Photos by Nanci Blog

"I want to go back to the island" -Jimmy Buffett "Tin Cup Chalice" Little Cayman, BWI. Our favorite island. It is one of three Islands comprising the Cayman Islands. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 60 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and five miles (8 km) west of Cayman Brac. The first recorded sighting of Little Cayman, along with Cayman Brac, was by Christopher Columbus on May 10, 1503, on his fourth and final voyage, when heavy winds forced his ship off course. At that time, he named the islands "Las Tortugas" for the many sea turtles found abundant in the sea and living there. The islands were later renamed "Las Caimanas" for the rock iguanas (that were thought to be caimans) also found living there. The first settlement on the island was in the 17th century when settlers or runaways, Indentured servants set up camps that would supply pirate & military ship convoys with fresh meat, as well as freshwater, Turtle, pig...

This Pipefish was seen at Busch Gardens dive site at Little Cayman, BWI. This one was about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long.  When diving in shallow, sandy-bottomed areas look for little pieces of brown branches with eyes! floating on the currents and you are probably seeing a pipefish or pipehorse. Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx), form the family Syngnathidae. Pipefish look like straight-bodied seahorses with tiny mouths. The name is derived from the peculiar form of the snout, which is like a long tube, ending in a narrow and small mouth which opens upwards and is toothless.  The body and tail are long, thin, and snake-like. Many are very weak swimmers in open water, moving slowly by means of rapid movements of the dorsal fin. Some species of pipefish have prehensile tails, as in seahorses.  #littlecayman  #bloodybay #littl...

This Secretary Blenny was seen at Busch Gardens dive site, Little Cayman, BWI. The secretary blenny (Acanthemblemaria maria) is a species of chaenopsid blenny found in shallow seas in the western central Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It can reach a maximum length of 5 cm (2.0 in.) The most effective way to tell a Blenny from other small fish, such as Gobies, is by their cirri. Cirri are the antennae-like projections on top of the head and frequently the snout of all Blennies. These can vary wildly in size and shape depending on species. It is believed the cirri are an additional sensing organ that helps the blenny know which way the water is flowing, enabling them to read the current and know which way the food will be coming from, as well as to help them to anticipate the approach of predators. When diving you'll see movement. Like most macro subjects underwater, you have to stop, settle or hover and wait. Once the blenny thinks the coast is clear, so to spea...

This Squirrel Fish was seen at Sarah's Set, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. The longspine squirrelfish (Holocentrus rufus) is a silvery red, sea fish with orange-gold body stripes. One of about 150 species of squirrelfish, their most distinguishing characteristics are their large eyes and the long third spine of the anal fin.   It lives in coral reefs in tropical and warm temperate seas and eats zoobenthos. It is territorial and uses sounds called "grunts" and "staccatos" to defend its crevice, warn of danger and, in groups, intimidate predators such as the moray eel. The longspine squirrelfish is edible and harvested on a small scale. When diving you can sometimes see groupers and moray eels hunting squirrel fish together. The moray will chase the squirrel fish out of its hiding spot and the grouper will snap it up. On Little Cayman, some of the groupers have trained humans to help them hunt. The grouper will hover near a coral head a...

This Yellowheaded Jawfish was seen at Bus Stop, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. The yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) is a species of jawfish native to coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea.  It is found at depths of from 3 to 40 metres (9.8 to 131.2 ft).  The head and upper body are a light, but brilliant, yellow color slowly fading to a pearlescent blue hue. It can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in.)  They are usually found in shallow, rubble, sandy areas where they can burrow. They remain near their relatively small territory, and are typically seen with only the head and upper section of its body protruding from its burrow, although it sometimes can be found hovering nearby. They move material using their mouths, carrying sand, shells, or small rocks from one location to another.  They are also mouthbrooders , with the male carrying the eggs in its mouth until they hatch. If you are lucky you can see a male spitting the eggs ...

