I’ve Gone on 134 Dives and This Is My Favourite Snorkeling Spot within the Caribbean

As a long-time scuba diver, I sometimes hunt down the perfect scuba websites once I journey to the Caribbean. However in a single vacation spot, I did not should strap on an air tank to expertise the wonders of the native marine life.

Within the Exumas—the sub-archipelago of The Bahamas comprising over 300 cays southeast of Nassau—I visited an impressive website brimming with tropical fish. Generally known as “Thunderball Grotto,” this secluded, dramatic cave of jagged limestone, illuminated by solar rays peering down by means of pure holes within the ceiling, appears to be like like a film set. (And in reality, it was: the “thunderball” in its identify comes from its look within the 1965 James Bond movie starring Sean Connery, and it had made a couple of Hollywood cameos since.)

Mendacity between Staniel Cay and Huge Main Cay, Thunderball Grotto is accessible by constitution boat or by any of the all-day boat cruises that cease in any respect the favored Exumas spots. These embody different “must-sees” like Pig Seashore (actually a seaside full of pigs, because the identify suggests) and the nurse shark sanctuary in Compass Cay.

As soon as anchored, it could take some effort to get into the grotto relying on the present and tides, since you need to swim and snorkel your manner from the boat to the cave’s entrance. However when you’re contained in the pure enclosure, the efforts will likely be visibly value it.

Once I emerged from the waters, I noticed its cavernous, nearly cathedral-like inside. The rugged limestone partitions reached to a ceiling with pure skylights, from which aerial roots of ficus timber hung like ornamental material. It is a majestic sight.

However the actual magic was underneath the glassy, blue-hued waters which might be so clear and clear it gives mind-boggling visibility for snorkeling. The central pool has clusters of coral and sponges, attracting dozens of varieties of tropical fish. Snorkeling right here is like swimming in a naturally-formed aquarium, the place you’ll see the black and white stripes of banded butterfly fish, silver bar jacks, yellowtail snappers, multi-colored parrotfish, and yellow-tinted, striped sergeant majors, amongst lots of the different fish discovered within the Bahamas.

The occasional scuba diver could dive deeper to see extra of the underwater rock formations, however it’s not obligatory. The spectacle that’s Thunderball Grotto is already close to the floor of the water.