Cayman Islands - the fish aren't the only things that sting

The Cayman Islands are a perfect place for a week's holiday, but, as MEGAN SINGLETON warns, fish are not the only things that sting.

The perfect end to a six-week trip to Britain and the United States: a week in the Cayman Islands.

As we descend through the clouds, coral reefs are visible through the turquoise water and enticing white sand wraps the coastline like salt around a Margarita glass. Excitement is running high. It's not every day I take a tropical holiday outside the Pacific and I will catch up with my brother who has made these islands his home for the past two years.

An hour's flight from Miami takes you to this fabulous paradise where there's nothing to do but play in sea so clear it looks like a swimming pool, lie on the beach or drink at one of the many bars.

I step out of the plane into air that clings like a sauna. The average temperature is only 26 degrees, but with over 90 per cent humidity in summer the sea lures visitors in. Richie meets me in his rusty old Honda Civic, reminding me that it's not just millionaires who live here. We drop my gear off and head to the nearest beach bar where we arm ourselves with a strawberry daiquiri and walk bare-footed down the beach. It is so peaceful here. The ocean sounds like the heavy breathing of a tired old man as it washes on to the sand and slowly ebbs away.

Perched on a mountainous ridge in the Caribbean Sea, just south of Cuba, are the three tiny Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman is the largest, sitting 20 degrees north of the Equator. It is only 15km long and 5km across at its widest point. The highest point is a mere 20m above sea level. Seaside bars dot the coastline, and deckchairs along stunning Seven Mile Beach beg you to take a book and bask in the sun while being waited on by crop-top clad beach girls.

Three or four cruise ships a day visit this playground of the rich and famous, bringing their leisure-seeking cargo to shop, play golf, swim with stingrays or sample the island delicacies of conch or turtle steaks. These luxury ocean liners never stay overnight, but meander off again in late afternoon in search of Jamaican or Mexican shores.

Of course snorkelling and sunbathing are free, but a visit to the Turtle Farm, $NZ25, to view the breeding and release programme of the endangered green sea turtle is well worthwhile. The locals consume up to 3000 turtles each year, but about 30,000 have been released since the programme started in 1980.

Many Kiwis have gravitated to the Caymans for the tax-free employment and great diving. Although it is a British colony, the currency is American. There is the Cayman Island dollar, which is even more costly than the greenback, but both currencies are accepted. A work permit is only granted for a specific job and must be renewed annually. Once you have one it could be very difficult to leave these long, lazy, summer days and social nights for a more sensible job back home.

Unless you possess a tremendous amount of money, you'll find your stay in Cayman attacks your wallet somewhat. Hotels charge from $NZ200 to $3000 a night and renting a two-bedroom apartment will set you back around $4000 a month. Everything is expensive. A burger and fries might read $CI8, but by the time I'd almost tripled it to NZ dollars, thrown in a beer and the famous mudslide, then added the generous (and expected) tip, I end our "cheap and cheerful" night with no change from $50.

Richie qualified as a dive instructor last year, so after a quick training session in the pool, and promises that he wouldn't drown me, we go for an exploration of the real thing. The underwater valleys and reefs provide some of the best diving in this part of the world and more than 40 dive companies are only too happy to show the many different sites.

Wreck dives, night dives, three-tank all-day-safari dives and tailormade dives are all available. Within wading distance of shore the coral has grown into huge caves and tunnels that can be navigated fairly easily I'm told, although my brief session in the pool didn't furnish me with the confidence to try.

But if spending the day under water doesn't do it for you, then either the championship golf course or the nine-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed course might. A round will cost between $50 and $120, which includes a cart and green fees. Clubs are an additional cost, ranging from $15 to $40 for a top-of-the-range Callaway or Titlest set.

For the more intrepid, taking a trip to Stingray City is a must for $80. We take the 30-minute boat ride to a sandbar where scores of rays wait for the squid-bearing tourists. At least 50 southern stingrays are gliding around, brushing past our legs looking for food. In spite of their fearsome reputation, they are extremely docile and don't mind being stroked or even held by the experts who will pose with them for photos.

Of course everyone squeals and jumps about, but the only way you can get stung by the poisonous barbed tail is if you step on it. As the rays are constantly swimming around you don't have to fear. A friend working on the charter boat holds one for me to touch. It is over a metre in diameter and I try to hold it, too, but it splashes around and swims gracefully away. Never mind - I get the Kodak moment.

Before you rush out to book a flight, check the hurricane forecast. The rainy season starts in May and the islands usually cower under a battering of tropical storms during August and September.

The pace of life is slow on Grand Cayman. Just as it should be.

Links:

Cayman Islands

Underwater photos of Cayman Island sea life

Interactive dive site and dive packages


Turtle Farm