Bahamas: More than just Pretty Islands!
The Bahamas consist of 700 islands and nearly 2500 small islets or cays spanning across 100,000 sq miles (259,000 sq km) of ocean. These islands stretch 750 miles (1200km) south from Walker's Cay, about 75 miles (120km) east of Palm Beach, Florida, to the Ragged Islands, which lie 50 miles (85km) northeast of Cuba.
But for all this vast space, these islands add up to no more than 5385 sq miles (13,940 sq km) of land, about the size of the US state of Connecticut. Lying as flat as pancakes or gently sloping downward, all islands are surrounded by coral reefs or sandbanks.
The geography of many islands are marked by huge water-filled circular pits called "blue holes" that open to underground and submarine caves and descend as deep as 600ft (180m).
ABACOS
The Abacos, a boomerang-shaped island, is the second-largest land mass in the country and comprises Abaco (the main island) and the Abaco Cays, dozens of smaller cays arranged like a necklace. The Sea of Abaco is a favored spot for yachters, earning the nickname 'The Sailing Capital of the World.'
Instead of the usual high end hotels and resorts, the Abacos boast of home-like cottages and inns along beaches with talcum-fine sand. Walker's Cay, on the edge of the Gulf Stream, is one of The Bahamas' prime sites for sport-fishing enthusiasts. Colorful coral reef gardens bordering the Atlantic invite divers and snorkelers to explore them. On land, most of Abaco is filled with scrub and pine forest, ideal for those who want to try bird watching and nature hikes.
Elbow Cay, located east of Marsh Harbour, an islet filled with scrub and pine inhabited by lizards and feral cats. Its lone hamlet called Hope Town looks like something attached to the ground by a lighthouse resembling a candy cane.
Although it is one of the most frequented places in The Bahamas, Hope Town has managed to minimize the effects of tourism, with its nearly 100 well-preserved, old homes painted in bright colors and two narrow, car-free lanes encircling the village.
Visitors may either choose to stroll around and enjoy the serenity or brave the 100-step climb up the lighthouse to capture the breathtaking scenery. For culture buffs, the Wyannie Malone Museum, has displays on Lucayan Indians, the first settlers on the Bahamas and Loyalists who came in thousands after the American Revolutionary war; as well the Cetacean Museum, a place exclusive for whale displays.
Biminis
The Bimini group is extremely flat and small, just about 10 sq mi (26 sq km). The North Bimini island (referred to by the locals as simply 'Bimini') shaped like an inverted crab claw is no more than 7mi (11km) long and 400yd (366m) across at its widest point. Only 150yd (137m) of water separates it from South Bimini, a chunky plot of land with no inhabitants.
Most activities take place in Alice Town, especially in midsummer, when tourists flock to fish, relax, drink beer, and tell fishing stories. Spring break provides more excitement with college students holding wet-T-shirt contests and drunken parties.
Wahoo, tuna, sailfish, mako shark, barracuda, and especially blue marlin fish put up quite a fight with those who cast their fishing tackles for that record catch. Scuba divers attracted by the islands' crystal-clear waters can dive with rare Atlantic spotted dolphins which seem to like diving with humans as well.