The water of Exuma is so brilliant, it caught the eye of astronaut Scott Kelly, who described the region as “the most beautiful place from space.” Visitors flock to this chain of islands in the central Bahamas for fishing, scuba diving, sailing and exploring blue holes and barrier reefs. This sweet spot, also called the Exumas, is all about the water in its many shades of blue.
“The Exumas are surrounded by a kaleidoscope of translucent aquamarine and blue waters ranging from bonefish flats … to Atlantic Ocean blues. The waters surrounding these islands are every shade of blue and green,” describes Anita Johnson-Patty, spokesperson with Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. There are 365 islands, rocks and cays in Exuma, about 35 miles southeast of Nassau, and it’s divided into three areas: Great and Little Exuma and The Exuma Cays. Great Exuma is 37 miles long and, at its widest point, 7 miles across.
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Mandy Garland, of Fort Myers, visited Exuma with her family and friends. She often vacations in the Keys and in Utah but was looking for something a bit different yet still in line with their water-based lifestyle.
“We wanted to travel somewhere on our boat and love vacations that include the ocean,” she explains. “We figured we had seen enough of Key West and wanted to see something new.”
Staniel Cay, Highbourne Cay (known as the gateway to the ultimate ephemeral islands — The Exuma Cays) and Little Farmer’s Cay were just a few of Mandy’s stops.
She and her family swam with pigs and turtles, snorkeled, fished and even jumped 40 feet into a cave.
“Swimming with the turtles was amazing,” Mandy says.
Anita offers her recommendations, too: a swimming with pigs tour, Chat ‘N’ Chill and Tropic of Cancer Beach.
The official home of the swimming pigs is Big Major Cay, where guests can interact and feed the large animals and even hold a piglet. These creatures are used to being fed by humans, and when they hear the boat arriving an immediate welcome squad emerges to the vessels.
“Our kids enjoyed swimming with the pigs, because it was out of the ordinary,” Mandy recalls. “You have to be cautious when swimming with them because they are hovering and following you for food and water, so they can get a bit snippy.”
Chat ‘N’ Chill is a laid-back open-air beach bar on Stocking Island across from Elizabeth Harbour, where guests can swim with stingrays and other marine life, hike among the island dunes, engage in a game of beach volleyball and other activities. Travelers can only reach this destination via boat or seaplane.
The Tropic of Cancer Beach, also known as Pelican Beach, is the longest beach on Little Exuma and is named after the meridian line that crossesthrough it.
“This destination is miles and miles of exotic powdery white-sand beach with translucent blue-green waters,” Anita describes. “You can have this mostly secluded beach all to yourself.”
The Bahamas waters are a snorkeler’s and diver’s dream for its variety of locations.
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“Some of the world’s most beautiful scenery can be found in the waters surrounding the Exumas,” Anita says. “There are countless reefs with colorful corals and beautiful marine life.”
One popular spot was featured in the James Bond spy thriller “Thunderball.”
“Thunderball Grotto got its name from the James Bond movie that was partially filmed there. It is a hollowed mystical cavern teeming with marine life,” Anita says. “The ‘roof’ of the cave has a natural skylight that some use for jumping when tide is high. Thunderball Grotto is great for snorkeling.”
Thunderball Grotto was Mandy’s high school daughter Savannah’s favorite.
“It was a little tricky climbing up, since it was so steep and sharp rocks, but once you got to the top, there was a little opening to jump through,” she describes. “Once you jumped through, you had to have your snorkel and mask on, but it was super blue and almost neon looking — definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. To get out, you had to swim through a little opening under the water and rocks.”
A fishing paradise, one popular species many seek to catch is the trophy bonefish.
“There are 60 miles of bonefish flats on the south side,” Anita says. “Spotting the ‘Grey Ghost’ is easy in the shallow, clear waters for sportsmen, but catching them is the hard part as these creatures can be very elusive.”
Mandy recommends fishing the shallow waters off Staniel Cay. “There are plenty of places to catch bonefish, and our friends went, and they actually caught some.”
If a fresh catch is not brought back, Anita suggests dining at Santanna’s Bar and Grill by the beach in Williams Town, a favorite not just for the locals but visitors as well.
“This establishment was a favorite hangout for Johnny Depp while filming Pirates of the Caribbean,” she says.
Mandy, who traveled to the Bahamas via her family’s boat, stayed on Staniel Cay.
“We rented a house on the water from VRBO and rented a golf cart in order to get around the island as it is very small with no vehicles for visitors,” she recalls. “We met four other families from Fort Myers in Staniel in which we had all rented our own homes. Three of the families took their boats as well. Some of the family members flew over in a small plane and another family flew over and rented a yacht to sleep and cruise around in.”
Mandy says Staniel Cay was breathtaking — very quiet and relaxing, and the locals were very nice.
“It’s the type of place that you don’t even bother locking your doors and everyone knows you,” she says. “There were no big sandy beaches although everyone’s house had its own private beach.”
During her stay and venturing via boat to different sites, Mandy says, “It seemed the farther you went into the Exumas, the clearer the water got, as if it could actually get any more clear. We can’t wait to return this summer.”