Something’s Fishy
12 March 2013 | Cambridge Cay, Exuma, The Bahamas
Vicki –25 deg, S 16 kn, 2/8 Cloud, 100ft+ water vis
All work and no play make Jack a dull boy; Maynard, Jake, Renae and me too. In case there’s any doubt, we do actually work and often late into the night on various work or boat jobs. However, we take time out to exercise, not in a gym or such-like, but in The Main Man’s swimming pool provided free of charge to anyone who wishes to partake. Coincidentally, we’re anchored near Johnny Depp’s 40 acre cay which he purchased after filming Pirates of the Caribbean – Renae and I really wish he would come over for a Piña Colada or a Goombay Smash.
Ideally, a great snorkelling experience requires a sunny day with few clouds, low wind, minimal tidal movement, no swell and settled conditions. Usually, one element or another is missing but you have to grab your opportunities. We headed out in the dinghy to explore a couple of spots we’d read about and on our way, found a buoy floating in the water at a nearby cay so we dived down to see what was there. We found a Cessna plane which had crashed years ago and was now home to the local fish. Two 3 ft long barracuda came sauntering past. One was only 18" from my face, yikes, he had big teeth too as he gave me a big cheesy grin, which was probably a bad sign. We also saw a nurse shark, and we also saw a lobster hiding in a crevice and some lovely soft coral. We snorkelled at a dive spot called Seaquarium, our best so far near O’Brien Cay where we were met by a school of hungry reef fish all expecting fish food. The fish life is very sparse but there are definitely more in this area as it is a Marine Park. The water clarity was extraordinary and we estimated we could see 100 ft ahead. We also visited Rocky Dundas, a rocky cay which boasts a cave only accessible by the ocean where stalactites and stalagmites grow just above sea level. Swells were pushing into the cave making a weird booming sound. Lastly we tried the Coral Gardens off Honeymoon Beach on Cambridge Cay but it has been damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
By the way, a comet by the name of Pan-STARRS is currently visible after sundown in the western sky. March 13 is expected to be the best viewing day so hopefully we’ll have a chance to take a photo if we get clear skies.