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The earth is rigged for adventure, like a sailboat. And our hearts have adventure written deep within, like sailors hear the call of the sea. -John Eldredge As we headed into Staniel Cay, the first sign we were close were the big yachts that everyone said would be in this area. The yachts are usually located off of Big Major in deeper water where the swimming pigs are located. Here are two we saw anchored as we prepared to anchor in Staniel Cay near the Thunderball Grotto. This areas biggest draw are the swimming pigs which located where all the boats are located in the video clip right now. Many people choose to anchor in this area near the pigs. Wikipedia explains the swimming pigs origins, Staniel Cay is located in close proximity with another Exuma island called Pig Beach, officially known as Big Major Cay, which is an uninhabited island populated by swimming feral pigs. With a total of 365 islands, located south of Nassau and only 40 minutes from Florida, on the island of Big Mayor Cay, these pigs are found in abundance. Exuma's swimming Pigs draw thousands of tourists each year. The swimming pigs are surrounded by a variety of local legends. Rumors suggests that the pigs were brought to the island by sailors who planned to eat them upon their return. The pigs were said to have subsisted on food waste abandoned by passing ships. According to locals, the truth behind the swimming pigs’ story can be traced back to the early 1990s. The pigs were said to have been raised on Staniel Cay before the locals decided to move the animals. The pigs were relocated to the uninhabited island, Big Major Cay, where the pigs were left to roam free. As time progressed, the population of the pigs gradually began to multiply. Periodically, inhabitants of Staniel Cay would head over to the island, pick the fattest pig, and share the meat to locals. As word began to spread of the island, tourism came with abundance. And with tourism, came nourishment for these animals. The islands growing reputation inspired the award-winning short film When Pigs Swim, the first film dedicated to discovering the origin of the swimming pigs. Directed by Charles Allan Smith, the documentary was shown at five international film festivals. We chose to skip the pigs and the crowds because we had already caught glimpses of pigs on the beach at Meeks Patch in Eleuthera. As we prepare to anchor we get our first glimpse of Staniel Cay. According to Wikipedia, Staniel Cay was established in 1783 when the American loyalist settled the Exuma.[4] The island gained its popularity with the establishment of The Staniel Cay Yacht Club in 1956, founded by Bob Chamberlain and Joe Hocher. A variety of businesses operate on Staniel Cay to provide accommodation and organise activities. In 1965, Thunderball Grotto, a limestone cave situated on the western coast of Staniel cay, was the setting of the James Bond film Thunderball. Our first anchorage just didn’t seem to work due to the high traffic path so this is how we ended up anchoring over closer to the Thunderball Grotto. We were just able to get the anchor set before the sun went down over Staniel Cay. We are excited to get out and explore the next several days. We woke to a view of the THunderball Grotto but we headed in to see STaniel cay and talk to some people about the steering from last video, but what we realized about the grotto was it was very busy from 10 am on and the best time was low to slack tide. This would happen around 7 to 8 am the following morning. So we were up early and ready to snorkel. We were super excited about having this experience pretty much alone in the grotto except for Leo who we met and let us go in for awhile before he ventured back in as he had already swam the grotto once. We would met Leo again in Black POint. Single handing his sailboat from New York. It was eerie seeing a lion fish in the wild after hearing and reading so much about these fish which are native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. Right now they seem to have no natural predators in the carribean waters and consume 50 species of fish in this area. They can be hunted as much as you can get without one stinging you! We have not tried … Yet. Our time is over here in Staniel Cay. Next stop is Black Point. A favorite! Where we will go on Allie’s Big Adventure and meet Mama and her famous bread.
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To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim, the rocks, the motion of the waves, the ships with men in them. What stranger miracles are there? - Walt Whitman Read more: https://www.wiseoldsayings.com/the-sea-quotes/#ixzz6RbgKuM6Q Now that issue is resolved, but remember not until we leave Staniel Cay is it fixed, but what do you do while in the Bahamas with boat issue you just enjoy where you are. We finally head out of Rock Sound and through the Davis Channel by Cape Eleuthera and the marina and across Exuma Sound. This 30 mile jump had a stomachs tight with the steering issue. But we safely anchored before sunset in 24 feet of stunning clear blue water. The next morning we began exploring the stunning blue clear water of the Exumas and snorkel in one of our top spots on our list of must snorkel spots. Come along as we explore Soldier Cay and get our first peek under the water in the Seaquarium Coral Garden. Seaquarium Coral Garden is located in the Exuma Land and Sea Park between O’Brien Cay and Soldier Cay. The Nature Conservatory describes this area on their website nature.org , “This protected area was the first-ever land and sea park established in the world and is home to the Western Hemisphere's second largest coral barrier reef. The Cays, spanning over 100,000 acres of ocean, islands, blue holes, coral reefs and estuaries, was the first land and sea park established in the world. It is also the oldest national park in The Bahamas. established in 1958. The waters of Exuma Cays have been managed as a no-take reserve since 1986, allowing populations of commercially important species such as queen conch, Nassau grouper and spiny lobster to thrive. Sea turtles swim throughout coral reefs which are teeming with marine life. Though the park is mostly water, the land is a vital refuge several rare iguana species and marine birds. https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/bahamas-exuma-cays-land-and-sea/ Just south of the seaquarium is a Cessna that crashed into the Exuma waters. We wanted to check it out but the current was really strong so we only grabbed a few shots and caught a quick glimpse. Not much to really see, so more exploring….. We explored, the beautiful water and white sand beaches. And decided to give Shelby a scrub! Dee was ready to get the drone out and see what the sights would look like from above Journey in this spectacular water. The drone is still a learning process so some of the shots were blurry, but drone footage is getting better so more great stuff is coming in the future. The drone caught some great shots of Journey and the surrounding anchorage. The next morning we could not leave until we visited the beach one more time. And of course grabbed some last shots of Journey in this beautiful anchorage. Time to get back on board and head over the Staniel Cay and swim in the Thunderball Grotto. Oh, and get the steering fixed. |
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