Wonders Of Grand Bahama Island

Another Slideshow of Grand Bahama Island

2010-03-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Click to be taken to another long slideshow to see the many wonders that await you on the island.

And The Adventure Begins With a Breath Taking View From a Plane Window

2010-02-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

Ever since childhood I dreamed a dream of white sandy beaches, waters as clear as glass, and of palm trees with real coconuts. I imagined myself on my own deserted paradise, with nothing but me, a hammock, a cool drink, and tons of sunshine.

It took me close to 20 years to finally reach such a destination, and finally...finally I found my paradise, and my paradise? Well let's just say it was all delivered on Grand Bahama Island.

I booked our flight in June of 2008, and up until the day of our flight I worried so many worries. Mostly though I am sure the worries I dealt with were that of anyone who would be taking their very first trip.

My first concern was; was I expecting too much? Would the sand really be as white as websites and brochures offered? Would waters truly be crystal clear? Would I really be surrounded by palm trees? Or would everything be just as it is here in New York. Dark murky waters, sand- but more of a yellowish tint? Palm trees, only planted and not naturally grown?

I worried...would I really find paradise on Grand Bahama Island?

The flight was around 6 hours long, of course we traveled economy, and had a change in the Carolina's. The flight though offered a glimpse of the Bahamas as we grew closer. I could tell we were nearly there when the dark waters we had seen down below for so long, turned into a near glowing turquoise rainbow, with beautiful hues of green, blue, aquamarine, and every other hue of blue one could imagine. I knew just from the view down below, that paradise was soon to be discovered.

All of my worries were set aside, the moment I looked out that window.

Palm Trees with Coconuts!!!!

2010-02-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

The moment we stepped off the plane I felt as if we were in a whole new world. Freeport Airport was small, and there were no terminals, we simply stepped off of the plane and into the airports parking lot! This is something that I only thought was done in scenes in Hollywood movies!
After stepping off the plane the heat hit me. It was not a drenching blow of heat, it was a dry clean scent, like nothing I had ever smelled before come from air.
I took my first look at Grand Bahama Island, and I wanted to take in every last scent, and sight. Immediately in the distance I noticed not just a few palm trees, but thousands of them. A tropical jungle if you will.
I knew I was not just on Grand Bahama Island, I was some place special, some place I never ever in my life thought I would be. I felt like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz- only I didn't want to go home.
I was in paradise...now all I needed was to find the water and see for myself if it was crystal clear.
From the small airport we took our cab to Viva Wyndham, an all inclusive resort on the island.
The cab ride itself was an adventure. It took 20 minutes to get to our destination. Our cabbie driver pulled up at the airport in a large taxi van. The van had no seat belts and in New York no way would it ever pass inspection. As uncomfortable as the ride was, it was part of the adventure. Like I said. You are not in Kansas anymore. In Grand Bahama Island many of the roads are covered in bumps, holes, and sand. The ride was indeed bumpy, but the scenery around us impeccable.
On the way we did happen to see a few homes that were in total disarray. They had been destroyed by a hurricane a few years back, and some were still in repair. Others that looked vacant actually had people living in them. Nonetheless, everything was as I had imagined. Beautiful. Palm trees as far as I could see, and phone lines were actually made of large palm trees. No large glorified cylinder shaped poles with lamps like you would find in New York. On Grand Bahama Island everything is simple, making it all the more natural, and all the more beautiful.
Before pulling up to our hotel, I managed to count 3 enormous crabs crossing the street. An image forever marked in my memory, never to be forgotten.

Grand Bahama Island Photos

2010-02-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

The photo below was taken on the airboat tour into the mangroves. This is the small cay you will be having your lunch on. Lovely!!!

The Mangroves

Grand Bahama Island Sea Gull

2010-02-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Where I am from seagulls are big, white and gray. On Grand Bahama Island the gulls take on a much smaller and prettier apperance. As you can see, they are more of a dark gray, and white, than a light gray like here in the USA.

Cute huh?

Fans

2010-02-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

I found these photograph recently on my PC and realized I had not shared it with my viewers yet. So here it is a beautiful array of sea fans.

The pictures were taken right off of Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach... and once again, I cannot stress it enough... this is WHY you are not supposed to step on the coral, or even the bottom if you can help it. Delicate beautiful wonders like this are everywhere, and it does not take much to destroy them!

They don't step on you, so don't step on them. : )

My, What a View!!!

