Attractions

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has reported that a 57-year old American died while diving off Smith Cove last Sunday. The Texas man had been on vacation with friends and family.

Two new attractions have opened at Boatswain’s Beach. The Predator Reef allows visitors to view sharks, tarpon and other marine predators while the 1.3 million gallon Snorkel Lagoon offers them the opportunity to snorkel with fish and other marine life.

The gift shop at the Cayman Islands National Museum has temporarily relocated to allow renovation work to take place. Its new home is just a short distance away at Panton House, situated on Ashford Panton Close in George Town, just behind the Hard Rock Café.

The Public Beach was officially reopened last weekend, more than 2 years after most of its facilities were destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. The restoration project involved replacing damaged cabanas, playground equipment and other facilities and was undertaken by the Leo Club of Grand Cayman. The event was marked by a ceremony on the beach.

Prince Edward rounded off his visit to the Cayman Islands with a tour of Pedro St James on Tuesday. The prince was shown the work carried out to restore damage caused by Hurricane Ivan, and also watched a multi-media presentation about the attraction. The prince then left for Owen Roberts International Airport to catch a flight to Jamaica.

As reported earlier, Prince Edward will visit the Cayman Islands this weekend. During his visit he will see the efforts the islands have made to recover from Hurricane Ivan. His whistle-stop tour will include visits to Stingray City and the Salina Reserve, where he will release a Blue Iguana.

Boatswain’s Beach is offering reduced rates for residents at weekends. Entry is CI $10 for adults and CI $4 for children aged 2 to 12. Proof of residence must be supplied.

New rules regulating activities at Stingray City and the Sandbar are to be introduced in 2007, with both areas being designated Wildlife Interaction Zones. The rules will forbid anybody to remove a stingray from the water, govern the amount and type of food that stingrays can be fed, prohibit vessels anchoring in less than four feet of water, and outlaw scuba diving at the Sandbar.

Visitors and locals can enjoy free entry to Boatswain’s Beach this Saturday, December 9. The new attraction is also offering complimentary transport from the Harbour Centre in George Town.

Grand Cayman’s Annual Turtle Release will take place on November 16 at the Public Beach. The annual event sees twenty young turtles introduced into the wild. It gets underway at 5 pm and is being organised by Boatswain’s Beach, the new home of the Turtle Farm.