Beyond the Beaches: Hidden Gems of the Exumas

I started my cruising life with the purchase of my Lagoon 410 in 2009. I spent the first year and a half exploring the Gulf and East Coast before I headed to the Bahamas in 2011 and spent over seven months exploring almost every island in that fantastic country. My first stop was cruising down the Exumas Island chain and below are my top ten from the Exumas.

10. Rudder Cut Cay – Towards the southern end of the island chain is Rudder Cut Cay with the typical shallow and gorgeous crystal-clear water that shows a different color with every foot of depth difference. What put Rudder Cut Cay on this list for me was a nice little cave and the sand flat between it and Musha Cay (a private island owned by David Copperfield) where I found lots of sand dollars. Since I was there, an underwater sculpture called The Musician Mermaid was placed in about 20 feet of water toward the southern end of the island.

9. Allen’s Cay – This is the first island in the Exumas you will come to from Nassau and it is a great stop after a 40-mile open water run. Even if you do not need a rest, it is still great to visit because the island is filled with iguana. In fact, there are so many iguanas I have heard it called Iguanaville.

8. Compass Cay – This island is home to a marina that has grown since I was last there and is famous for one thing…sharks. That is right. Nurse sharks to be exact. They have dozens of them hanging out at the marina that you can swim with if you would like. Quite the experience. Also, Pipe Cay Alley is nearby with some amazing water colors and small beaches.

7. Shroud Cay – This island is basically several small islets surrounding a mud flat with three main creeks cutting through the mud flat. It is these creeks that make this cay so enjoyable, because it is perfect for kayak and stand-up paddle board exploration. If you use the northern creek, you will find the Washing Machine, which is a deeper pool somewhat protected from the Atlantic by a sandbar. If you prefer hiking then the island just to the south is called Hawksbill Cay and has several trails crisscrossing it.

6. Norman’s Cay – This island was the lair of drug dealer Carlos Lehder, who was an associate of Pablo Escobar, and the main attraction is a cargo plane that crashed in the nearby waters and is partially out of water at low tide. Snorkeling this plane is pretty cool, but try and go at slack tide. Ashore, his former compound has been bulldozed to make way for a new marina. At the northern end of the cay there is a completely protected lagoon you can enter from the Atlantic side.  However, the entrance depth make it a dinghy only excursion.

5. Little Farmer’s Cay – This is the first cay on this list that has a typical local community and it shows if you join the 5Fs, Farmer’s Cay First Friday in February Festival. Here you get to see locals from all over compete in local boat races, and if you are lucky join one of the boats. Other nearby sights are turtles and beaches plus on nearby Great Guana Cay, which I will discuss in more detail next, you will find Oven Rock and Gemstone Cave, which is really cool as you descend down 20-30 feet and find an underground body of water.

4. Great Guana Cay (Black Point) – At over 12 miles long, I am focusing on the northern end around the town of Black Point with this entry. This town has a little of everything a cruiser may want including laundry. The bays are beautiful and the people are wonderful. Some of my highlights were the blow hole, the driftwood art garden, flying kites on the large beach, and the coconut bread. Oh the coconut bread! There are some cruisers who stop here just for the coconut bread. It is that good!!!

3. Staniel Cay – the number one reason this is number three on my list is because of a large hollowed out islet that has a hole in the ceiling and three different ways to swim into it. It is called Thunderball Grotto and is beautiful and a blast to explore. It was also featured in the fourth James Bond movie 60 years ago, where Bond was air lifted out the hole in the ceiling. Another highlight is on the back side of Big Major Spot where feral pigs will swim out to your boat for veggies you might feed them. The marina is nice and this is the best spot to fly into the Exumas outside Georgetown at the south end of the chain.

2. Wardwick Wells – The headquarters of the Exuma National Land & Sea Park has one of the most beautiful anchorages in the Exumas with a 10–20-foot channel circling a sand flat. Once here make sure to check out the headquarters itself with a sperm whale skeleton on display. Other things within hiking distance are BooBoo Hill (where tradition has boats leaving items with their name on it), the well this cay gets its name from, and the pirate lair. At dusk make sure you watch for hunta, the only native mammal in the Bahamas.

1. Georgetown – At the southern end of The Exumas is Great Exuma Island and the main town in the Exumas, Georgetown. Here you can get water, ice, fuel, groceries, shipments, flights in and out, and anything else you might need. But the highlight for boaters is actually across the bay at Stocking Island where cruisers flock. This place is like a summer camp for cruisers and everyday there is a schedule of activities from volleyball to poker to cooking classes and in the middle of all the activities is the Chat N Chill restaurant. It is so easy to get sucked up into the boating community here and I have heard many cruisers say they are only staying for a few days before moving on and they are still there weeks or months later because the days are so fun-filled.

With over 360 islands, this is just the tip of possibilities in the Exumas and everyone seems to find their own favorite hidden spot they love to visit. Maybe you need to find yours as well. 🙂

Captain Shane has been cruising and running charters for 15 years around the Caribbean. Where will he head next? Check out svGuidingLight on Instagram or Facebook to find out.

Shane McClellan has written for ALL AT SEA since 2016.