Bahamas Roundup

What I Did: A seven night liveaboard trip to the Exuma Cays and Eluethera as well as three nights in Nassau (New Providence Island)

Overall: The Bahamas might not be the most exotic or exciting destination I’ve traveled to, but the friendly people, the beautiful islands and the amazing accessibility make for one great vacation. The trip was prompted by Mark’s new job on a diving boat, so I also got my first taste of liveaboard life. While I loved the experience, it does remove you from the local experience as you are sleeping, eating, and socializing on the boat. I was happy to balance out the week at sea with a few nights on land exploring Nassau.

Getting Around: Travel between islands is by private boat or by plane on Air Bahamas. I did read that it is possible to take cheap cargo ferries from Potter’s Cay to the outer island but as it is not meant for passengers there is no set schedule. Taxis in Nassau are pricey and usually charge per person, making cab sharing useless. I recommend walking when possible.

Food and Drink: It’s hard for me to rate this category as I spent the majority of the trip eating meals on the boat prepared by the liveaboard’s chef. However as expected the Bahamas excels in seafood and in Nassau I would recommend Potter’s Cay for super fresh fish and conch and cheap local beer.

People: The people of the Bahamas blew me away. I am not exaggerating when I say every person I came into contact with was friendlier than the one before, from the taxi driver who scooped me up at the airport to the grounds keeper who gave me an impromptu tour of Nassau’s oldest church. I admit that after spending a summer with the highly guarded Caymanian people I assumed all Caribbean islanders would be similarly cold. I was so glad to be proved wrong, and if I ever make it back to the Bahamas I will go out of my way to meet more local people.

I also learned that taking a liveaboard trip is an amazing way to meet fellow travelers. While the majority of our boat was taken up by a large dive group, there were two couples and a solo diver on their own and everyone mixed in fabulously. The close proximity forces mingling and friendship. I’ve never made friends so fast!

Money: Many young travelers rule out the Caribbean all together, assuming it is an unattainable expense. I concede that when compared to Southeast Asia and Central America, the cost of a trip to any Caribbean isle is a huge undertaking, yet for ease of travel and proximity to the US there are great deals to be found. Passengers on the Blackbeard’s Cruises liveaboard trip I went on paid $899 for a week long trip that included accommodation, all meals, booze, and of course diving. I think that’s a pretty amazing deal! In Nassau, if you are willing to stay in town there are hotels for less than $100 a night in walking distance to beautiful beaches. I believe what you lose in convenience of not staying directly in the beach you gain in cultural experience of staying in town.

Safety: Another category I feel somewhat unqualified to rate based on the circumstances. I did find myself instinctively clutching camera a bit tighter walking around Nassau at night, but that may have been due to the many warnings I read before arrival about how unsafe it is. As I said above, I found every single person I interacted with to be so pleasant its hard to imagine who is out committing all these crimes.

Good to know: I did not fully grasp how cold the water would be in January! I admit I’m a bit of a wuss but if you like warm warm water and boiling hot sun, I suggest you go further south for a winter month’s trip.

Allan’s Cay: My Iguana Obsession Continues

Bahamas Day 2

I might need to rename this blog The Traveling Iguana, as I’ve documented my obsession with them several times before. But this time I didn’t even plan it, I was just an innocent boat passenger, I swear!

After a cruel 7am wake up call I went on the first (very cold) dive and sat out the second just to warm up.  The captain soon announced we would be making an island stop- to Allan’s Cay, at the northern tip of the Exuma Cays chain. Allan’s Cay is one of three islands in Exuma (Allan’s Cay, Southern Allan’s Cay, and Leaf Cay) that hold the rare Exuma iguana. They are found nowhere else on earth and are considered to be among the world’s most endangered lizards. They can also be huge, with the potential to reach as much as 24 pounds and live to 80 years.

It had been only slightly less than 24 hours but already I was a bit excited to be on land. We took the dinghy to the beach and without the wind from the moving boat I felt Caribbean heat for the first time on the trip! According to Mark there were less iguanas than usual but luckily we came armed with grapes to lure them out of the bushes. I noticed they are kind of reddish in color but otherwise very similar to the Caymanian blue iguana.

We put the grapes on sticks and the iguanas darted around nervously. Some were bold and climbed right up people’s outstretched arms and legs while others lingered in the shadows. Mark chose a very unique feeding method.

I was in heaven running around taking photos and playing with animals. I would have been content to lay on the beach the rest of the day but this is a diving trip and soon the captain called us back. I was actually a bit sad to get back on the boat. But who would want to leave a scene like this?

After our Allan’s Cay stop there were two more dives but I only did one and decide this is a pretty good pattern for the trip, doing every other dive and giving myself time to enjoy the boat in between. Lucky for me I’ve got insider tips from the divemaster on which ones are must do’s! Not to mention I have to rest up for New Year’s Eve tomorrow night…

What Is A Liveaboard?

Bahamas Day 1

The term liveaboard is pretty self explanatory it’s a boat for scuba diving in which guests sleep on board, unlike a day boat operation. The benefits include time to travel to more distant dive sites, companionship of other divers and in the case of Blackbeard’s Cruises, a significant savings in cost.

Via Blackbeard's Cruises

For $899USD, you get 7 nights accommodation, 3 meals a day, unlimited beer and liquor, and an average of three dives a day. For an idea of how good of a deal that is, in Nassau a land based dive operation charges $109 for a two-tank dive trip.

So what’s the catch? How about a 65’ boat divided by 22 passengers, 5 crew, and 1 leaching stowaway (that would be me).  Did I mention that there is one shower and three toilets for that group? Good thing divers do their peeing in their wetsuits!

While I was still on a high from our casino win, it was time to get unpacked and “nest” for the week at sea. Now I’m not here to brag, but I am going to show you some photos of our very luxurious accommodations.

Our “room” was not only spacious but also very bright and had great views!

When I emerged from the cave, I met the rest of the passengers. The main group was from a dive shop in Alabama joined by 5 independent travelers. The group is young and upbeat and I start to think New Year’s Eve is going to be a pretty good time! The boat pushes off around 4 and the captain decides it’s too late for a dive so we head straight to the Exuma Cays.

It’s a chilly and lovely evening as everyone chats in that super friendly and slightly awkward way that you do when you first meet. I am surprised by how cold it is while the boat is moving… I can’t believe I’m wearing a jacket and scarf in the Bahamas! All is forgiven though when I look up and see the sky. Out in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, the only lights you see are stars. We’re off to a great start.

 

Crappy photo but at least I'm in it. Priorities, you know.