the cayman islands. {grand cayman, west bay}

another five days has passed! it seems unbelievable, as the term 'island time' is all to real here. long days & long hours filled with sand, salt, water, & wind prove to eradicate any concern for the time of day or even the need to do anything but relax. we moved from the east end of the island to the west bay (not very far considering the island's total length from east to west is only 22 miles), to a condo complex called coconut bay. here is where we spent much of our time exploring the caribbean sea.

our first two days were spent doing a lot of reading & basking in the beautiful sunlight. over the course of our 6 days there we had some really yummy meals at macabuca, an oceanside tiki bar & grill connected to the cracked conch, a well-known restaurant on the island & just a couple minute walk from our condo. we also had a fun night out on saturday at calico jack's, a dive bar right on the beach with a great DJ and a fun dance floor. our next two days were spent submerged under the sea, boasting some of the prettiest and unique sights i have ever seen. on the first day, we learned how to scuba dive! my parents have been diving all around the world, so they went off with a separate instructor to do a deeper dive, but the four of us (ian, sam, courtney & i) completed paperwork & went over diving fundamentals with our instructors pierre & dominick. they then helped us suit up (gravity makes the tank & equipment quite heavy, but when in the water the weight is released) and we dove right into the sea.

i fell in love with scuba diving. it took a bit to get acclimated to the idea & the feeling of breathing underwater and keeping the flow of your breath at a constant, slow inhale & exhale. it just doesn't seem natural! the other adjustment that i had some trouble with was my ears, since the pressure affects them the deeper you descend. during our first descent, a 45 minute dive at about 45 feet, we practiced basic skills under the water & saw all the beautiful sea life happening around us. it was pretty exhausting but well worth it!

our second day of scuba was unreal. we did a wreck dive at the ex-uss kittiwake dive site & i've never seen anything like it. the experience was like no other. we descended to 65 feet & swam all the way through the ship, ascending & descending to different floors & even visited the ship's eating quarters & bathrooms (which, by the way, still have the mirrors in them. a fun opportunity to see your reflection & wave to yourself :)). 

we got lucky & spent our new years eve on dominick's boat. we set off on the water & stopped for lunch at a yummy beachfront grill called kaibo, then spent the rest of our afternoon at starfish point. starfish point is the perfect place to hang out & interact with all the others boats that arrive throughout the day. it has waist-high waters (so clear & so turquoise) filled with starfish & the occasional sweet stingray. both animals love to play & be held. as the day faded into night, we invited dominick over for a home-cooked meal of seafood & veggie stir-fry then headed out to royal palms beach club to celebrate the end of 2014. it was a blast. nothing beats a beach party with an awesome DJ & fireworks to signify the commencement of the new year.

here are a few photos from our time in west bay...

^^our view every morning & every night.^^

^^fun at calico jack's.^^

^^before & after. scuba day 1.^^

^^a beautiful sunset every night over the caribbean sea.^^

^^steering at the wreck site of the ex-uss kittiwake.^^

^^one of the neatest experiences i've ever had. a wreck dive at 65 feet to the ex-uss kittiwake, a former search & rescue ship. we got to scuba all the way through it & around to the back propeller.^^

^^on dominick's boat.^^

^^the best man ever.^^

^^i'd say new years eve was well spent...^^

^^starfish point is the perfect place to spend a sunday afternoon.^^

^^selfie with sammy.^^

^^hey there, mr. starfish.^^

^^look who we found! frisbee the stingray is so sweet & loves to play but has no tail, therefore not dangerous.^^

^^ringing in the new year at royal palms beach club. i haven't had that much fun celebrating in a long time! an awesome beach party with a DJ & a great atmosphere.^^

 i hope your holiday season // celebrations were blessed & fun...happy 2015!
let's make it a good one.

xoxo,
mary grace.