As I steadied myself in the water column – ensuring my buoyancy was precise and my bubbles near non-existent – I homed in on the static but distinct target. With the sling of my spear pulled tight and poised for a breakneck speed release I moved ever closer to the striking Lion Fish. With its flaring red and white striped body and its poisonous spines looming nearer and nearer it was time to deliver the deadly blow.
The phrase “epic fail” would be most appropriate here. As I released the spear with what I thought was force, I saw it dodder towards the Lion Fish’s head and eventually strike the rock face in front of this rather obvious and stationary target. To add insult to (what was clearly not an) injury, the Lion Fish didn’t even bother moving out of the way after this near miss.
Excuses regarding my poor ability to kill what is an invasive species in the Caribbean included: “jeez, they’re a lot faster than you think huh”; “I can’t line myself up in the right position, the reef is in the way” and “it’s escaped to the back of the hole, I can’t get in there”. They soon waned and morphed into a simple: “I’m pretty crap at this eh!”
Despite my attempts at spearing Lion Fish being feeble, luckily Ocean Frontiers dive centre has a medley of more experienced and deadly hunters on hand. Ocean Frontiers is based in the East End of Grand Cayman and was established back in 1996 by Steve Broadbelt. Since then the dive centre has gone from strength to strength, and today Ocean Frontiers would be better described as a small and personal dive resort. The majority of the divers I met during my stay were repeat customers who were staying in the lovely self-catering condos. Everybody raved about their experiences with Ocean Frontiers and it became clear to me that a combination of magnificent diving, well planned and smoothly run dive days, very personable and helpful staff, and an overall enthusiastic, energetic and cheerful ethos is what keeps people coming back for more.
What’s more, Steve takes the environmental and conservation side of running the business very seriously. For example, the hot tub is run via the air-conditioning in the condos and the Lion Fish eradication program is high on Steve’s list of priorities. Hence me joining the mission to rid the Caymanian reefs of as many Lion Fish as possible.
Spearing Lion Fish may sound a bit severe and morbid, but the Lion Fish are having extremely detrimental effects on reefs throughout the Caribbean and Western Atlantic. First spotted on the Caymanian reefs as recently as 2009, it is alarming to see how widespread and abundant this voracious predator has become since their introduction. There are many theories as to how they came to be here. It is likely that they were introduced into the Atlantic a couple of decades ago by way of the aquarium trade. A combination of an abundant food source and no natural predators in these waters has resulted in Lion Fish being able to rapidly expand their niche throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic. Where Lion Fish populations are large the reef can experience a 90% reduction in native fish species and this predation upon native species is perhaps the most devastating impact of their presence. As Steve told me: “for each Lion Fish you do manage to kill, you will be saving five other fish today.” So despite my spearing skills lacking accuracy, my few successful attempts were actually making a small difference.
Although the long-term effect of the Lion Fish invasion is a contentious issue, the majority of theories point towards the need to eradicate this invasive species. Thursday at Ocean Frontiers is Lion Fish hunting day. Guests have the choice of partaking in the dives and joining the dive staff as they hunt for the Lion Fish. While the staff members take to the water with spears, the guests help to spot the fish and collect them into buckets. The sea quickly becomes a chorus of shakers and tank bangers as the fish are spotted hiding in the dark recesses of the reef. Divers keenly wave their guide over to fire the fatal blow. Some of the Ocean Frontiers staff members are highly skilled hunters. Boat captain and dive instructor Sean managed to land a haul of over 20 Lion Fish in one dive! In total 96 Lion Fish were landed that day, which is an impressive but worrying total.
It is very interesting to see the contrast in Lion Fish numbers between the frequently dived sites and the infrequently dived sites. At the sites regularly visited by the staff and their spears very few Lion Fish are to be found. However, when moored at a seldom-visited site the number of Lion Fish is incredible. Diving at such a site on one particular day, along one of the many stunning walls of Grand Cayman, I was overwhelmed by the abundance of Lion Fish. The guests were constantly pointing here, there and everywhere as they spotted Lion Fish after Lion Fish. It is fascinating to witness the behavior of the Lion Fish: you can approach some with your spear pointing directly towards their head and they won’t even flinch – with no natural predators they evidently haven’t learned predator avoidance behaviour. However, some of the Lion Fish have obviously had previous spear encounters. As you approach they swiftly swim deep into their reef escapes, where a spear doesn’t have a chance of even tickling them. This makes a successful first attempt with the spear pretty crucial – another reason my track record was so poor. Frustratingly, the majority of the Lion Fish hang out around a depth of 30m – so bottom time is limited and you have to ascend while waving your fist at the lucky ones you’ve had to leave behind.
The fact that the frequently dived sites have a noticeable reduction in numbers, and this reduction seems to be persisting, is a major positive. It is a strong indicator that eradicating this species via spearing is working. Undeniably the problem is too big for spearing alone to work. Nonetheless, the entire island, and indeed the wider Caribbean area, is becoming ever more aware of this issue and the need to do something about it. As awareness increases I have no doubt that more measures will come into play and more people will join the effort. On top of this, Lion Fish make for a very pleasant meal. Following the Thursday hunt at Ocean Frontiers the unlucky Lion Fish are whisked off the boat and straight into the expert hands of Jodie – Ocean Frontiers resident cooking aficionado. Wrapped in a tin-foil parcel the Lion Fish are grilled over the BBQ in Jodie’s delicious marinade. The fish can be found on many menus throughout the island and with a profitable incentive such as this surely more people will begin removing Lion Fish from reefs throughout the Caribbean.
When you are on the hunt for Lion Fish your diving style completely changes– you disregard all the other cool stuff as you home in on every nook and cranny, torch primed and spear hidden – just incase the clever ones spot it. Your vision becomes entirely attuned to red and white stripes and when you do spot one you enter the “zone”. When I started dreaming about hunting Lion Fish I knew it had all gone a bit too far.
To ensure I didn’t become some crazed huntswoman I interspersed my Lion Fish dives with spearless pleasure dives. The East End of Grand Cayman has the most stunning walls and swim-throughs I have ever encountered. I have never seen anything like it. Diving along a channel that resembled a grand corridor with its soaring walls on either side I meandered my way through. This coral lined passage eventually opened into the vast blue expanse – I swam out across the abyss and turned round to see an immense wall in front of me. I am always extremely inquisitive as to what is lurking below me in the cavernous depths as I hover at a measly 30m. A militia of monster Lion Fish most likely. You could spend hundreds of dives exploring the swim-throughs and walls of Grand Cayman and forever be amused.
Spending two weeks on Grand Cayman was definitely one of the most entertaining and fun-filled experiences of my scholarship so far. A combination of spectacular diving and super company meant I was always on the go and having a great time. So often the best scholarship experiences are all down to the people you meet. The staff at Ocean Frontiers were all extremely welcoming and despite long working days there was always time for a trip to the local beach bar at the end of the day. And arriving in the midst of the annual Grand Cayman Pirate Week Festival meant that rum was a statutory requirement.
