Like its fish, Grand Cayman is bright and beautiful

Author: By Marguerite Jordan, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, March 31, 1996

Page: B5

Section: Travel

With no dive training at all, I descended in a state-of-the-art sightseeing Atlantis submarine that descends 100 feet below the water's surface. Moray eels, greenback turtles, sharks and barracudas paraded by my porthole. Brilliant fish swam among corals and sponges of unusual shapes -- barrel, vase, tube elephant ear, candle and corkscrew -- that made me think I was in Macy's housewares department. I ran out of film in 20 minutes.

Another way to see some fabulous creatures up close is to go by boat to a reef off North Sound called Stingray City. A novice snorkeler, I was on a boat carrying other snorkelers, plus a half-dozen divers. My thoughts ranged between extreme curiosity and abject terror as I watched the divers try on weight belts and their diving gear.

Mike, the dive master, gave instructions for playing with the rays, who, he said, enjoy the experience as much as people do. ``These Stingray City rays are an exceptionally friendly bunch,'' he said, ``and they have never attacked a human.'' Using a stuffed animal to demonstrate, Mike pointed. ``Never, ever step on the ray's back, just above his stinger. That's his automatic defense system.'' We snorkelers and divers joked nervously.

As they hopped off the rear platform, the divers were each handed a plastic container of squid bits. Once on the ocean floor, 15 feet below, they knelt, so they would not inadvertently stand on the ray's danger spot. Thirty rays -- 3 to 5 feet wide -- appeared, swirling like capes on a windy day. Floating above all the action, I and other snorkelers watched them swoop and beg for food. A stingray, we decided, resembles a shark that is flattened into a flying carpet but thinks it's a kitten.

Later, back on the boat, the level of exhilaration was sky-high. I wished I had been one of the divers.

The Caymans are flattened mountaintops of a very high mountain range -- Sierra Maestra -- that extends from Cuba west to Belize. During the last four centuries, nearly invisible reefs surrounding the land have ensnared hundreds of sailing ships. According to legend, the most famous disaster, the Wreck of the Ten Sails, actually brought about a happy result. Islanders rallied to the ill-fated boats and pulled mariners to safety. Among those rescued was a relative of King George, who expressed his gratitude to the islanders by declaring that they would never have to pay taxes. There you have the seed of what would become the world's largest tax-free shelter island.

English is the language of these Crown Colony islands, which have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean; in fact, it is twice as high as the US national average. The crime rate is low, and tourists report feeling safe and comfortable.

Like many visitors, I knew of the Cayman Islands from its reputation as an offshore banking center and the site of the movie ``The Firm.'' Thinking that the downtown would be a heavily commercial urban area, I was relieved to find that most of the 500 banks and 30,000 corporations registered here are in fact more likely to be file drawers or postal boxes. A prosperous island, with a more American than British feel to it, its duty-free jewelry, luggage and clothing stores attract countless visitors. Although there is hotel and guesthouse development all along the west side of the island, buildings are set back from the beach, and their heights are limited to five stories.

You almost don't need a map to get around the 22-mile-long island. Picture the West End as a raised pirate's hook, attached on the east side to a long sweet potato. Between the hook and the potato lies North Sound, a 40-mile square shallow sanctuary.

The West End, where Seven-Mile Beach is, has the great concentration of commercial activity: dozens of hotels, the airport, fast-food restaurants (plenty), grocery stores, Caribbean and other ethnic restaurants. Here, too, is the capital, George Town, where the port, the National Museum and all the duty-free shops are. At the water's edge, cruise ships, sailing boats, a replica of a pirate's galleon and huge shipping boats compete for berthing space with a large number of fishing and dive boats. A short ride north are the Turtle Farm and an unusual land formation of spiky coral known as Hell.

Depending on your interests and energy levels, you could easily go from morning until night either on or under the water. Among serious divers, the Cayman's beauty, variety and convenience make it the most popular dive destination in the world. A reef is as close as a walk past the hotel bars and pools to Seven-Mile Beach.

Many visitors are just as happy to snorkel, either renting or buying equipment. Or, they can fish, sail, windsurf, kayak, jet-ski, water-ski or paddle around on a banana boat. If anyone has energy left over, there are volleyball, tennis and squash. For viewers, there are soccer, cricket and rugby.

A confirmed swimaholic, I was thrilled to swim in five locations all in one day. I couldn't decide which one was best, the hotel pool with the waterfall or the one with the swim-up bar, Smith's Cove, Seven-Mile Beach or Stingray City.

Compared to more mountainous islands in the Caribbean, Grand Cayman may at first seem undramatic. Yet the very thing that makes it less exotic -- the flat terrain -- makes it more accessible. You can tour the potato-shaped East End by bike, scooter or car, discovering luxuriant vegetation and plentiful bird life, including 200 species. Several nature sanctuaries, including the recently opened Queen Elizabeth Botanical Park, offer hikers a chance to see herons, snowy egrets, American coots and parrots in among the orchids, oleander, red birches, yellow elder and mahogany.

Driving south (on the left-hand side) along the perimeter of the island, I followed the main road, occasionally veering off down little lanes to the ocean's edge to discover deserted beaches, hidden coves, mangrove swamps and a striking phenomenon, blowholes, where the ocean waves force themselves, geyerserlike, through the rocky surface. With the highest point of land only 60 feet, it is an easy island for exploring by bicycle.

I felt as if I had taken a trip back to the 1950s. I could hear music coming from churches I passed. Occasionally, I rode by cattle grazing in the fields, egrets perched on their backs. Cutting through a small village, I picked up a woman who was walking to her friend's house, and we chatted for a few miles. She had a soft voice and a lilting British accent.

Islanders waved from the front yard of their neat flower-trimmed houses, many of which resemble Key West cottages. For years before the Caymans became the most prosperous nation in the Caribbean, the men of the villages earned their living by going to sea, working the ships that sailed to Florida and beyond. The sailors brought back the carved gingerbread designs and the pink and coral and lime green accents of the houses they saw in the Keys.

With the minister of tourism a diver certified by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors and the governor a serious birdwatcher, it's no surprise that a substantial portion of land and water has been declared protected park. Strict boating, fishing and diving regulations ensure that the vast underwater playground will still be crystal clear for future fish, coral, Caynanians and a rapidly increasing number of visitors from all over the globe.

For more information, call the Cayman Islands Tourist Board at (800) 346-3313.