If you want to see Hell on Earth, just head for the Cayman Islands! There’s an area on Grand Cayman so named since the 1930s, when a visiting dignitary expressed the opinion that the West Bay area of the island looked like the Devil’s stomping ground.
According to Hell’s experts, this stunning rock formation has evolved from skeletons of marine life – coral and shells all fused together by salt and lime deposits. Natural movements of the earth (quakes, plate shifts, water) have aided in sculpting the raised sections of the formation and organic/ocean residue lends a dark, jagged and pitted texture to the rocks. The result is a fascinatingly oppressive vista.
The rock has been about 20 million years in the making, delineated by a thin green line just below the surface that signals new life – quite fittingly, algae and bacteria. Years before, much of where the rock is was a reef, so it’s just a matter of time before the new reef, forming a short distance off shore, um – how shall I put this? – goes to Hell!