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Published: February 20th 2024
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We woke up well rested and ready for the day ahead! We were booked on ‘Shore to Shore’ Three Island’s snorkeling tour and made our way to Bay Shore Marina to board the speed boat that would take us into the ocean. Our shoes were collected and gathered into a basket and we were seated and ready to sail…or was it fly?! The Captain Mike and his mate Jamal introduced themselves, turned on the music and set the boat in motion accelerating to speeds up to 35- 45 knots. As we departed the marina in Nassau, we passed Paradise Island. Jamal pointed out to us celebrity homes -beautiful, plantation style condos belonging to Oprah, Beyoncé, Tiger Woods and other celebrities. It was a beautiful day, the sky was a beautiful blue and the waters wore multiple shades of the blueish green palette. I was fascinated watching the aquamarine color of the water with bands of dark green and vast swathes of deep blue blending into the horizon. A painter’s delight and 200 percent Pinterest worthy, nothing like I’ve ever seen in any of my recent travels. Never a big fan of the aquamarine color but this sight bowled me over and
would go down as the highlight of my trip!
The boat sped fast with the Captain swerving the wheel, making sharp turns and evoking screams from people seated on its stern - it was a good day to get a smatter of droplets, refreshing too! The tour included turtle watching on the waters off Green Turtle Cay. We saw a few turtles raise their head periodically above the waters to breathe as they swam but also learnt that they do stay under water for a long period of time. The boat stayed anchored for about 15 min and then headed out towards Rose Island for an added stop - pig watching. We would learn later that Shore to Shore tours combined two of their tour offers to optimize their cost. We went ashore and watched as the pigs were lured into the water and fed. One of the pigs was pink and big and reminded me of Wilbur from ‘Charlotte’s Web’ bringing back old long lost memories and it was so worth it! We explored the teeny weeny island for a few minutes more before taking the banana boat floaty back to the speedboat. All aboard, shouted the mate and
we were off in the direction of the reefs. This was going to be my first attempt at snorkeling and I was looking forward to it. We were handed life vest to wear around our waists and with the snorkel gear on, I made my maiden jump into the ocean. With my limited swimming skills I did swim a bit but was afraid to venture far from the boat. Needless to say I didn’t see much and wanted to get back to the boat. Other tourists enjoyed the experience and spotted schools of colorful fish underwater.
Soon it was time for another round of snorkeling and this time the boat laid anchor on the coral reefs. However, the sea was very choppy and not best suited for beginners like me but nevertheless I made the ‘leap of faith’ again and was lucky to see some corals and small fish. However, I’d still not figured the breathing part of the snorkel gear and ended up swallowing sea water. I did eventually return back to the boat but in hindsight the earlier stop was an easier one as the waters were calm. Will I ever go snorkeling in the sea again?
island view
just 1 of 700 islands, Bahamas is home to! Maybe yes and maybe no - but for now I’d like to take the higher ground and stay high and dry😊
Our last stop on the tour was lunch at a beach side shack on a small island. We had preordered conch fritters which were deep fried & unhealthy and garden salad which was fresh & healthy! After lunch we rode the boat back to the marina and got a drop off back to the hotel.
It was 2 pm and the day was still young. My husband, master of optimization decided to explore other parts of the city. We got a two wheeler rental with helmets for two, and with Google maps as our friend we were off. We drove around the city, shopped for souvenirs, drank the best ever coconut water and ate my favorite food for dinner — fish fry at Goldie’s in The Fish Fry village. I would later learn that Goldies was ‘da place’ for fish lovers in Nassau! We returned the two wheeler rental and walked back to the hotel. It was an eventful day, a memorable one with adventures of the aquatic and the aquamarine kind!
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