Cayman Islands
Sunset on Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, is one of the finest in the Caribbean – or the world.
There is also treasure underwater, where the islands also offer spectacular diving. Off Little Cayman you can dive to explore the coral and sponges on Bloody Bay Wall, where the sea beds drop almost a sheer 20,000ft (600 m) and visibility is up to 150ft (46 m). At Stingray City you can enjoy the extraordinary experience of feeding these huge fish by hand while they swim in just a few feet of water.
Capital: Georgetown
Currency: Cayman Dollar $0.98 = $1 USD US$ widely accepted
Population: 38,000
Area: Grand Cayman covers 76 square miles (196 square kilometres), Cayman Brac 15 square miles (39 square kilometres), and Little Cayman 11 square miles (28 square kilometres).
Population: 38,000
Area: Grand Cayman covers 76 square miles (196 square kilometres), Cayman Brac 15 square miles (39 square kilometres), and Little Cayman 11 square miles (28 square kilometres).
Languages: English
Economy: Tourism , banking
Religion: Main Christian denominations represented
Government: Independent state within the British Commonwealth
Telephone Codes: - 1 - 345
Airport Departure Tax: USD25.00
Passport/Visa requirements: Australian Passport holders do not need visas.
Health Certificates: None required. Contact health authorities for latest information.
Shopping Hours: Shops are open 9am-5pm every day except Sunday.
Banking Hours: Banks are open Monday to Thursday 9am-3pm, and on Fridays 9am-1pm
and 2.30-4.30pm.
Time Zone: 15 hours behind Sydney (EST).No Daylight Saving Time is observed.
Electricity: 110v, 60 cycles
Weather: Temperatures are mild year-round. The coolest month is February, when temperatures may range from a low of 64F to a high of 85F.
Diving is almost always possible regardless of wind velocity or direction, though choices may be restricted. Relative humidity varies between 68 and 92 percent.
Transport: Rental cars are the favoured mode on all three islands.
History:
In 1503, Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas for the many giant sea turtles he found there. Eventually, the islands were renamed Caymanas, after the Carib word for crocodiles. (Inhabitants possibly mistook the five-foot-long rock iguanas for crocodiles.) These fierce animals are no longer there but you can still have a taste of Hell, and send a postcard from there, a small village named after its strange coral formations.
In the late 1600s, Spain gave the islands to Britain along with nearby Jamaica. During the 17th and 18th centuries, buccaneers hid themselves and, rumor has it, their treasures on the islands. When Jamaica was awarded independence in 1962, the Caymans chose to remain a British Crown Colony.
In the 17th century, the islands were home to pirates but are now virtually crime-free and a wonderful place to vacation or holiday, with scores of restaurants, fine hotels and excellent shopping. There is still a pirate week to celebrate the swashbuckling past but the island’s financial affairs are now conducted by more than 500 banks and 30,000 companies registered there.
