Grand Cayman Diving Guide Book Launch Event & Book Review

Virtual Book Launch Event with the Authors - 5th December

Two boxes fresh off-the-press, Special Edition signed copies are freight bound for Cayman and will be available for purchase on-island by December 5th, 2020 - just in time for Christmas!  To reserve one of only 64 signed editions, email: frontdesk@oceanfrontiers.com to hold a copy and arrange payment, on island delivery is available for a fee.  Off island purchases can be made and the book will be held for collection (sorry no overseas shipping). 

Ocean Frontiers will be hosting a Virtual Book Launch event with the Authors on Saturday 5th of December, via Zoom.  The invite link will be shared on this blog and all of our social media channels, as soon as the box of books arrives on island.  Divers from anywhere in the world can attend this event and learn about the 'making of the book' directly from Reef Smart Guides. 

Book review by Capt James Snelgrove of Ocean Frontiers Ltd.

Dive site maps and guides have now been catapulted into the 21st century with the introduction of the new kids on the block, Reef Smart Guides. Through a painstaking process of video surveying, aerial photography, and intensive interviews with knowledgeable local Divemasters, not to mention state-of-the-art technology, Reef Smart Guides have begun producing high-quality, glossy guidebooks for a host of global diving hotspots.

World-renowned for its phenomenal diving, Grand Cayman has joined the ranks of international dive destinations to have its very own Reef Smart Guide. Filled with incredibly accurate and minutely detailed dive site maps rendered fully in exquisite 3D. Not only do the maps give a complete overview of each site’s topography, but also presents plenty of other information such as recommended routes to follow, marine life to look out for, and other useful information such as potential hazards. Of further interest, the maps are rendered in such a way as to show above-surface features too which can help readers get a feel for how the dive site is situated relative to land – this would be of particular interest to shore divers and boat captains.

Handy, easy-to-read information boxes also allow the reader to further develop their local knowledge. These boxes include information on general diving procedures and safety tips, well-researched scientific insights into corals, sponges, and marine life, as well as some fascinating local history, legends and stories. Some of the more popular dive sites have comprehensive descriptions including GPS coordinates, depths, conditions, and more.

Encouragingly, the East End of Grand Cayman is featured heavily in this guide which is a major positive point as it has long been considered the best diving on the island. Often overlooked by guide books of the past, I am very happy to see the magnificent diving of East End finally receiving the recognition it deserves. Interestingly, the producers of the book worked in collaboration with celebrated underwater photographer Alex Mustard for the photographs in the book. Many, if not most, of Alex’s photographs which grace the pages of this book were taken in the East End which really highlights just how unique and special this part of the island is. 

My copy of Reef Smart Guides – Grand Cayman will be a treasured and valued addition to my book collection. Its attractive cover will look great on a shelf, or would make a fine coffee table book too – sure to spark delight among all who pick up this wonderful book.