EXUMA CAYS

Let's talk about connecting with yourself. It's no surprise that I feel euphoric in the ocean, given that I'm a Pisces who grew up on the water. Plus, living on a boat is just better. You get to replace the mundane household chores with exciting boat tasks! Lock the door or close the hatch? Park the car or anchor the boat? I could go on, but you get my point.

My journey began when I flew into Nassau with my mom. We stayed at a hotel across from Atlantis for a night, where I unfortunately experienced food poisoning and had the pleasure of getting to know the porcelain throne all night. But that didn't matter because the next morning, we boarded our temporary home: a Leopard 46' Catamaran – cue the holy music.

Let me introduce you to Amazing Grace. Not to assume pronouns, but she was a beauty who took us to some incredible places. We embarked on a journey through the Exumas, an archipelago consisting of 365 islands – yes, that's a lot of islands. The Exuma Cays exceeded my expectations, and we centered our trip around snorkeling and free diving, trying to avoid crowds as best we could.

I was somewhat relieved to see bits and pieces of thriving marine and reef life still left in this protected area. That gave my heart the embrace it needed after witnessing the devastating loss of marine life over the past decade. Coral species were more diverse, colorful, and abundant than I expected. I had the incredible opportunity to swim with Lemon Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks, Green Sea Turtles, Loggerhead Turtles, Sting Rays, Eagle Rays, a sea of Thimble Jellyfish, Reef Squid, and every type of fish you can imagine.

The Nurse Sharks, for instance, were fascinating. They mostly rested beneath something providing shade and were incredibly docile as they drifted in the shallow waters.

And then there was this magnificent Eagle Ray, a rare sight during our trip. We swam around with it for a few minutes, its white cheetah-like spots glistening in the sunlight.

But perhaps the most awe-inspiring encounter was with the largest, oldest, and most prehistoric-looking Loggerhead turtle I had ever seen. This Loggerhead was a remarkable sight to behold. It might not look enormous in the picture, but imagine a fully grown man in a cannonball position, and that would just about cover the shell.

In between these exhilarating swims, we indulged in some delicious meals. I found myself looking forward to every meal, not only because we had an amazing cook on board, but also because each meal came with a breathtaking view. Our captain even speared a lobster for dinner on our second night, just before entering the park, where such catches would have been illegal.

That lobster was absolutely delicious, especially paired with some local Nassau IPA ;)

Once we entered the Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park, we got to experience places that felt straight out of a movie, only better. The park encompasses over 100,000 acres, all protected from fishing, shelling, conching, and lobstering. Warderick Wells island, home to the park's headquarters, boasted a small hiking trail known as Boo Boo Hill.

Additionally, the island had an actual whale skeleton on its beach. It's remarkable how often we forget, as humans, just how minuscule we are in comparison to everything else in the world. The island also featured a brown salt pond in the middle, which I wanted to explore further, but the mosquitoes were on steroids out there.

Here are some fun facts I picked up during my visit: All the palm trees in the Exumas were my height (which I like to think of as cute and mini) because there's no taller vegetation to compete with. Mangrove bushes act like kidneys, filtering out the salt they absorb from the water, and piling it into one leaf on the bush, which then turns yellow and falls off to begin the process anew.

This trip was too incredible to squeeze into just one blog post, so stay tuned for part two!