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Grand Cayman Villas & Condos

Delicious Lionfish

lionfish

 

Lionfish arrived in Grand Cayman in 2009.  Exotic and beautiful, the lion fish has an imposing fan of prickly venomous spines that aren’t fatal not fatal but extremely painful.   Hunting lionfish makes for great sport on Grand Cayman.  Lionfish also means great dining.

That’s because lionfish are absolutely delicious to eat. The white flaky meat is mild, delicate, tender and buttery. Cayman restaurants offer lion fish cooked in a variety of ways on their menus.  Lionfish is fresh off the divers’ spears every day and is always in season.

Lionfish is a healthy choice of fish as they are shown to have a higher concentration of heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, lower levels of saturated fats and lower levels of heavy metals such as mercury than other fish.

Eagle Rays in Grand Cayman’s East End serves the most amazing lionfish tacos you will ever eat as well as a lionfish ceviche appetizer.  Tukka, which is also located in the East End, serves a fabulous Sushi Sunday theme.  Lionfish sushi is one of the many sea delicacies offered as well as a lionfish ceviche appetizer.   The Rum Point Restaurant in Cayman Kai offers a blackened lionfish fillet entree that is fantastic.

The best lion fish tacos on the island are at Eagle Rays in East End.
The best lionfish tacos on the island are at Eagle Rays in East End.

USS Kittiwake is an Amazing Dive Site

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Snorkelers swarm on one of the Cayman Islands’ premier underwater attractions, the USS Kittiwake, in a rare bird’s-eye view of the famous shipwreck, captured by Aerial Innovations.

The company, which specializes in aerial photography and cinematography, shot the image of tourists snorkeling on the wreck with Red Sail Sports on a typical afternoon at the popular site.

Perry Levy, president of Aerial Innovations, said, “We are always trying to showcase Cayman’s landscapes and attractions from what we believe to be perspectives never seen before.

Kittiwake was decommissioned on 30 September 1994 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on the same day. Her title was transferred in November 2008 for an undisclosed amount to the government of the Cayman Islands for the purpose of using Kittiwake to form a new artificial reef.  Originally intended to be sunk in June 2009, she was finally sunk off Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, on 5 January 2011 in Marine Park.

A 2011 episode of the documentary television series Monster Moves covered moving and sinking the ship. Divers are not allowed to touch or take anything from the dive site. At its most shallow, the wreck of Kittiwake is 15 feet (4.6 meters) below the surface of the water and at its deepest, 64 feet (19.5 meters) below the surface.

 

Health City – An International Hospital for Cardiac and Orthopedic Care

Health City Grand Cayman in Cayman's East End
Health City Grand Cayman in Cayman’s East End

No only is Grand Cayman noted for its beautiful blue water and wonderful restaurants, it is also home to one of the best International hospitals in the Caribbean, providing tertiary cardiac and orthopaedic care.  Health City Cayman Islands is a super specialty medical resource for adult cardiology, pediatric cardiology, adult and pediatric cardiac surgery, anaesthesiology, orthopaedic surgery, pulmonology, pediatric endocrinology, critical care services and diagnostic services.

Health City Cayman Islands is located in the East End.  The doctors are of the highest caliber and employ the most advanced techniques to treat both adult as well as pediatric patients.

Health City Cayman Islands embodies the vision of world-renowned heart surgeon, humanitarian and healthcare visionary, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty. It brings together all of the essential elements to deliver healthcare as it has never been done before.

The chances of one of our Grand Cayman Villas and Condos guests needing to visit Health City is quite rare.  In fact, we are happy to report that we haven’t had an incident.  A dear family friend of ours, however, suffered a heart attack while on a cruise with his wife and docked in Grand Cayman.  Emergency personnel took swift action transferring him to Health City.  They inserted a stent and our dear friend was home in the USA the following week.   His wife remarked to us that she could not get over the quality of care from the nurses to the doctors.

Health City also does extensive charity work for the children of Haiti.  Through Cayman’s Have a Heart charity, pediatric cardiologists have performed 64 life-saving, cardiac procedures on Haitian children.

