In all honesty, I have no idea how many parts there will be to the Grand Cayman story, but you can’t rush good food and good diving. So let’s start with the good food. There are countless options for places to go while on the island and never a reason to visit one of the many Burger King’s you’ll pass. Good food does not always mean expensive food, but in this case it certainly does. The Ritz Carlton requires no explanation, you hear the name and instantly associate it with a luxury experience. From the moment you walk in you enter an alternate reality, how do you know? Well, for starters, there are no screaming children anywhere AND everyone wants to give you champagne. If that wasn’t enough to entice you for a visit, then this will be. Blue offers the only AAA five diamond dining experience in the Caribbean. The words, “treat yo self,” should come to mind as you go over the menu and try, but fail, to decide what you want to order. Fortunately, they offer a tasting menu that includes 7 options, however, I went rogue and did far more damage.

Truffle lobster and king crab fettuccine, charred octopus, wahoo, hamachi and so much more. This is the time you will need to remind yourself to pause and savor in between each and every bite. Take your time and savor the moment.

Speaking of eating…

Yep, those braids mean more diving. My advanced certification requires 5 dives total, I knocked 3 out of the way on day one and I couldn’t tell you how happy I was to use nitrox. For those of you looking to get certified I offer 2 tips:

1. Get padi certified, it’s internationally recognized and they teach you way more than you need to know
2. Get nitrox certified. Regular air leaves you feeling a bit fatigued, but nitrox will have you asking when your next dive is.

Having already done my deep dive, underwater navigation and fish identification I chose my additional specialities as underwater naturalist and wreck diving. Look carefully and you’ll see my books as I’m riding my bike to school.

What’s the story behind the bike? My dive instructor told me that it’s become a bit of tradition that when some people become dive masters they put on their full gear and ride a bike off the boat to celebrate. I, on the other hand, used half my air just trying to pick up the bike for a photo op.