well as your local friendly groupers, some which came looking for a scratch under the chin!  Tuna, puffer, nurse sharks, and turtles would seen often. Filefish, parrotfish, and all your typical Caribbean reef fish were in large numbers. We did find a few lionfish, which the staff would return to after the dive to dispatch from the area.

Many dives included swim-throughs, mazes, overhangs, and on a couple, giant barrel sponges. One of the giant barrel sponges is estimated to be over 2,000 years old, standing 9 feet tall and nearly 6 feet across. It’s humbling to ponder how these mammoth sponges have survived hurricanes and other threats for so many years.

Southern Cross Club is a Green Globe Certified resort and has implemented many green initiatives such as low flow toilets, CFL bulbs, and solar panels for hot water. Southern Cross Club was one of the first resorts in the Cayman Island to become Green Globe Certified in 2010, the premier international certification for sustainability. The resort was again recognized with re-certification in 2013, identifying SCC as a foremost operation internationally and within the Cayman Islands for sustainability and conservation. The resort is currently the only Green Globe certified resort within the Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. An example of their commitment to sustainability came in the form of stainless steel water bottles given to guests during check-in to use in place of using disposable cups.

A week on Little Cayman is the poster of true island time: leisurely diving, strolling the beach, hanging out in the main lodge, and hammock surfing in the afternoon. Shoes are optional while at the resort, and you are reminded that you’re overdressed if you aren’t barefoot. The culture and traditions of Little Cayman made it difficult to leave this island paradise of friendly locals and staff at the Southern Cross Club. The Southern Cross Club staff always greet you by name, always with a smile, and make you feel you are part of the “Club” at SCC.

I will always look forward to my next visit to the Southern Cross Club.