Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

With our fuel and water tanks and storage jugs full, we enjoyed a leisurely sail of 19 miles from Sampson Cay to a mooring ball at Warderick Wells Cay, home to the headquarters of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park . Because we had waited so long for the fuel, we arrived late in the afternoon, just past low tide (shallow!). The tidal current was already strong, so picking up the mooring and holding on to it long enough to tie on to it was challenging. Tied up to mooring, engine off - Coctail time.

Covering 176 square miles, the Park is the first land and sea park in the world. It includes 20 named cays and stretches southward 22 miles from its north boundary. The Park is a no-take zone by both land and sea – nothing living or dead can be removed from the Park. This year we explored only Warderick Well Cay; future visits to the Park will include checking out other areas.

The Bahamas National Trust builds and manages the nation’s park system. Throughout the country , 25 national parks exist, covering 700,00 acres of land and sea. In addition to providing opportunities for people to experience a national environment, the Trust organization also supports environmental research and education, historic preservation and sustainable development planning.

Established in 1958, the Exuma Park is one of the largest and is an extraordinary natural area. Whether exploring the underwater beauty of the coral reefs or the pristine beaches, whether hiking the trails to observe the many species of birds, fish, or other wildlife, whether having a cocktail with friends watching the spectacular sunsets ----- this is the perfect place to be.

We snorkeled all the reefs around Emerald Rock with Marlene and Doug (s/v Solar Eclipse). We saw more varieties of coral and much healthier, colorful coral than we’ve seen thus far in the Exumas., though we did see some bleaching and green algae growth which is attributed to warmer waters caused by global warming. The barrel and vase sponges also were colorful and healthy looking. The Sea Fans were large and beautiful,; a conch and a crab were moving about. We also saw a nice variety of tropical fish as well as snapper, yellow fin tuna, and other game fish. Thunderball Grotto at Staniel Cay has a far greater number and variety of tropical and game fish, but those tame fish stay in the cave area and are fed by and surrounded by snorkerlers on a daily basis. So, while the fish in the Park aren’t scared away by snorkerlers, they do not congregate in large numbers and they are not expecting a hand-out, mainly because since feeding them is not allowed.

Going at slack tide to avoid the strong tidal currents, the four of us also snorkeled The Rangers Garden. The large reefs are cleaned twice a day by strong tidal currents and were more colorful than the reefs around Emerald Rock. We had been exploring the reefs for quite a while when Larry swam over to me and said, “Shark!” at which time I immediately swam toward the dingy while Larry got Marlene’s attention and she was quick to alert Doug. Just a few minutes later, we were aboard our dingy’s! Larry then told us the shark was eight to ten feet and he wasn’t sure what kind it was, but he was sure it was not a Nurse Shark, known for rarely being aggressive. We all voiced that the shark was probably not the least interested in us but we all agreed we were through snorkeling for the day. From the poster at the Headquarters, Larry identified it to be a Lemon shark and, apparently, there are many of them around the cay and they do not bother swimmers. We ‘knew’ that, but the next time we see one swimming close by, we’ll probably take the same action.

The Park provides information and location of several other good snorkeling spots, places where swimmers can observing large lobster ‘walking’ on the bottom or explore fragile reefs formed by stromatolites, the oldest evidence of life on earth,.

A trip to the Park would not be complete without hiking the Boo Boo Hill Trail. Started as a commemorative to drowning victims of a ship wreck just off the cay, the Hill is now the spot where cruisers leave a piece of wood
marked with their vessel’s name, the date, and any other information they wish to add. Boo Boo Hill provides magnificent panoramic views of much the central Exumas. We spent a couple of hours hiking many of the trails, enjoying the plants, trees,
wildlife. The little lizards are close enough to touch.

Saturday’s are Sundowners on the Beach with the Park providing the ice. Nearly all the cruisers staying on the moorings and in the small anchorage show up. The gathering provides an excellent opportunity to catch up with other cruisers that we’ve met in other areas. We may not have seen them in a month or we may have just seen them in the last place we were and we’re traveling in the same general direction. Get-togethers are also the perfect place to meet new friends.

No facilities exist for trash disposal or for acquiring groceries, fuel or fuel. While there is no phone service, wireless internet can be purchased at the headquarters, which also features a small gift shop, welcome center, book exchange, and displays, very helpful in identifying the Park’s marine and land life.

Information from the Park literature:

If snorkeling: Take Only Photographs – Leave Only Bubbles

If hiking: Take Only Photographs – Leave Nothing but Footprints