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Cayman Brac Introduction
If Grand Cayman is the flashy big brother of the Cayman Islands, swelled with pride about its lavish condominiums, full-service resorts, international dining, and top-notch diving, and Little Cayman is the family's youngest sibling, favored for its petite size and almost shy demeanor, then Cayman Brac is the middle
child. Have no fear, though; this middle sibling is not at all overlooked. Cayman Brac has its own special qualities, assets that include
world-class diving along undersea walls, hiking in the most rugged terrain found in the Cayman Islands,
caves that tempt exploration, birding, sunning, and much more.
The island is named for the "brac," Gaelic for
bluff, which soars up from the sea 140 feet on the island's east end. It's the most distinct feature of this 12-mile-long, one-mile-wide island that sits 89 miles east-northeast of Grand Cayman and just five miles from Little Cayman.
With a population of under 2,000 residents, Cayman Brac is closer in pace to Little
Cayman. Residents, or Brackers, are known for their personable nature and welcome vacationers to their sunny isle.
Cayman Brac is a long, eel-shaped island that starts with the Gerrard Smith Airport on its westernmost end near a town named, appropriately enough, West End. This end of the island is also home to most guest accommodations and the island's only beaches.
Two roads etch the perimeters of the island. A6 traces the northern coast, starting at West End and working past Knob Hill, Banksville, Half Way Ground, Molusca Heights, Tibbetts Turn, and Spot Bay. Along the way, the road looks out on a sea that hides several good dive sites beneath its placid waters.
On the southern shore, A7 traces its way from West End Point all the way northeast, journeying past the island's resorts, Brac Reef Beach Resort and Divi Tiara Beach Resort, past several good caves that are favorites with outdoor adventurers, and up to Pollard Bay.
A small center road works through the center of the island, and this is the route to Cayman Brac's best known attraction: the bluffs or the Brac.
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