This Purple Vase Sponge was seen on Great Wall West, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. The Purple Vase Sponge, also known as the Azure Vase Sponge, is a vibrant and colorful member of the demosponge class of animal. Like all sponges, this species does not move throughout its life, and an individual's success relies entirely on the environment in which it lives.  Newly born sponges are carried by currents of the sea, and often end up in coral reefs. Like coral, sea sponges were long believed to be plants, much like algae. Unlike algae, however, sea sponges do not fuel themselves through photosynthesis, but filter the water around them and consume any plankton that may pass through.  Quite literally, these strange invertebrates "go with the flow" and rely on the movement of water to both reproduce and feed themselves. Because their well being is so reliant in the health of their ecosystem, climate change and pollution greatly affect the well being ...

This Balloonfish was seen at Ringer's Wall, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. Balloonfish, Diodon holocanthus, is a slow-moving fish has small fins for navigating the shallow reefs or sea grass beds it prefers. They are extremely shy and tend to avoid divers. They swim slowly away or turn as if to say "you can't see me." The body is covered in long, sharp spines that stick out when the fish inflates. The balloonfish inflates by taking water into its body when it is threatened. All members of the family Diodontidae are capable of inflation. Along with inflation, there may also be a color change due to the excitement. The balloonfish looks like similar species and can be identified by the dark blotches on its body, and the dark bars that run vertically across each eye. Their teeth are formed into a beak that can crush shells of the mollusks and crustaceans it hunts at night. #littlecayman #bloodybay #littlecaymandivers #divecayman #lcdivers #...

This Sailfin Blenny was seen at Busch Gardens, a south side dive on Little Cayman, BWI. Sailfin Blenny, Emblemaria pandionis is a small fish that has a long, scaleless body and a large, distinct dorsal fin that tends to be larger on males.  Their blunt faces are topped with a cirrus above each eye and next to the nostrils. They live in clear, shallow water along rocky shores or reefs where there is rubble or crevasses for them to hide in.  They are shy but territorial fish that live in loose colonies. When diving you'll see a flash in the sand then nothing. But if you settle on the bottom and wait you'll be rewarded with a rare but very cool sighting.  #littlecayman #bloodybay #littlecaymandivers #divecayman #lcdivers #clearlycayman #caymanislands #scubadiving #caymandiving  #scuba #valetdiving #reefdivers #underwaterphotography #caribbean #littlecaymanbeachresort Take a virtual tour th...

This Nassau Grouper was seen at a cleaning station at Mixing Bowl, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. You can see the cleaner shrimps near its eye and around its mouth. There is also a small fish (gobie) cleaning its "nose" area. What's a cleaning station? It's a bit like going to the dentist or spa. A fish pulls up and settles in and the cleaner fish get to work. Cleaner fish are fish that show a specialist feeding strategy by providing a service to other species, referred to as clients, by removing dead skin, ectoparasites, and infected tissue from the surface or gill chambers.  This example of cleaning symbiosis represents mutualism and cooperation behaviour, an ecological interaction that benefits both parties involved.   A wide variety of fish including wrasse, cichlids, catfish, pipefish, lumpsuckers, and gobies display cleaning behaviors across the globe in fresh, brackish, and marine waters but specifically concentrated in the tropic...

This Caribbean Reef Shark was seen at Mixing Bowl, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. This one was just about 2 m (6.56 feet) long; just a juvenile. As divers we really enjoy watching these creatures up close and personal. In all the dives I've made (about 800) I've never felt threatened by a shark. The Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) is a species of requiem shark, belonging to the family Carcharhinidae.  They have a streamlined body typical of the requiem sharks, this species is difficult to tell apart from other large members of its family. They can grown up to 3 m (9.8 ft) long and the Caribbean reef shark is one of the largest apex predators in the reef ecosystem, feeding on a variety of fishes and cephalopods.  Despite its abundance in certain areas, the Caribbean reef shark is one of the least-studied large requiem sharks. They are believed to play a major role in shaping Caribbean reef communities. These sharks are more active at ni...

