Dating and Being Single in the Cayman Islands

When I first got the job down here I did a lot of research on the internet. One topic that was not well covered was the dating scene. From most of my posts you can tell that there are a ton of social activities where you can meet new people but what is the date-ability of these people?

Firstly, there seems to be a consensus that there are more eligible girls on the island than men. There is even a term called 'Cayman hot' that is used for some men. It means that they are hot compared to the guys in Cayman, but would not be considered hot back home. I think this has more to do with the frequency with which you run into the same people here. In a big city if you don't find someone instantly attractive you just blow them off and never see them again. Here you will run into them often and get to know them which might make them more dateable. Also everyone looks better tanned and an accent never hurts. 

Another term I heard was 'Breakup Island'…also known as the Cayman Curse. This refers to couples coming down to the Cayman Islands together and then breaking up within a few months of being on island. I’ve known it to happen on quite a few occasions, whether it be from personal observations or chatting to random people relating their own experiences. I think it stems from the fact that a lot of couples that have moved here, come from a situation where they are in a comfort zone. On arrival, that comfort zone is shattered by the booze culture, constant socialization and the confined space mixed with the same people. It can be very easy to make a new social circle, which inevitably leads to the temptation from one (or both!) ends of the relationship to these new people in a similar boozey environment…who happen to be single. Someone is bound to crack ;-)

On the flip side when I was choosing a health insurance option at work the HR lady told me that I should pick the more expensive option (with a smaller deducible) because she has seen many people come here as singles, fall in love, and start a family. Then it takes a year to change your plan :). Somehow it seems to work in favor of meeting someone on island, than coming here with someone.

Relationships do go at a faster pace here. Since moving  is easy it can be common to move in with someone you are dating, from fairly early on. Also the commute times are short so you tend to spend a lot of time together.

So in conclusion, I think there are a lot of opportunities to date here. Some key things to consider are:

Reputation control! The island is small so if you behave badly it will get around.
• Alcohol! A big drinking culture on Island can make for bad judgment [calls]. 
• It can be difficult to date people outside of your working circle. What I mean is that Professionals  like Accountants, Lawyers, Fund or Insurance Account Managers, ie the standard Financial Services Industry, and then Service Industry folk like Barmen, Waiters etc don’t necessarily mix too well over the long run. As such, I wouldn’t recommend dating Service Industry people unless you are in the Service Industry. Having tried to make friends across both circles, I found it difficult to maintain both lifestyles as “SI” hours just don’t mix with “Professional” hours. I can only imagine all of this would not bode well for a budding relationship.

 Saying that, don’t let all that stop you from trying to find “the one”! At the very least you might make some friends who's couches you can crash on if/when you finally leave the island.