24th February, 2026
60-mile Bank, 60 nautical miles Northwest of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
It’s the day before the end of the Research Expedition and I have mixed emotions about that – it’s been an adventure of a lifetime and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to take you all with me along the way. I hope you’ve found the journey to be one of excitement, discovery and courage. Over the past 6-weeks we’ve charted new territory together!
This is my final “Dear Cayman” letter for this Expedition (you never know what might be around the corner) and I want to extend my genuine gratitude for the support, interest and engagement you have shown. I’m returning home with renewed sense of purpose and steadfast optimism after seeing just how beautiful, healthy and diverse our deep sea and offshore environments are. My heart is more full than I can properly describe, and I’ve had to pinch myself several times when I realise that the photos we’re taking might be the first for some of our offshore banks!
You’ll probably be interested in the highlights from the Expedition and perhaps some high-level statistics as well:
- Over 11,000 km2 have been mapped in Cayman waters (filling in the gaps from the Sail Drone data)
- Almost 10,000 specimens were collected from Cayman waters from depths of 1,200m to surface – this is more than double the combined total found in Anguilla and TCI
- Over 9,300 photos and 88 hours of video footage have been recorded
In terms of my personal highlights:
- Seeing the Expedition vision come to life – much of the latter half of 2025 for me was dedicated to the Expedition
- Especially seeing the Cayman Expedition t-shirt designs come to life! (see group photo)
- Supporting brave, dedicated and steadfast team members and colleagues in collecting some of the first ever research for the Cayman Islands
- Discovering that no two Banks are the same, the shapes, sizes and biodiversity is all unique
- Having the deep sea snapper presence validated by not one or two but three different species
- The surprise appearance from a Misty Grouper at 60-mile Bank at 400m!
In many ways this is just the beginning, we have gathered some of the baseline data we needed to make more informed decisions on how to go forward with protecting Cayman waters for the future. There will be another opportunity to see the RRS James Cook in George Town Harbour again from 6:00am to 4:30pm.
We’re looking forward to sharing the initial findings and highlights at the Port Call Party tomorrow evening (Wednesday 25th February) at Governors’ Village Café from 5:30pm. Come meet the crew, hear our stories, see some of the cool specimens we’ve brought back and see the photos firsthand. Of course this is the first of many opportunities, we hope to continue sharing as the data gets analysed.
Dear, verdant island, set in blue Caribbean Sea,
I’m coming, coming very soon, o beautious isle, to thee.
Thank you Cayman.