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THE DESTINATION: GRAND CAYMANThe Cayman Islands is recognized as the birthplace of the modern sport ofrecreational scuba diving. In 1957, the legendary Bob Soto opened the Caribbean'sfirst dive shop on Grand Cayman. Formed by limestone outcroppings, the islandslack rivers and streams because of the porous nature of limestone; hence, thesurrounding Caribbean waters have outstanding visibility. And since this islandhas become the quintessential Caribbean destination for divers, development alongSeven Mile Beach has produced an array of excellent restaurants and beautifulresorts.GeographyTime ZoneLanguageDress CodeCurrencyThe Cayman Islands lie approximately 480 miles south of Miami. By far the largestof the three islands, Grand Cayman is 76 square miles, and reaches a maximumelevation at East End of 60 feet.The Cayman Islands are in the Eastern Time Zone (the same as New York) yearroundand do not observe Daylight Saving Time.The official language in Grand Cayman is English.Shorts, rather than long pants, are generally acceptable at restaurants. Some of theupscale restaurants may require slacks for evening dinner.The Cayman Islands has its own currency—the CI dollar. Currency is issued innotes with denominations of CI$100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 and coins valued at 25,10, 5 and 1 cent. The CI dollar has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar ofCI$1.00 equals US$1.25. Or, the US dollar equals CI $.80.You do not need to exchange US dollars into local currency—the US dollar isaccepted throughout the island. Additionally, major credit cards (with theexception of the Discover Card) and traveler’s checks are widely accepted.Canadian dollars and pounds sterling can be exchanged for CI dollars at localbanks.NOTEWORTHY: Costs for ActivitiesWe advise you to pay close attention to the exchange rate noted above. When you book activities,the price you are quoted will almost always be in Cayman Island dollars; you should expect thatthe cost in US dollars will be higher than the quote.Last Revised 4/1/2014 Page 10of 21