On our second day at Staniel the kids were in charge. They wanted to see the pigs and Thunderball Grotto. Rather than ferry the crew around in little star, which would be wet, slow, and require two trips, we hired a 14' Boston Whaler for $150. Roq wasn't allowed to go (dogs and pigs are like fire and water you know). The skipper was on his third beer when Hideko hired him but he seemed accustomed to piloting the waters under at least that much influence so no worries. If you are picky about such things make sure to hire your boat in the early AM.


We motored directly over the sand bar that runs right in front of the docks (about three feet of sparkling clear water) and headed for the beach on the west side of Big Major's Spot. We approached the beach from the south end of the anchorage. This area is a great place to drop the hook with the wind from the north or the east. The anchorage has a nice sand bottom with good holding that leads right up to the beach. You probably don't want to swim or play on this beach. As we closed to within about 200 feet of the beach, first one, then two, and finally five fairly large pigs came scampering out of the scrub brush.

These pigs have been trained by visitors and locals to equate the hum of an outboard with someone yelling "suuuweee". They prance around the beach a bit to see if you look like tourists. If there are enough cameras and the shirts are colorful enough they hit the surf. Two of them started to paddle out to our skiff as we closed to within about 50 feet of the beach. The skipper waited until the pigs got a few feet away and then backed up on pace so that they didn't try to board us. We zigged around in the shallows with the two pigs following close behind and then two more got into the act. Buz kicking in, our skipper was not willing to deal with four converging hogs. After insuring that everyone had gotten their obligatory swimming pig pictures we made for Thunderball Grotto. The whole experience reminded me of my Grandfather in Maryland, who used to take me to see the pigs at a farm down the road from his house. I guess all little kids like pigs and their antics.

[BEGIN SOAPBOX]We didn't feed the pigs at Big Majors and we did not feed the fish at Thunderball Grotto either. The locals will encourage you to do so but I encourage you to refrain. Feeding the wildlife (or feral pigs) encourages the aggressive behavior that caused our skiff captain to stand off the beach and it also negatively impacts the natural order of things that we all come out here to witness. I often think that folks who live in paradise, such as the Bahamas, don't realize that it can be destroyed. Americans have seen fishing grounds go dry, lakes polluted beyond habitation and species exterminated in almost every habitat. In all but the rarest cases we reacted too late in the game to create sustainability. I worry that the same pattern is at work, if delayed, in so many of the remaining pristine places. There is not a beach in the Bahamas, no matter how deserted, that I have not found garbage on. I rarely snorkel without seeing the odd beer can or bottle. It is very important for guests such as us to practice extreme conservation when abroad, we have done enough damage, it is time for us to begin setting the example.[END SOAPBOX]

Thunderball Grotto is a must see. We coasted up to the dinghy mooring at almost low tide, the best time to get there. If you are a strong swimmer with fins, visiting the grotto might be great anytime, but the current has to get close to three knots at peak flow. There is a large opening into the grotto just under water on the cut side and another large opening just above water at low tide on the banks side. If you linger past slack tide you'll feel the current through the grotto start to build as the air space above the banks entrance disappears.

The grotto is about 65 feet in diameter and has underwater swim throughs and cuts leading into it from various points. It is filled with fish and coral and makes for spectacular snorkeling. There are several holes in the top of the grotto that allow the sunlight to beam into the water below. Jumping into the grotto pool from above is one of the e-tickets here but you need to pick a day when there are no snorkelers below. It was not our day to jump. Everyone, even the kids had a great time snorkeling though. As the current filled in we all climbed back in the boat and headed back to Staniel to cap off the day with a nice burger at the Yacht Club grill.