2010-02-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Once the taxi dropped us off at our hotel, I wondered if it would be a dark dank little box of a hotel.

My worries though all slipped away the moment we pulled up. We had an employee grab our bags and take them into the main lobby where we checked in.

I could not see water yet, but I could feel it, and I honestly could not wait to be checked in, and given our water view room.

Once we were given our room, I was a little hesitant, because I still did not see water. The nice man who carried our luggage went over to the large balcony sliding doors, and pulled away the curtains to reveal our dream like water view.

There before me, no less than 50 feet away stood a gigantic beach! White powdery sand? Check! Turquoise blue waters? Check! Palm trees? Check, check, check!!!

Our view was spectacular, and even though we were jet lag, we hit the beach up immediately, with our underwater camera in hand, and our scuba gear; we were ready to see what Grand Bahama had to offer; under water!

*Our view, day and night photos- above.

Needle Nose At Barbary Beach, Grand Bahama Island

2009-09-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to find the photos of the needle nose schools that were spotted in large schools in between the rock pools at Barbary Beach.

Gold Rock Beach

2009-09-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

Framed Coral Reef Print, Get It Here

Gold Rock Beach Postcards, Get Them Here

Gold Rock Beach Pin, Get Them Here

Gold Rock Beach, Grand Bahama Island...Bridge Repaired!

2009-09-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Last year when we took a day to check out Lucayan Nation Park, the bridge to Gold Rock Beach was out of service. Left with no other option, we took the very long trek through the mangroves in order to get to the beach.

The hike is not for the weary though, because it is one hell of a long hike, however the hike through the mangroves is beautiful. If you have the energy definitely take the right path to Gold Rock Beach.

The bridge during our 2009 visit though was back in order, and the newly repaired bridge to the beach is beautiful.

You still get to see the Mangroves, but you won't be as up close and personal had you taken the long hike through them. Along the way you will run into some tropical friends, such as this lovely spider.
Don't be afraid of them, they are not harmful to humans at all. They may get big, may look scary, but they are harmless.

Gold Rock Beach has 2 paths to get to it. Go to the right for the jungle like trek, and head straight for a faster hike to the beach.

Before coming up the small hike through the path in the woods, I wondered if Gold Rock Beach stood just as stunning as she was last year. To my shock, my jaw once again dropped. The beach never fails to stun. As soon as we came up through the woody path, our eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. The beach was still pristine, still decadent, still perfect, still the definition of pure paradise.

If you have been following my blog, than you likely already know that Gold Rock Beach was a location where Pirates of the Caribbean filmed. It's no wonder why, the beach is one of the best beaches I have ever seen in my life.

The sands are pure white, the colors of the water fade into dark blues, greens, turquoise and emerald, a sight that will take you breath away.

On the beach the large driftwood trees still remain. They however add to the breathtaking scenery.

At low tide the sea leaves behind traces of its own natural art.

If you are on Grand Bahama Island, even for a short period of time, you cannot miss Gold Rock Beach. Be sure however to check your tides, you want to hit Gold Rock Beach at low tide in order to embrace it in all its glory.

Snorkeling at Gold Rock is not that fantastic however, the beach itself is pretty lifeless, and you may only come across schools of small fish, crabs, and sting rays. The water here is very open though, which means that sharks can quickly come in, take a bite, and pass back out to sea in seconds. The best snorkeling is out in the distance at the 'Gold Rock'. You do not want to go alone though, because the water is very open and you are quite a ways away from help for if anything bad were to happen.

The Gold Rock features a nice formation of corals, and lots of fish can be found here. The swim is far though, so make sure you are up for it, if you do decide to do it.

Snorkeling though will not impress you as much as the beach itself will as a whole. It is the definition of beautiful, paradise, and tropical wonders.

Bahamas EcoVentures - A Must Do Nature Tour

2009-09-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to mention one of the wonderful tours we took while on the island. Bahamas EcoVentures is a tour that runs on Grand Bahama Island.

We took tour # 1 which is an airboat tour, which consists of a 4 hour nature tour through the mangroves. For $79 per person the tour begins with complimentary pick up at your hotel. While still in the tour bus you are given a waiver to sign in case you are hurt. Next you are taken to Hawksbill Creek where the tour begins. Before taking off on the airboat you are given life jackets and are told safety procedures.

On the airboat you are then handed a pair of ear plugs because the boat is very loud. The boat itself is roomy, comfortable, and the tour guide was not only full of bubbly personality, but she was also very knowledgeable in the plant life, animal life (land and sea), the mangrove, and the history of the area and the island.

