Jim Chambers and his wife, Deborah, of Tucker are avid divers and underwater photographers who return again and again to Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands:

"Deborah and I have been scuba diving for 19 years, and since 1989, the Cayman Islands have been our favorite place to go. Not Grand Cayman, however; it's way too busy and crowded for us.

Family photo (ENLARGE)
Deborah and Jim Chambers have repeatedly returned to dive off uncrowded Little Cayman.
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"Instead, we love the two almost-undiscovered sister islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Cayman Brac is about 10 percent as busy as Grand Cayman, and Little Cayman is even less busy. After several trips to Cayman Brac, we mostly go to Little Cayman, which is our favorite of the two islands.

"If you like and need a lot of shopping, casinos and night life on a dive vacation, Little Cayman is definitely not for you. There are only about 150 permanent residents on the island, which is 90 miles east-northeast of Grand Cayman, and there's nothing even remotely like a traffic jam.

"The only way to get to Little Cayman is on a Cayman Air Express DeHavilland Twin Otter from Grand Cayman, about a 40-minute flight. The island is a national bird sanctuary, and there are probably more iguanas than people. How many ways can you spell l-a-i-d b-a-c-k? That's Little Cayman. There are five small resorts, and each has its own loyal disciples, who return time after time. We even coordinate our dates with friends who we met there on earlier visits.

"Bottom line: Little Cayman is one of those very rare easy-to-get-to-but-well-off-the-beaten-path places. For people who like quiet, uncrowded places but don't want to give up creature comforts, this is the place, an unspoiled little gem that's right at our doorstep."