Cayman Brac is an island that lies about 143 km northeast of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 19 km long, with an average width of 2 km, meaning that the total area is approximately 38 square km (14.7 square miles). Its terrain is the most spectacular of the three Cayman Islands. "The Bluff", a massive central limestone outcrop, rises steadily along the length of the island up to 43 m (140 feet) above the sea at the eastern end. The island is named after this prominent feature, as "brac" is a Gaelic name for a bluff. The population of the island was estimated at 1,822 in 1999.

Christopher Columbus sighted Cayman Brac and its sister island, Little Cayman, in 1503 when his ship was blown off course during a trip between Hispaniola and Panama. He named them "Las Tortugas" because of the many turtles he spotted on the islands. The Cayman Islands were renamed by Sir Francis Drake, who landed on them during a voyage in 1585-86. He used the word "Caymanas", taken from the Carib name for crocodiles after seeing many of the large crocodilians. Many people today believe he had only seen the Rock Iguanas that inhabit the island today but, it is a well known fact that the large crocodilians lived in the swamp areas on both sister islands. The animals were all killed after causing a number of human deaths in the late 1800's. (Is there any documentation for this? How do you know it is a fact? To whom is it well-known??

During the heyday of piracy, pirates used Cayman Brac as a haven and a place to replenish their supplies as there are a number of fresh water wells on the island and had many sources of food included in the local flora and fauna.

Of interest to scuba divers is a 330-foot (100-m) Russian Koni class frigate built in the Soviet Union in 1984 for the Cuban Navy. It is one of only a few sunken Soviet Naval vessels in the Western Hemisphere, and the only one that is easily dived. The Koni II class frigate was purchased and sunk by the Cayman Islands government in September 1996. Originally designated 356, the frigate was rechristened the M/V Captain Keith Tibbetts, after a well-known Cayman Brac politician. The wreck originally sat upright in approximately 90 feet (27 m) with the deck at 60 feet (18 m), until wave action generated by a winter Norwester storm (Dec 1998-Jan 1999) which nearly tore the ship in two. The result was that the fore section tipped to about a 45 degree angle in relation to the remainder of the still-upright aft portion. and the midships became a debris field. The wrecks stern area was essentially unaffected. The frigate is located in a sandy area with generally good visibility, approximately 200 m (650 feet) offshore (a fairly long swim) from 'Buccaneer', on the island's north side, near the western tip of the island. There are numerous openings in the upper portion of the ship for non-wreck certified divers. Many more openings are available since the ship broke in half. The site also serves as an artificial reef.