Browsing: Scuba Diving Cayman Islands

Red Sail Sports has hired 18-year-old local resident Lej Batiste as the newest member of its professional dive staff. He is the first Caymanian to complete his divemaster certification through the company’s dive training program since Red Sail Sports began offering dive services in Grand Cayman 30 years ago. Batiste joined Red Sail Sports as an intern with the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) work experience programme, and quickly established himself as an enthusiastic employee, an avid diver and a young man with a plan for the future.

New Divetech owner and managing partner Jo Mikutowicz has been at the helm of one of Cayman’s leading dive operators for more than a year, and she is making her mark. Mikutowicz has big fins to fill. Cayman dive pioneer Nancy Easterbrook, a mentor, and friend, founded Divetech on the shores of northwest Cayman in 1994 and built it into an operation committed to conservation, education and training.

So far, 2017 has been a remarkable year for the Southern Cross Club in Little Cayman. First, the online travel site TripAdvisor.com named the resort to its top 25 in the Caribbean in two categories based on customer reviews: Best Hotel for Service and Best for Romance. Adding to the awards, administrations manager Neil van Niekerk was named an “Emerging Hero in Tourism” by the Cayman Islands government, and resort owner Peter Hillenbrand was recognized for his “Long Service to Cayman Tourism.”

In January, Red Sail Sports customer John Nagy from Jacksonville, Florida completed his 13th dive vacation with Red Sail Sports — he made his first dive with the company 30 years ago, shortly after Red Sail Sports opened its doors for business. Nagy, a first-time visitor to the Cayman Islands, checked into the then-open Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman and boarded Red Sail’s dive boat for an experience that he found hard to leave.