The Southern Cross Club
Guy Banks Road Little Cayman KY3, 2501, Cayman Islands
Coordinates in degrees decimal: 19.66555556 N, -80.06888889 E.
Visited in February 2022. Photographer: Nigel Thomas. Cameras: Olympus Tough T5, T6 and Nikon Coolpix W300.
The Southern Cross Club is a long-established diving and fishing resort located on the south coast of Little Cayman. Little Cayman is one of three islands that make up the Cayman Islands, which is a self-governing British Overseas Territory. The islands lie to the south of Cuba and to the northwest of Jamaica. Direct flights to the international airport on Grand Cayman run from both the UK and USA. Connecting flights from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman are operated by Cayman Airlines on a regular basis.
The climate on Little Cayman is described as tropical wet and dry, with a wet season from May to October, and a dry season that runs from November to April. It is rarely affected by hurricanes, with the last occurring in 2004. The weather and water conditions that might affect snorkelling include:
- The prevailing winds are from the east, with elements of ENE and ESE particularly during the period October to March. However, it is possible to find a sheltered location on the island in most wind conditions.
- The strongest winds with gusts up to 18knts occur during the period November to January. Average monthly winds are light (below 14knts) with the calmest period in August (8knts).
- Monthly average daytime temperatures are between 25C and 29C, with peaks of 31C between June and October.
- Seawater temperatures are uniformly warm, with highs of 30C in August and September and lows of 27C in February.
- Tidal range is small with spring tidal range up to 0.75m and neap tides less than 0.10m.
- Surface water conditions and localised currents which might affecting snorkelling relate to a combination of wind and tidal state, particularly where there is a gap in the shallow water reef. Water may become choppy at times and coastal drift is evident at Point of Sand.
- Rainfall is limited (<14mm) during the period December to April, with the wettest period occurring between September and October (>56mm). Water visibility is exceptional but drainage from the extensive inland lagoons may affect visibility locally.
The habitats that can be observed while snorkelling the north shore include: deep (>10M) reef edge; back reef coral, soft coral and sponge dominated rock; wave exposed rock with limited epifauna; patch reef with healthy hard and soft corals; sporadic seagrass and shallow water sands. On the southern shore, which is uniformly shallow inside the reef edge, the habitats include the following: back reef coral; coralline algal reef, patch reef, extensive shallow water sands, seagrasses and mangrove.
The north coast is best for observing the larger species, including the blacktip shark, nurse sharks, barracuda, eagle rays and stingrays. These were all present in the back reef area, inshore of the famous wall at Bloody Bay. Although deep this was worth visiting to see the clear blue water beyond the reef edge. The south coast supported a variety of shallow water patch reefs, including an unusual coralline algal reef off Owen Island. The shallow water sands and seagrass in this area were also home to some large stingrays feeding on the buried fauna. The protected areas are also noticeable for the large populations of queen conch and the interesting variety of coralline algae…no, really.
In total 177 species were photographed and identified, with over 62 fish species, 24 marine plants and algae and 21 coral species.