The airboat first glides calmly over some large blue holes which plunge at depths of up to 80 feet. These blue holes were spectacular to look into from the boat as the waters are crystal clear. Inside the blue holes numerous fish swim about, and you are able to take photos.

After looking in at the blue holes, the airboat then quickly races off through the mangroves, which are areas that no normal boats could reach due to how shallow the waters are.

While flying at top speeds through the mangroves, the boat would slow up whenever we came across small sharks.

We spotted many different small sharks, and hammerheads were in an abundance in some areas. We also spotted plenty of stone fish, needle nose fish, baby barracuda, reef sharks, black tip sharks and more.

The hammerhead sharks were amongst some of my favorite sharks to spot, and they swam out in the open. The smaller reef sharks stuck to where small trees grew from the sea. We were told they do this to feast on baby birds that happen to fall into the shallow waters.

Can You Spot The Baby Reef Sharks Fin In This Photograph?

About an hour into riding through the area on the airboat we stopped to do some snorkeling in a collection of blue holes. The waters were extremely murky and hard to walk in. The water got no deeper than 3 feet, however while snorkeling around the blue holes you could swim down to deeper levels if you felt up to it. Some of the blue holes plunged down to very deep depths, while others you could easily tough the bottom.

Snorkeling around was an experience to say the least, and was a lot of fun.

After snorkeling, we then switched up on who got to sit next to the guide. The captains chair allows you to see more of the area as it's seated higher up above anyone else. The seating was fantastic and memorable.

Before setting up on Mangrove Cay a small deserted island, the tour guide ran the boat at full speed and showed us what it was capable of doing. Mind blowing turns, twists, and it was able to reach through areas one would not imagine.

A Small Cay In The Distance. There Are Many Of These Small Islands Here

After the fun speed ride around the area we walked off of the boat onto the deserted Mangrove Cay, where picture taking took place. Mangrove Cay was spectacular with tons of tiny sea shells, and scenery that could take your breath away. One really neat picture opportunity was the deadwood bush that stuck up out of the sea.

Homemade lunch and beverages were served on the beach, and the authentic Bahamian cuisine was fantastic.

After lunch we packed up due to an oncoming storm in the distance.

Overall EcoVentures was worth every penny, and an adventure worth writing home about. If in Grand Bahama Island, definitely be sure to check them out, the tour is well worth it. Click for more information.

Review: Barbary Beach- Grand Bahama Island

2009-09-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Grand Bahama Island for my 2009 vacation. I visited places that I had not been able to last year, and one beach I wanted to mention to everyone is Barbary Beach.

On many forums, websites, etc, etc, it is said to be one of the top beaches on the entire island. While I would say the beach was quite beautiful, it still does not come close to being quite as stunning as Gold Rock Beach.

While the beach is quite secluded, and the pictures are worth a million words, the beach on our arrival was pretty riddled with trash.

We were able to look past all of the litter and enjoy the day on the very secluded beach. Not a single person was seen during our entire day, and we enjoyed snorkeling in the shallow pools to the right side of the beach where rocks, and corals piled up out of the sea. Here was where I took many pictures of needle nose schools. I will have to upload them at a later date, as they are buried in numerous photos I have yet to go through.

Out in the distance you will notice a small island poking up from the sea as well. This island is known as Peterson Cay, and if you want you could book kayak excursions or boat excursions out to the island. The kayak tours usually meet at Barbary Beach early in the morning. If you get to the beach early enough you will have the opportunity to watch them all paddle away, or you could join them by booking in advance.

The kayak tours claim it will take around 30 minutes to get to Peterson Cay, and I have to agree. It is quite far away, and if you are not good at kayaking, look for tours that run boats to the secluded private island.

One excursion for those of you whom enjoy kayaking, you can book a tour with Grand Bahama Nature Tours. Click to be taken to the site.

Anyhow, with that aside, Barbary Beach is beautiful, there is no denying it; however if you have to chose between Gold Rock Beach, and Barbary, hands down Gold Rock Beach wins by a landslide.

Reef Fish, and Coral Slide Show

2009-08-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share with everyone a slideshow of mine that I posted on Associated Content. The slideshow features some corals, and some of the fish that I captured on camera, that I have not yet posted here on my blog.

