West Bay
West Bay shows ecological succession from turtle hunting to turtle conservation: 500,000 annual visitors now pay to see the species that was nearly hunted to extinction.
West Bay embodies the ecological succession from extraction to conservation that characterizes many island economies. When Columbus first sighted these islands in 1503, he named them "Las Tortugas" for the abundant sea turtles. For three centuries, turtling was the primary economy, with ships stopping to load live turtles as a fresh meat source. By the mid-20th century, green sea turtle populations had collapsed from overharvesting. In 1968, investors established what became the Cayman Turtle Centre, attempting to farm the very species that had nearly been hunted to extinction.
This transformation from predator to protector mirrors patterns seen in whale-watching economies that replaced whaling. The Turtle Centre now welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually, making it the largest land-based tourist attraction in the Cayman Islands. Since 1968, it has released nearly 37,000 captive-bred turtles to help replenish wild populations. Hurricane Michelle in 2001 washed away 75% of the breeding stock, demonstrating island biogeography's vulnerability to extreme weather events.
West Bay's residential character developed as Seven Mile Beach tourism intensified nearby. The district now balances tourism attractions, including the famous geological curiosity called Hell and the Dolphin Adventure, with housing for the workers who service the hospitality industry. Airbnb data for 2025 shows $41,816 average revenue per property with 43% occupancy, reflecting significant seasonal variation. The district illustrates niche partitioning: while George Town specializes in financial services, West Bay captures the tourism and residential functions, creating a complementary rather than competitive relationship between adjacent territories.