Here in Grand Cayman the expanse of pristine white sand that runs for nearly seven miles along the western edge of the island is perhaps the islands premiere tourist attraction. Along the beach lie most of the islands four and five star resorts.
In the last few weeks however the beach has changed. Successive storms have caused major beach erosion and scoured much of the famous beach away.
From its southern end for about two miles to the north the beach is almost completely gone! Replaced instead by the sea which at the point it meets the wall is now several feet deep. In place five to six feet deep.
Building in the last ten years has encroached on the high tide mark, this has meant that during Nor Westors and storms high waves collide with these wall. Where in the past waves would have run up past the tide line and deposited their load of sand further up the beach the waves now hit the walls and roll back with almost full force carrying their load of sand out to sea.
This process of scouring has accelerated over the last few years as more walls and buildings have been built along the beaches edge. Particularly at the southern end. Where the beach used to be two or thirty meters wide it reduced and reduced and now in many places is gone.
Local land marks like the Royal Palms Beach Club are being lost.
In the case of Royal Palms the beach club is in danger of collapsing altogether. The Coral Beach Club has no beach and nor does the Marriott Hotel.
In the past, at the end of storm season the sand would be driven up the beach deposited. It could be raked back and the beach repaired using a couple of tractors or JCBs. But now where the walls are the sand is carried out to sea and along the coast.
The process of repairing the beach has now become a major civil engineering project, one that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.
Instead of a simple repair as in the past this year the erosion has reached a tipping point and now restoring the beach will have to involve dredging or importing thousands of tonnes of sand. Going forward beach defences and groynes will need to be installed.
But in the meantime Seven Mile Beach will need to be renamed Five Mile Beach.
Here is a little reminder of what was here. Drone footage starting at Royal Palms…
Under an Endless Sky 