So check them out. Click here

Review: Newly Designed, Zeagle Teleoz EZ Travel Fins

2009-07-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

Seeing that many of you whom have landed on my blog to get to know Grand Bahama Island more, may also be interested in particular items and snorkel/dive products.

I bought the Zeagle Teleoz EZ Travel Fins a few months ago, and warm weather finally permitted me to putting them to use!

Now for those of you whom may of heard about the fins being horrible, do note that the ones I am reviewing are the newly designed fins, with improvements!

The fins are unique, and unlike any other, as they have a soft sandal like bootie bolted down to the thin blade of the fin. The open toe design protects you from less cramping in the water. The thin design and lack of side rail should not deter you from purchasing them, because they really provide a ton of speed in the water.

They do float, and I would primarily recommend them for snorkeling, due to this fact. Some may feel a little bit of a pull at their legs while diving deep water, however for me, I did not feel any pull, and they worked like a charm for what I needed them for, which is surface snorkeling. While in the water I was also able to push myself down into further depths without a problem.

The straps are superb, and allowed me to easily adjust them as I wanted.

I have a size 8.5 shoe, and bought the medium sized fins. They easily adjusted to my foot, and were very very comfortable. My boyfriend who is in a size 11, was also able to adjust the straps and wear the fins as well, so the medium size in my opinion is very universal as far as sizing goes.

The lightweight thin size allows me to tote them along with ease, and frankly I couldn't be happier with them.

For casual snorkeling, I recommend the Zeagle Teleoz EZ Travel Fins for sure.

A List Of Wonderful Grand Bahama Island Activites, Tours, and Excursions.

2009-07-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

I am busily preparing all sorts of excursions for my second upcoming trip to Grand Bahama Island.

Last year (2008) we were prepared, but we did not get to do as many excursions as we would have liked to.

When I get back this year in September, I will review every and all excursion we had the time to participate in.

For those of you who are new to the island though, I found quite a few tours, and excursions that may peak your interest.

The first is ExoticAdventures (click to be taken to site)

What is so neat about this site is the fact that you can schedule for one of the example tours, or you can create your own.

I personally want to visit surrounding cays, and will likely be making arrangements with this company as the vacation draws nearer.

Visit the site for more information!

Grand Bahama Nature Tours is another tour company that has quite a few interesting tours that you will want to possibly book. They include kayak tours to Peterson Cay, Bike Riding Tours, Bird Watching, Jeep Safari, Snorkeling, and much much more!!!

Click to be Taken to their site.

Superior Watersports features numerous tours on land, or on the sea. There is sure to be something that will tickle your traveling fancy!

They feature party cruises, island tours, and a very cool semi submarine tour! Click to be taken to their site, to read more about available tours, and contact information.

Fantasia Tours is another site you will definitely want to check out. They feature all sorts of excursions. Click to be taken to site.

Xanadu Undersea Adventures is a site you will want to check out for some superb diving excursions! Click to be taken to their site to learn more.

Smiling Pat's is another site you should check out. They offer unique excursions. A particular pleaser is a tour to Sandy Cay, which is known as Gilligan's Island. There are many other excursions that run daily, so check it out. Click here to be taken to their site.

Unexso is a site you should check out as well. They've got open ocean dolphin dives, private dolphin encounters, dolphin swims, and other diving opportunities. How about diving with some sharks! Click to see their list of activities, and prices.

Pinetree Stables offers horseback riding through dreamlike trails, and flawless turquoise waters. Click to learn more.

H. Forbes Charter Service offers a ton of guided tours that you should look into. Click to view their site, and tours.

EcoVentures will take you on an awesome air boat ride through Grand Bahama Island. Click to view their many different air boat tours.

When I get back, I will have reviews on a few of the places, and how the tours were.

Grand Bahama Island, Here We Come! Round 2!!!

2009-05-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

I told my entire family about Grand Bahama Island, and they seemed very interested in taking a trip as well.

When Bahamas.com ran their $200 special on Grand Bahama Island vacation packages, we took advantage of the opportunity.

We will be headed back this September 2009 again. Stay tuned, I will have photos from Sandy Cay, which is known as Gilligan's Island, and many, many other excursions we did not get to take the first time we were there. I'll be sure to mention it all. The excursions, the new beaches we visit, and of course, photos galore!

You Gotta See Grand Bahama Islands Port Lucaya Marketplace

2009-04-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

We weren't going to visit the Port Lucaya Marketplace at first, but seeing that we had time to kill before our cab ride back to Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach, we figured we would first go to the ATM at the nearby resort and spend a little bit of our money in the Port Lucaya Marketplace.

