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Sightseeing

Cayman Turtle Farm, West Bay, (345) 949-3893/3894. The chief sightseeing stop on the West Bay is also one of the island's most popular. The world's only turtle farm, it had over 260,000 visitors last year. Since 1968 this unique farm has offered visitors the chance to get up close and personal with green sea turtles.

Named for the color of their fat, some of the green sea turtles weigh 700 pounds and can be viewed slowly swimming in open-air tanks in the center of the farm. You'll even have the opportunity to pick up one of the small reptiles. Allow about 45 minutes at the farm, which makes an excellent rainy day distraction. The turtle farm has been both praised and criticized for its operation. Many turtles are released into the sea every year from this farm, although others find their way onto Cayman dinner tables. Turtle meat served at local restaurants comes from the Cayman Turtle Farm. The farm defends its efforts and points out that by providing turtle meat - a longtime Caymanian favorite - to the local market, it diminishes the need for turtle hunting. Also, the survival rate at the farm is much higher than in the wild. Here, nine out of every 10 turtles survive, as compared to one out of 10 in the wild.

The turtle farm displays the life cycle of the green sea turtle from birth through breeding stage. A nursery shows where the eggs, which are laid by the big breeder turtles on a sand beach at the farm, are incubated. The hatchings live in tanks and are fed high-protein pellets similar in appearance to dog food. This diet accounts for the rapid growth of the farm's turtles compared to their relatives in the wild.

The self-guided tour of the turtle farm takes you past many tanks filled with turtles in various life stages. A special tank contains turtles that you may pick up and hold, an excellent photo opportunity. Reach down and clutch the turtle's body just behind his front flippers. He'll flip and flap around, trying to swim away in mid-air, unless you hold him vertically.

The prime resident of the Cayman Turtle Farm is the green sea turtle, the most common turtle in the Cayman Islands. The farm is also home to several other turtle displays, including the following.

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). With a narrow, sharply serrated carapace and a bird-like bill, the hawksbill turtle is easy to identify. Specimens range from 90 to 180 pounds.
Kemp's Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys Kempi). The most endangered of the sea turtles, these are being raised at the farm for future release into the wild.
Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). Found off the Florida, Georgia, and Carolina coasts, these weighty (200 to 350 pound) turtles have large heads that give them their name.

The farm also recognizes the land residents of the Cayman Islands in several exhibit areas. Look for the agouti (Dasyprocta) or the Cayman "rabbit" in one area. These rodents, found in the eastern districts of Grand Cayman, have long, thin legs, hoof-like claws, and three toes on their hind feet (five toes on the forefeet). Once a food source, today the rodents are rarely spotted. Nearby, another display area houses the American crocodile. Early verbal records speak of sightings of this 20-foot crocodile (Cocodylus acutus) in Grand Cayman and Little Cayman; recent archaeological finds have proven this claim.

Admission to the farm is US $6 US for adults, US $3 for children six to 12 (under six free). The farm is open daily 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TURTLE TRIVIA
- The sex of green sea turtles is dependent on the temperature during incubation. At 82°, an equal number of males and females are born. If the temperatures are cooler, all males are produced. At warmer temperatures, the hatchlings will all be female.

- Only one mature turtle is expected to survive from an average 10,000 eggs in the wild.

- Mating season for green sea turtles lasts from April through July; the pair may mate for as long as six days.

- Nesting season occurs from May through October.

- At the turtle farm, single individual turtles have laid as many as 690 eggs in a single clutch. A female may nest one to 10 times a season, producing up to 1,700 eggs in a year. She may nest every year or skip several years.

- Mature green sea turtles have been observed to stay several days underwater without surfacing for air.

- Hell. East of the turtle farm lies an attraction that is pure Hell. This odd attraction is actually a community named Hell, a moniker derived from the time an English commissioner went hunting in the area, shot at a bird, missed, and said "Oh, hell." The name must have seemed appropriate for the devilishly pointed rocks near town, a bed of limestone and dolomite that through millions of years have eroded into a crusty, pocked formation locally called ironshore.

- To reach this small community, follow West Bay Road north from Seven Mile Beach. At the intersection of Town Hall Road, turn right and continue to Hell Road. Turn left to this small town.

- Today, Hell trades upon its unusual name as a way to draw tourists to the far end of West Bay. Visitors stop at the post office (and the three shops directly adjacent) to buy postcards and have them postmarked from Hell. Nearby, The Devil's original post office ships out its share of postcards. The store is manned by Ivan Farrington, who dresses as the devil himself to greet tourists who come to buy the obligatory postcard and other Hell-related gifts, from hot sauces to t-shirts.

- Step behind the store or the post office for a close-up look at the ironshore that gave this region its unusual name. Even with all the Hades-related attention this small community draws, a stroll along its streets will show that this is a heavenly quiet town. And, yes, you'll see that there are indeed churches in Hell.

- Conch Shell House. Interesting as a drive-by attraction, the conch shell house is included on most island tours. It's privately owned so you can't enter the premises, but the North Sound Way attraction is often photographed. Handmade from conch shells, it's charming and certainly one of the most picturesque homes in the Caribbean. Ask locally for directions.