Sitting about half a mile off South Sound Beach is a little island or cay.
The island sits at the western tip of the barrier reef that protects the south western end of Grand Cayman. The island marks the opening of a channel that is used by the cruise ship tenders, they anchor inside the reef for protection against the sea.
The channel has very strong rip currents carrying water from inside the reef back out to sea. The sea swirls around the island in an endless maelstrom. It is also rather well known for its shark population…
But there it sits tantalising close.
I have sat on that beach and stared at the island for months quietly determined to get to it but is a bit of a serious undertaking.
Today I sat on the beach with mum and dad when a chap came past carrying flippers and a lobster pole heading for the sea. Intrigued I asked him if he was going out to the island. He was. Could I tag along. I could. Had I ever fished for lobster before? No.
Turns out his is the last weekend of the season.
We introduced ourselves properly and set off.
It took about 25 minutes hard swimming to get to Peter Cay. I fought through the surging surf and finally clambered out and explored the island while my new companion swam around close to. After about 15 minutes I put my flippers back on and braved the waves once more.
Mum took this picture from the beach if you zoom in you can just make me out standing on Peter Cay.
We swam out past the island, now almost a mile from the beach, and free dived down to about 30ft looking under rocks for lobster. After about an hour we caught two decent sized creatures and began heading in.
The current was tremendous driving against us the whole way. We swam with the rip but diagonally towards the shore. It was hard work but 40 minutes later we hauled ourselves onto the beach about a mile west of where we had started. Knackered!
It’s been a really physical afternoon but I have made it to Peter Cay and been proper lobster fishing! No sharks today though.
Mum, in the mean while, had gone nuts thinking I had been swept out to sea or that I had done a ‘Reggie Perrin’… Sorry mum.
Under an Endless Sky 