It's basically an area that I would compare to Main Street. There are lots of local shops to visit which sell unique items....plus you could get yourself a Cuban Cigar!!!

The place is a bit intimidating at first due to the flea market like atmosphere that occurs down one stretch off the street. In this area though you can find locals attempting to sell all sorts of good ranging from handmade t-shirts, conch plates, and mugs, shell jewlwey and other beautiful memorbilia to remember your trip by.

I will be uploading a photo of the handmade conch mug we bought for $15.00 later today. They are beautiful, and can be found in the Port Lucaya Marketplace on Grand Bahama Island! If we had more room in our bags we would have also gotten the larger handmade conch bowl, which was just stunning!

The Brain Coral Is Gorgeous!!!

2009-04-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

One thing you defineltly will not miss while snorkeling around thewaters on Grand Bahama Island are brain coral!!!

We came across so many wondeful formations in sizes extra small to extra extra large...and someof them grew into odder shapes...like this one! Tee-hee! I dont have to tell you what this one looks like do I?

Here is another beatuful brain coral located amongst other corals and sea weed.

This formation is one of my all time brain coral shots

This was a beautiful medium sized brain coral that I shot at Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach!

This larger brain coral made for a good hiding spot for some of the fish

A big one!!!

What a Weird Colored Lionfish!!!! Grand Bahama Island Photos

2009-04-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

I wish this photo came out a little clearer, however even with its graininess you can clearly see that this Lionfish does not look like the lionfish in other photos I posted in older posts of Lionfish!

This fella is clearly blue in color.

Only 1 Left On Amazon, Satava Art Glass Moon Jellyfish Paperweight Sculpture

2009-04-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

I should have bought one of these beautiful paperweights when they were more affordable. I remember back a few years ago first hearing about the Satava Art Glass Moon Jellyfish Paperweight Sculpture on Trendhunters, and wanted one sooo badly. I was too cheap to spend the $70.00 or so they first went for when I found them on ebay, and now they are in the $400.00-$3,500 range!

Man they are beautiful though! They just remind me of the Bahamas, Imagine a light being placed underneath!!! Stunning!!!

Here is another noteworthy Jellyfish lamp!

And you absolutely must check out this website, for even more of these lamps in other colors.

Watch For This Beauty As Well

2009-04-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Cone snail is usually found in Australia, but the Sharptail Eel is normally found in Panama, and we still spotted one.

I wanted to fill you in on this species because if you do happen to stumble upon it, leave it be. The pretty colors are a tempting shell to want to keep, but best leave it be.

Please read the following article on Wikipedia.

Sea of Warning! Do Not Step On The Coral, Do Not Touch Certain Fish, and Watch Where You Put Your Feet!!!

2009-04-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Although it is highly unlikely you will come across any dangers while swimming the lush sea of Grand Bahama Island, there is always a factor at hand.
One being you are out of your element, and two being that you don't know what to avoid in these foreign seas.

Now you don't have to go paddling around like a scardey cat, but there are a few species of fish and coral I wanted to mention to you before you just flop into the water.

While we stood at the resort on Viva Wyndham we saw a lot of stupid careless acts going on by some of the other guests.

The first thing was that some bad swimmers would drop their bare feet onto the corals for a rest!

Not only is this inconsiderate of the LIVE corals, but it is also very, very stupid and could potentially land you a nice long visit to the hospital, and in some rare cases death (depending on what you step on).

There are a few highly poisonous fish and some corals that could cause a sting to the skin that could last up to two weeks if brushed against!

The first of course is fire coral.

The second fish to watch out for is the lion fish. See photo. They won't come out to attack you or anything, but if you brush up against them they could cause sever swelling. Their venom does not usually cause death, but should be avoided.

Can you see the deadly fish in this photo below?! This is the guy to truly watch out for, because he will camouflage to match his surrounding so well that you may even miss him when looking down at the sea floor through your mask.
The Stone fish is deadly, and could cause death depending on how deep it's barbs penetrate into your skin!

See how he just matches his surroundings? Almost invisible!

Next we have of course the Barracuda which generally looks motionless in water. I spotted this beauty, took some photos and backed off. Although attacks are rare, its still best to keep a close eye on one if you stumble upon it. They can lunge straight at you like a bullet and tear flesh. In some countries it is more feared than sharks.

