Enjoying the Exumas

Sunday February 26, 2023

Whenever I talked to folks about going to the Bahamas, they all said, “Oh, you have to go to the Exumas!” “Why?” I would ask. “It’s the color of the water,” was always the response.

We began to notice it as we crossed from Spanish Wells (Eleuthera) to Nassau…we were riding along on the darkest blue water we’d ever seen. As dark as ink. We were riding on a body of water called “The Tongue of the Ocean”.

Most of the Bahamas are defined by something called the Great Bahama Bank – a huge underwater mesa that was uplifted millions of years ago. The Cays that we have been visiting are high spots poking up off the Bank. The waters over the Bank are generally shallow – typically less than thirty feet deep, and frequently less than 10 feet, with lots of sandbars and coral heads that make navigation tricky. In contrast, the Tongue of the Ocean is a deep trench that protrudes into the Bank. In the course of a few hundred yards, the water drops precipitously to 5,000 feet deep! Thus the dark blue color.

Here in the Exumas, the water colors are the way they would look in an unspoiled world – prettiest I’ve seen. It’s due to the clarity. This morning, I was standing on the beach at Compass Cay, waist deep, and watching a wave break over my head. As I looked up, it was like looking through a pane of glass. The water has a very pale green tint – I don’t know why – so it’s like looking through a thick pane of glass – rather like one you’d use for a tabletop.
I had truly forgotten what water would look like in an unspoiled world.

At the water’s edge, it’s almost “water clear”. Then as you move away from the shore, and the water gets deeper and deeper, the color deepens from pale green to turquoise to indigo. Vegetation on the bottom creates purple tones. I know we’ve all experienced the color of tropical water, but this is really quite beautiful.
The clarity is also apparent in terms of visibility. Our boat, sitting at the marina, looks like it’s sitting on a lucite slab. Drop a crust of bread in the water, and your slip becomes an aquarium. There’s really no need for a reef dive – we are surrounding by Sergeant Majors, Blue Runners, Bonefish, Snappers, Blue Tangs, and Turtles!

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HThe run from Nassau was pretty bumpy. Not scary. Just sloppier than we expected. We had to cut our speed down and just slog through it. We were relieved when – five hours later – we pulled into Norman’s Cay and a brand new marina, with private homes and rental properties being built by the folks who did the Four Seasons in Miami. It’s still a work in process, but it will be first class. Norman’s Cay is an arid, hilly island with no topsoil that I could see – just coral rock and coarse coral sand. So the amount of work required to create and cultivate (irrigate) a tropical landscape is pretty impressive.

We met one of the employees – a man named Dan. His family is in Nassau, and it’s hard on his wife and kids, who are 5 and 6. but he works at Norman Cay because it is lucrative. The development company houses him and feeds him, so he can save his entire paycheck. He works three weeks straight and gets the fourth week off. The company flies him back and forth in the company plane.

We had dinner at a quaint little beachside cafe called McDuff’s. McDuff’s has been there forever; I’m sure they will experience a revenue boost from the new marina.

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Yesterday, we had a short trip south from Norman’s Cay to Compass Cay in just a light chop, so we took our time, poking our head into several little harbors along the way. Later next week, we plan to spend several nights on a mooring in one of these little harbors.

Compass Cay is a Private Island with a public marina, and it features “Swimming With Sharks”! Lynn passed, but I couldn’t resist!

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One of the few times Guinness didn’t jump in the water when Rod was snorkeling.

We were told not to expect cell or internet service, but it turns out the marina has an internet cafe

Last night was the first sunset we saw with a direct view straight off the bow and no clouds on the horizon –
still looking for the green flash!

Tomorrow, it’s a short trip down to Staniel Cay, the southernmost stop on our journey. And the forecast calls for light winds and calm seas.

TTFN