Staniel Cay

Arriving in this quant little hilltop community was exciting! Home to famous “pig beach” as well as “thunder-ball grotto” we knew this area would have a lot to offer. We anchored in the pristine aqua waters and went into town to explore. When coming into shore, we noticed many nurse sharks and string rays approaching the beach. They were coming into feed from the fisherman throwing their scraps. There were at least 20 or 30 swimming around waiting for food! We were actually able to pet the sharks.. they felt like course sandpaper!

We snorkelled the thunder ball grotto where a James Bond movie was filmed. There was a cool cave that you swam under to get inside.. the sunlight peered through the top while you could see hundreds of tropical fish of all colours below! We even saw someone jump from the opening at the top! As the following day was Easter Sunday, we went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant. We enjoyed a three course meal which included coconut bread, and a grilled mahi mahi fillet freshly caught that day paired with a olive oil penne pasta. We also had a tomato soup and fresh argugla salad! Dessert was Easter cupcakes. As we had not gone out for a single meal since arriving in Bahamas (6weeks) so this was a very special treat!

We had to visit the swimming pigs before we left the area! Once arriving at the beach, Bella instantly met a pig friend a little bigger then her who played with her. The pigs would swim in the water out to visiting boats to get food! They were very domesticated and seem to be very friendly and used to human interaction. The story was that someone originally brought these pigs to the island back when many boats were ship wreaking in the area for local food for the people in the case boats couldn’t get out to the island. The pigs stood the test of time and it became one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Exumas! We will always fondly remember Staniel Cay and all it had to offer!