Thriving Cayman Islands Marine Parks celebrate 25-year milestone

Officials from the Cayman Islands Marine Parks are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the stunning protected areas. Founded in 1986 under the slogan “Save Our Tomorrow-Today”, the marine parks have been visited by hundred of thousands of professional and recreational divers taking scuba diving holidays here over the years.

Marine parks support marine ecosystems and encourage healthy corals and underwater species. Research has shown that fish often move outside the boundaries of the marine parks to settle in surrounding areas which enables the thriving biodiversity to then extend further into the ocean. Fish in marine parks are also protected and this leads to healthier reef systems.

The “Dive 365” project is a fantastic opportunity for private sector dive companies to work with the Government’s Department of Environment and the Cayman Islands Marine Parks to provide sustainable scuba diving holidays. The project allows 68 new dives to be added to the sites across all three of the Caymans Islands over a five-year period, which will attract more tourists and professional divers.

While scuba diving in the Cayman Islands, divers can enjoy crystal clear warm turquoise waters and an array of diving sites that are thriving with marine life such as vibrant colourful coral and sponges, Green Sea Turtles, Stingrays, Groupers, Garden Eels, and Parrot Fish.

The three islands offer diverse diving environments for divers of all abilities including cave diving, wall diving, reef diving, wreck diving and simple snorkelling.

Legislation in the Cayman Islands has been put in place to ban divers from wearing gloves in an attempt to stop divers from touching the precious corals, and recently, new laws have been introduced to allow dive experts to cull Red Lionfish species that have grown to epidemic numbers over the years and are posing a threat to the natural development of the marine parks. 

The Cayman Islands are one of the Caribbean’s most popular scuba diving destinations and due to the tropical climate, idyllic natural surroundings, luxurious beachfront accommodation, and thriving marine parks, the island nation is seeing a steady increase in international tourists each year.