Well Atlantis Resort was a huge hi-light for us. We stayed only one night, but since our arrival was late in the day they said we could stay as long as we wanted the following day to enjoy the resort. Well! I'm not usually in to the resort idea but ever since we visited Atlantis on our first cruise in 1997, we knew it was a unique one. It has all the usual resort amenities but also an aquarium with numerous tanks, exquisite décor and now a huge waterpark that is laid out beautifully. The whole place is so artfully done with such attention to every detail. The emphasis is not on cheap food & sugary drinks either. So you can pull in to the marina on your own boat and gain access to all of the facilities. Everyone was so friendly & professional and the marina is top notch.

We spent much of the next day doing the waterpark & feeling like we were 12 again. One area is set up for tubing and the bulk of the slides are in this area. We used a double tube made for 2 which made it more fun since Jon could hear me yelp and make fun of me. The main artery is the river rapids and it winds around the park for a mile through pretty tropical plants, tunnels and different features like simulated waves, rapids, calm spots, beaches, etc. Then there are pull offs where you can ride up a conveyor belt on your tube or walk up the steps with your tube to the various waterslides. They are just like a roller coaster, eliciting the same “ no way, I can't go down that steep and survive “ feelings. Sometimes you'd be in pitch black and others you'd be racing along seemingly impossible drops & curves only to be dumped back into the river rapids so you could do it all over again on a different slide. They also had body slides, one of which runs through a clear tube into the middle of a shark tank but you're moving so fast and the water forces your eyes shut so you don't get to really see where you're going. Needless to say, we had a great time, myself in particular since I love this stuff I can't say enough good about Atlantis. We headed out of Nassau in the late afternoon to Rose Island to anchor for the night.

The following day we crossed the Yellow Banks to the Exumas. This island chain of the Bahamas is among the prettiest, known for it's beautiful water, peaceful anchorages and good fishing. The banks require close attention because there are shallow coral heads sprinkled on whatever course you take that must be steered around. Ordinarily we would have stopped to anchor near one for lunch and take a swim since they are so cute and fun to snorkel on but there were a lot of clouds and some light squalls that day so we didn't feel like stopping. We anchored at Allan's Cay and stayed here yesterday to finally get in the water & do some spearfishing.

And spearfishing we did! Jon got 5 lobsters, 4 in the morning on our first swim and then another really nice one after lunch. We could have had a grouper but just couldn't shoot this little fellow since he was so cute. We work well as a team, I try to spot stuff, Jon goes down & spears it and if it gets off the spear I can watch to see which coral head it goes into so we can try our best to make sure and get it. We had a nice baked lobster dinner last night and we've got plenty now for a few more meals. Jon made a couple new spears at his parent's house with his dads' bench grinder. He bought some good quality stainless steel for them so these shouldn't rust all over the deck like the last ones did.

Allen's Cay is known for an iguana population- it is uninhabited otherwise. You can land your dinghy on a cute little beach and all the iguanas come out to greet you. The reefs on the adjacent keys are really beautiful and healthy. We were warned that there would be lionfish and indeed they are numerous. They of course are not supposed to be on this side of the world and are reported to be very aggressive & unhealthy for the reef. We're not sure if we're supposed to be killing them or not but I have to say I don't like seeing them here. They look out of place. The anchorage has plenty of boats in it although we don't know anyone here. When we swam in the anchorage that first evening, there were bottles & cans under the boat and other refuse- all stuff that shouldn't be there and we are really amazed that in this crystal clear shallow water in an anchorage, someone would have the nerve to think it is OK to dump their cans overboard. Between that & the lionfish, we were sort of bummed out. But yesterday we dove a ways away from the anchorage and the reefs were lovey & plentiful. I saw all kinds of helmet shells, conch, fish to spear, lovely reef fish and corals.

I also like the contrast between the green, scrubby cays and the vivid colors of the water. I like to look up from the water while I'm snorkeling to see & hear the songbirds flitting around along the rocks; it's such a nice contrast. There's osprey here although they are not calling as they usually do and there are other birds of prey here too but we're not sure what they are.
Today is Monday and we plan to go out for a swim, maybe get some fish and then move 20 miles or so South to Hawksbill Cay where there is a trail to some Loyalist ruins, more pretty water and hopefully another quiet anchorage. The winds are blowing moderately out of the East and are forecast to continue this way for the next few days as we make our way down toward Georgetown. We regret that we don't have more time to spend in the Bahamas since they're so beautiful. But we sort of have to keep moving.

I've got some pictures to post on Picasa but can't do that until we get internet. For now, I can only send text to my friend Charlie who makes the posts for me. Thanks Charlie! I'm hoping when we get to Staniel Cay in the next couple of days, there will be some access there.