“Don’t kick your feet. We don’t want to attract any
attention to the surface,” says our captain Dee Ve, as I slide on my flippers and
watch a handful of snorkelers cautiously enter the water that’s home to about
50 Caribbean reef sharks.
The next day we head an hour south to Cape Eleuthera Resort
and Marina – a 5,000-acre mainly undeveloped property that was once a favoured
playground of the Kennedys in the early 1970s. The resort even had its own airstrip
that could facilitate them flying directly to and from New York, along with a
championship golf course that rivaled Pebble Beach. The owners, however,
eventually went bankrupt and the resort fell into the hands of a Saudi
developer. Two years later it was abandoned and left desolate for 15 years. Today, the elegant resort is very much alive again and
general manager Chris Morris can’t wait to show guests the beauty of the area
he first experienced at the age of four.
“Just be nice and relaxed. Splashing attracts the sharks.”
Standing on the edge of the boat, I adjust my snorkel mask
for the twentieth time, purposely stalling to be the last one in the water. My
heart is racing with excitement and fear. It’s hard to relax when I can see
five to seven sharks circling the boat, anxiously waiting for a box stuffed
with grouper to open for lunch.
Once in the water, I feel surprisingly calm staring down at
the sharks gracefully swimming a few feet below me. They don’t seem to care
about the crowd of snorkelers bobbing on the surface, watching them with
amazement for the 10 minutes we’re allowed in the water. Now I can tick another
item off my bucket list.
Exploring the shallows of Nassau’s famous reefs is one of
the many activities I was looking forward to when I embarked upon a whirlwind seven-day
adventure in The Bahamas. Known for long deserted beaches with silky soft sand,
crystal clear water that feels like a warm bath, and sand bars that magically
rise out of the dazzling blue ocean, The Bahamas are made up of 700 islands
sprinkled over 100,000 miles of pristine ocean. Being here feels like a dream.
A trip to The Bahamas should begin by checking out the
country’s capital city of Nassau on the small island of New Providence. Home to
approximately 270,000 people, the city takes travellers back in time with
colourful streets lined with pastel British colonial buildings and several
historical sites, including three forts, the oldest site dating back to 1725.
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| Atlantis Paradise Island |
In 1648, English Puritans known as Eleutheran Adventurers
landed briefly in Nassau harbour during their search for a place to establish a
colony. They then sailed south to today’s Eleuthera Island, where a reef
wrecked their ship, choosing their new home for them. Nassau was established
around 1670 as a commercial port, but was overrun by lawless seafaring men. Piracy
in The Bahamas began in the 1690s and lasted for about 30 years, with Nassau at
its heart.
The tiny island is also home to sprawling luxurious resorts
like the Baha Mar and Atlantis Paradise Island. Boasting a 63-acre waterpark
and 14 lagoons filled with thousands of exotic sea creatures, like goliath
groper, hammerhead sharks and smalltooth sawfish, Atlantis is a place that makes
you feel like a kid again. It’s easy to see why it’s the most popular resort in
The Bahamas. But after a few days of resort life, I was itching to get
off the beaten path and connect with the friendly locals on one of the
laid-back Out Islands. The island I chose was Eleuthera.
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| Poponi Beach is one of Eleuthera's many pink sand beaches. |
Only a 30-minute flight from Nassau, Eleuthera is The
Bahamas fourth most populated island with 11,000 residents. Stretching 110
miles in length and two miles wide, the mainly undeveloped island is dotted
with sleepy villages, warm secluded coves perfect for snorkeling, and dreamy,
deserted beaches – some with pink sand caused from a microscopic organism with
a reddish-pink shell.
My normally fast walk instantly slows the moment I step off
the small plane in Governor’s Harbour – Eleuthera’s picturesque capital and
largest town perched in the middle of the island. I waste no time heading to
one of the gorgeous pink sand beaches the island is known for.
“This is paradise!” says my friend Eirik, his eyes filled
with excitement as he runs toward the Atlantic’s azure water along the sprawling
Poponi Beach. Aside from two people sitting near the parking area, we’re only
ones here, which is surprising and refreshing.
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| Cape Eleuthera Resort |
“Are you ready to have one of the best days of your life?”
says Morris, as we head towards a deserted mile-long sand bar breaking through
the surface of the translucent water two miles from shore. Within a few minutes
I’m on the sand, which feels like I’m walking in the middle of the ocean.
“It’s nothing but magical,” says Morris. “This place is like
heaven on Earth.”
I spend my last afternoon in paradise whizzing around in a
golf cart, exploring Harbour Island, which was once the capital of The Bahamas.
Accessed by a 10-minute water taxi from north Eleuthera, the island is home to
less than 2,000 people and features a mix of boutique shops, pastel cottages
with white picket fences, small hotels and restaurants. The shining star is the
three-mile long pink sand beach, which has been named one of the most beautiful
beaches in The Bahamas.
“The natural, untouched beauty and the friendliness of its
residents make this one of the most outstanding places I’ve ever been,” says
Eirik, as he sits on the beach watching the sky transform into brilliant
pastels. “It’s a place I would happily come back to in an instant.”
If you go: Accommodation in Nassau and Eleuthera ranges from
luxurious resorts, like the Baha Mar and large beach-front villas to quaint
hotels priced under $200 a night. For a reasonably priced and comfortable stay
in a gorgeous suite perched on a hill overlooking Eleuthera, stay at the
locally owned boutique hotel of Villa Allamanda near Governor’s Harbour. For a
relaxed resort experience, check out Cape Eleuthera Resort or Valentine’s
Resort & Marina on Harbour Island.
Snorkeling excursions to Stuart Cove’s can be arranged through Snorkel Bahamas Adventure at https://stuartcove.com/snorkeling/snorkel-trips/.
Snorkeling excursions to Stuart Cove’s can be arranged through Snorkel Bahamas Adventure at https://stuartcove.com/snorkeling/snorkel-trips/.
For more information on Nassau and Eleuthera visit https://www.nassauparadiseisland.com
or https://www.myoutislands.com.
-- published by the Edmonton Sun in November 2019: https://edmontonsun.com/travel/international/finding-paradise-in-the-bahamas
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| The lone tree on Harbour Island, which was once the capital of the Bahamas. |