“I just have a big, big thanks to say to everyone,” said Marie Jean-Julien, speaking through an interpreter on the flight back to Haiti on Saturday morning. Her 17-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Jean-Julien, recently underwent a corrective procedure for heart disease at Health City Cayman Islands.

Marie said the change in her daughter following the medical procedure had been astounding. She said before the procedure, her daughter’s lips would sometimes turn blue, her face was ashen and she went through periods where she could not, or would not, eat.

“I didn’t know before from day-to-day if [Elizabeth] would die, she could not run, she could not walk too far, not too much. I thank God and everyone for everything,” she said.

We are fortunate to have such great doctors and nurses on Grand Cayman.  We are extremely appreciative of all of the good work they do!

Owen Roberts International Airport Renovation Update

Architect's rendering of fully renovated airport. Photo Courtesy of Cayman Compass
Architect’s rendering of fully renovated airport. Photo Courtesy of Cayman Compass

As work on the Owen Roberts International Airport’s (ORIA) renovation and expansion project continues, travelers will see construction at both ends of the existing terminal in the upcoming weeks that will impact the normal flow of foot traffic around the terminal building. Additionally, some small areas of work will begin internally in the immigration and departure lounge.

Today construction fencing will be installed near the entrance of the check in hall to facilitate the demolition of the large departure canopy. Pedestrian access to the rental car agencies will be diverted around the construction zone by a temporary walkway. The drop off curb access in this area and access to check in hall doors 1, 2 and 3 will be closed until the scope of work is finished. Motorists who need to drop off passengers are being encouraged to use the short term parking lot.

The approach to the construction work will be carried out in several sub-phases to enable the terminal to remain fully functional, safe and secure throughout the construction period. In the coming weeks, work will start with the expansion of the new departure lounge and check-in lobby. Additionally, work will commence on a new immigration and bag claim area. These two phases of the project are expected to be complete by September 2017.

The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) will do its best to minimize the impact on passengers; however, the Authority asks for the public’s cooperation during
this time. Passengers are also being encouraged to allow plenty of lead-time for their journey.

CIAA CEO, Mr. Albert Anderson said, “There will be times when it will be very challenging for passengers to navigate through the busy airport, however, we ask that the public be patient with us as we continue to strive towards developing a world class facility.”

Signage will be in place and customer service officers will also be on hand to help direct passengers. Information on the airport expansion project will be updated regularly on the CIAA website www.caymanairports.com .

Ocean Frontiers’ Steve Broadbelt is Inducted Into Scuba Diving Hall of Fame

Steve Broadbelt, Photo Courtesy of Cayman Compass
Steve Broadbelt, Photo Courtesy of Cayman Compass

Steve Broadbelt, owner of East End’s Ocean Frontiers dive operation, is one of four pioneers of the Cayman Islands scuba diving industry who will be honored at this year’s International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame ceremony.   Eight individuals from overseas will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The eight divers from other countries who are being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year are: the late Ramon Bravo, an underwater filmmaker from Mexico; Joe MacInnis of Canada, the first person to explore the ocean beneath the North Pole; famed U.S. Navy diver and “dean of saturation divers” Bob Barth; French underwater documentary maker, the late Philippe Cousteau Sr., son of Jacques Cousteau; Stuart Cove of the U.S., who helps educate the public about sharks in the Bahamas; and early dive equipment pioneers from Japan, Watanabe Riichi, Ohgushi Kanezo and Kataoka Kyuhachi.

Mr. Broadbelt, a past president of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and long-serving board member of the CITA water sports sector, founded the concept of the Cayman Dive 365 program. He has been instrumental in promoting Grand Cayman diving through social media and is a major contributor to the development and promotion of diving on Grand Cayman’s East End, where he has logged more than 5,000 dives.  His premier dive operation, Ocean Frontiers, has been a favorite of our Grand Cayman Villas and Condos guests for over 10 years.  Their dive masters are some of the best on the island.

Mr. Broadbelt, who has lived in the Cayman Islands since 1992, spearheaded the Mooring Buoy Installation program for East End and the Shark Awareness Project.

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