This scrawled filefish was seen at Lea Lea's Lookout, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. Aluterus scriptus, commonly known as scrawled filefish, broomtail filefish or scribbled leatherjacket, is a marine fish belonging to the family Monacanthidae. The body shape looks like an elongated oval, strongly compressed. Its background body coloration is olive-brown or grey depending on its surrounding environment, irregular blue lines and spots are distributed on the body mixed with some black spots mainly on the head. The colors may quickly vary depending on background similar to an octopus's. They will flash colors if disturbed. They also will raise their slender dorsal spine when approached. #littlecayman #bloodybay #littlecaymandivers #divecayman #lcdivers #clearlycayman #caymanislands #scubadiving #caymandiving  #scuba #valetdiving #reefdivers #underwaterphotography #caribbean #littlecaymanbeachresort Take...

This hawksbill turtle was seen at Lea Lea's Lookout, Bloody Bay Marine Park, Little Cayman, BWI. We typically see at least one Hawksbill on every dive we make in Little Cayman. The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a Critically Endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae It has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like limbs, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature.  Adult hawksbill sea turtles typically grow to 1 m (3 ft) in length, weighing around 80 kg (180 lb) on average. The heaviest hawksbill ever captured weighed 127 kg (280 lb). The turtle's shell, or carapace, has an amber background patterned with an irregular combination of light and dark streaks, with predominantly black an...

Feather stars, or comatulids, are echinoderms that belong to the class Crinoidea (phylum Echinodermata) which they share with the sea lilies. Unlike the latter group, however, feather stars are not obliged to remain in one place; instead they can swim or even crawl over short distances before attaching themselves to some support.  Swimming movements are achieved by waving the arms up and down in a slow, controlled manner. Feather stars are widely distributed throughout tropical and warm-temperate waters, with the main center of their distribution being focused on the Indo-Pacific region.  An estimated 550 species are known. By far the most striking part of a feather star's anatomy is their delicate, ostrich-plumelike arms that are usually highly colored. Some species can have more than 200 arms.  Feather stars are suspension feeders and, when feeding, unfurl their arms and extend the many pinnules into the water current. Feather stars usually careful...

The green moray eel (Gymnothorax funebris) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the western Atlantic from New Jersey, Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, at depths down to 40 m. Its length is up to 2.5 m. Green moray eels are members of the moray eel family, which includes about 160 other eel species. Green moray eels are actually some of the largest types of moray. The largest green moray eel ever measured was over eight feet long and weighed 65 pounds. If that eel could stand on his tail, he would be taller than the tallest American basketball player! Color Green moray eels do look bright green, but they do not actually have bright green skin. Their skin is actually a dark and drab brown color. These eels appear green because their skin releases a layer of yellow mucus. Mucus is a slimy substance that protects skin. You have mucus inside your mouth. Touching the mucus inside your cheek might help you imagine what a green moray eel feels like...

Virtual Travel-Because I'm missing Little Cayman Meet a Southern Stingray. The southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a whiptail stingray found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to southern Brazil. It has a flat, diamond-shaped disc, with a mud brown, olive, and grey dorsal surface and white underbelly (ventral surface).The barb on its tail is serrated and covered in a venomous mucus, used for self-defense. #southernstingray #littlecayman #sunset #bloodybay #littlecaymandivers #divecayman #lcdivers #clearlycayman #caymanislands #scubadiving #caymandiving #scuba #valetdiving #reefdivers #underwaterphotography #caribbean #littlecaymanbeachresort Take a virtual tour through some of my photos: https://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/Travel-Photography We'll get through this together. We're all connected. #StayatHomeSavesLives #StopTheSpread Nancy Nutile-McMenemy  is an Upper Valley freelance photograp...