Bruce and I decided to join a tour today that went to the Cayman Turtle Centre. It started on the wrong foot having to rise and meet up in the theater by 8:15. For some reason, this always reminds me of being herded like cattle.
Turned out it wasn’t too bad. We had a short tender ride to port.
We shared a bus trip with about 30 people and a driver from Jamaica. He was very informative, relaying the history of Grand Cayman. Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands in 1503 and named them Las Tortugas, after the sea turtles observed in the sea.
We arrived at the center and our first stop was what appeared to be a mating pond. Large turtles mate here and the sandy area is where they lay their eggs.
We washed out hands and were allowed to touch smaller turtles in different holding areas.
The Center works with the turtles and helps them return to the sea. Some of the eggs are placed on quiet beaches in the Caymans. Turtles once leaving the nest usually return to the same beach every year even when they are hundreds of miles away.
We entered the lagoon to snorkel with the turtles. They told us not to touch them but a few of them bumped into me.
There were lots of fish as well!
We were there during feeding time which was interesting. Especially watching them hand feed the nurse sharks.
They also had a fresh water pool at the centre where we spent the rest of our time relaxing in the water.
All in all, it was a very pleasant day and if you are ever on Grand Cayman, you must visit the Cayman Turtle Center.
Back to the boat for coffee with friends!
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