West Bay, 19 April 1998
Sunsets in Cayman are some of the Best!
Cayman sunsets must rank right up there as some of the best in the world!
That thought occurred to me today as I took advantage of a rare opportunity
(for this old wench anyway) to relax, watch the sun sink below the horizon,
and say farewell to another beautiful day in paradise.
The East End, of course, is the premier place to watch a sunrise on Grand
Cayman, but for those of us night owls who haven't been up in time to watch
the sun rise in years, the West Side of the island is the place to be long
about sundown. Although there is often a band of cloud just above the
horizon, you can still see some interesting effects as the setting sun
gleams through holes in the clouds and creates fanciful shapes as it
silhouettes the cloud bank. And about 20 or 30 minutes after the sun sets,
the sky is suffused with purple, crimson, and gold. It is truly a sight to
see!
Other evenings, the sky is clear, and the sun seems to be pouring its
liquid gold out onto the surface of the sea. When conditions are just
right, you might even see the Green Flash. (I have a friend who wears neon
green swim trunks to our sunset gatherings, just to be sure that we do see
the Green Flash!) It's one of the wonders of nature, like a rainbow, that
requires just the right atmospheric conditions and involves refraction of
the suns rays through water.
An old Scottish legend has it that those who see the Green Flash will never
be fooled in matters of the heart. (Perhaps that's why this old wench is
single!) I can tell you that not everyone can see it. Maybe they expect
too much. (It's the briefest flash of green just as the last glimmer of
the sun slips past the horizon.) But I have been among a group of people
watching the same sunset from the same vantage point, and some of us have
seen the Green Flash and some have not!
I don't know if you will see the Green Flash, but I do know that you can
have a great deal of fun watching for it. (I wish I could do it every
night, but I'm usually at work.) It just seems to bring a fitting
conclusion to the day and put everything into perspective. Give it a try
and you'll see what I mean. Park yourself (preferably with someone you
love) anywhere on the West Side of Grand Cayman by the water (or near the
lighthouse on Little Cayman or on the dock at Divi or Brac Reef on Cayman
Brac), and enjoy!
You'll be glad you did.
