Staniel Cay, Bahamas - Day Four

Our fourth day at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club found us heading out in search of some new beaches. We decided to cruise out to Sand Cay after seeing it in the distance the last few days. The winds had shifted to more out of the south now so our calm side of the islands started to become more exposed to the weather. No worries, the ride was pretty good and we made it out there in no time. Again, we found ourselves alone on this beautiful piece of The Bahamas. While my dad set out exploring for shells, I went snorkeling.





The beach was amazing and my dad quickly found some new treasures. The Milk Conch shells were everywhere. The snorkeling here was great. I saw some great sponge and coral formations, beautiful fish, a Sea Cucumber and even a Barracuda!
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After spending some time exploring Sandy Cay, we loaded up again and headed north for a short trip to Twin Cay. It was time for lunch so sat out on the beach, enjoyed the views, and ate our wonderful lunch that the yacht club staff had made for us. After lunch, Dad and I ventured out again for our own versions of exploring; he on the beach, me in the water.

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My dad found some tiny treasures and I found a yellow and black striped fish with blue marks on its fin that I had never seen before. Can anyone ID it for me? I even spotted a Bristle Worm as well as a tiny Banded Shrimp hidning in a Sea Anemone. This place is amazing!





After lunch we made the short trip back to the sandbar at Little Pipe Cay, but we were a little late. We had missed low tide and most of the sandbar that gave us all the treasure before, was already submerged. I promised my dad we'd try to time it better tomorrow. It was getting late so we started to head back, but not before another stop at Thunderball Grotto so I can chase the Queen Butterfly fish again with my camera. I managed to get some good shots, but some were closer than I was ready for since she seemed to be chasing me this time!




After some good naps and enjoying the peacefulness from our deck, we headed back to the club house for dinner. Oh yeah, lobster again! We found a boat named "Sugar Bear" moored at the yacht club. I had to get a picture since that is the nickname my wife uses for our oldest daughter! I went ahead and signed up for wireless internet since I wanted to start watching the weather for our flight home and to be able to file our flight plan when the time came. For those that know my Dad, it didn't take him long to start playing Solitaire!

Staniel Cay, Bahamas - Day Three

We awoke again to another beautiful morning in paradise. Breakfast was great and we were quickly loaded up and underway to see what we could find in the Exumas today! The last major item on the tourist "punch list" was Compass Cay to the north so we decided to head all the way up there first and then work our way back towards Staniel.



After 45 minutes of cruising in the boat, we finally arrived at the Compass Cay Marina. The attraction here is to be able to see and swim with the semi-tame nurse sharks. I was really looking forward to getting some good shark pictures for my daughter. Unfortunately this turned out to be the only disappointment we experienced on our trip. As we approached the docks we noticed signs stating it was $8 PER PERSON to land there! You have got to be kidding me! In the boat we had lunch, rum punch, snorkel & beach gear, water, gas, an emergency radio, and flares. Why would I need to bring any money?!?!?! Needless to say, we promptly turned around and proceeded back out into the mesmerizing blue waters of the Exumas and found better places to see. I'm sure it would have been an experience, but if you ask me, save your money and explore elsewhere. There are plenty of nurse sharks swimming around the docks and cottages of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club; you can enjoy them there.



We cruised down the west side of Pipe Cay and then back inside where we found a sand bar on the east side of Little Pipe Cay. We just happened to find this at low tide in an effort to find an area my Dad could look for shells. We hit the mother load! There were conch shells, sand dollars, starfish, and sea biscuits everywhere. Most of the shells still had live animals in them which we tossed back into the water. We did find quite a few nice shells with nothing in them and they were coming back with us! My dad was really excited about finding a lot of Milk Conch. We also found a few Helmet shells. As we searched along we came by a tiny octopus scooting across the dry area in search of water. We picked it up and took it to the open water where we watched it happily swim away. Well, at least I think we made it happy! We spent quite awhile on the sand bar before heading out. This became Dad's favorite spot.





Our next stop was a short ride across to Thomas Cay where we had lunch. We didn't explore too much, but you could tell this was one of many spots where they harvest conch. The cracked and emptied shells were all over the upper part of the beach. As always, the views were amazing.



After lunch we cruised down to Sampson Cay. Just past the marina we had to get out and walk the boat through the shallows till we were clear on the south side. We then went by Major Spot again, where the pigs are, and marveled at the mega-yachts anchored in the area.



From there we stopped at Thunderball Grotto again before heading back to the dock and calling it a day. Dinner was wonderful again, but we decided to try something different. We both ordered the steak. Boy I thought the lobster was huge. The steaks were just as big, tender, and perfectly cooked. We sure are getting spoiled!