Cayman made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records in the hottest way possible this month.
A massive bikini parade on 17 June along Seven Mile Beach, co-sponsored by What’s Hot magazine as part of a fundraising drive for the Cayman Islands Amateur
Swimming Association, garnered the recognition it was after.
Participants arrived at Tiki Beach Bar well ahead of the parade, and as more participants arrived, the excitement was palpable, with everyone hoping the record would fall.
A Guinness World Record attempt is no laughing matter, however, and all rules and regulations have to be strictly adhered to in order to have a valid record.
Audit firm BDO was out on the beach to monitor the numbers, and the organisers counted all participants onto the beach to double-check the numbers as well.
As bikini-wearing people of all ages streamed onto the beach, Cayman looked set for a world record. However, it was only after extensive counting and checking
that the final picture emerged.
Cayman needed 323 bikini-clad participants to take the bikini parade record and managed to beat that by a narrow margin, with 331 bikini parade participants. They also toppled a swimwear parade record, with 385 participants.
The swimming association was looking for a unique fundraiser to support the swimming programme, and the idea of a swimwear world-record attempt seemed to be a perfect fit. According to Nicole Wild, a member of the organising committee, the idea gained momentum very quickly.
“Everyone came on board and the excitement generated was tremendous. The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism did a tremendous job with outreach support and the entire committee worked fantastically to help ensure success and raise as much money as possible for CIASA,” she said.
In order to hedge their bets, the organisers decided to go for two records at once, the bikini parade record and the swimwear record, especially after they heard that there were other groups set on trying to break Cayman’s record before it had even been set.
“I was personally very proud to be involved with this event to raise funds and awareness for such an important and worthy cause,” said Ms Wild. “It was a tremendous team effort and we are thrilled that the Cayman Islands and CIASA now have two world records to its name.”
The evening closed with a variety of rewards, from the youngest bikini babe to the cutest bikini puppy. There was also an award for the best-represented district, with a very vocal West Bay contingent walking away with the award.
For those who would still like to support the fundraising effort, limited edition ‘I am a world record holder’ T-shirts by local designer Luigi Moxam are still available from Bliss Yoga in The Marquee and Funky Monkey in Governors Square for a $15 donation to the swimming organisation.
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