This is why I truly recommend just keeping your feet afloat while in the waters. Don't stop for a rest on any corals, stones, and if you find a sandy patch to rest on, truly check it out before just stomping down.

I really wanted address people with small children who swam in shallow areas of the waters. I saw many swimmers with no masks on stepping in the shallow waters without knowing what was below them! Yikes! The stone fish I caught on camera was only 4 feet out, so perhaps you should think before you sink! The swimmers happily went about stomping on the sea bed, meanwhile Mr. Stone Fish was no more than a few feet away from them. Thankfully I kept nearby and warned them of the fish. Unfortunately when cultures collide, people took my warnings with a grain of salt and were rude when I tried advising them. ((Shrugs))

So... those of you who actually WANT to educate yourselves before jumping in! Kudos to you-Safety first! You'd be shocked by how many idiots you will encounter whom step nonchalantly on the sea bed, not even aware of the potential dangers a few steps away!

Anyhow, I thought this statue was simply adorable, so had to share with you

Many Thanks

2009-04-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

To Bahamas.com for linking my blog to their incredible site, it's an honor. The song you hear playing is dedicated to them, and all of the wonderful locals who made my trip to their gorgeous island so memorable. I'll see you again this September.

Some Memorabilia To Remember Your Bahamas Trip By

2009-04-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

After getting home, we wished we bought more things while on the island. Although we did walk away with many magical memories, and beautiful photos, we wished we had gotten more than just keychains. After getting home I became obsessed with adding a marine like charm to our bathroom. Here is a few items you may want to consider...

Things To Consider Before Taking Your Trip To The Bahamas

2009-04-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Before we actually landed on Grand Bahama Island there were quite a few things we looked at before actually getting there. Here is a compilation of some of the books and videos we personally looked at before getting to Paradise!

Some Beautiful Beach Photos I Took While On Grand Bahama Island

2009-04-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

-Beautiful shot of Paradise Cove, taken from the waters

-We stumbled upon these neat sand formations on our walk to a fry shack from Viva Wyndham. As mentioned earlier in a post, you can walk, or swim to this crab/fry shack from the resort. It's quite a ways away, but if you are snorkeling down from the resort to the left, you will eventually come across the adorable eating spot for some Conch or Bahamian lobster.

-Although I added this picture already, I wanted to add it again, because someone pointed out a water spout in the distance! Shot taken at Gold Rock Beach

-A nice sunny day at Viva Wyndham. My fella buying something from one of the local beach vendors who walk through the beach at random times.

-Just before the sun set, Viva Wyndham

-Another balcony view from our room at Viva Wyndham

-Paradise Cove, to the right of the beach

-Another shot at Paradise Cove. The storm was passed by then.

-The water at Paradise Cove was like a pool

-I snapped this shot at Gold Rock Beach, the place was vacant, all except for these land birds

-A gorgeous arial shot I took just as the storm died down

-A storm passed through on our second day! It looks scary, but like I said, the storms here pass through so quickly and are over in close to 40 minutes-if that.

-This photo was taken early morning at Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach, out in the distance you can see my fella snorkeling the reefs.

-A shot of our morning landing spot. A lounge chair, some shells, and white powdery sands.

-This is a photo I took while at Paradise Cove/AKA Deadman's Reef. A quick storm passed through as you can see the darker clouds. Rain passes through quickly so don't even worry about it. The rain is warm here, and if you are in the water you won't even notice it.

Let's Focus On Some Reef Life Of Grand Bahama Island

2009-04-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

Besides the gorgeous marine life, the reefs on Grand Bahama Island are as equally stunning. Here are a few of my all time favorite underwater reefs.

Don't step on this stuff!!! It's fire coral, and can land you into the hospital!

Although this photo is not of a reef, I wanted to share it, because whenever I look at it, it puts me in a good mood. For those wondering, it's a photo I took while underwater. The lens apparently was half in the water, and half out.

Grand Bahama Island, The Sting Rays Are Amazing!!!!

2009-04-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

We saw beautiful stingrays every single time we went snorkeling. This stingray I spotted only once and was very unique compared to other Rays in the area. Just look at his shape and colors! He was stunning!

This stingray looked like he was ready for battle, I backed up pretty quickly as the stance was intimidating. Haha.

He scampered away pretty quickly though.

Here Is a List of Things I Personally Brought Along With Me To Grand Bahama Island

2009-04-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

These were really neat to have along with me for when I was diving deep and couldn't rinse with de-foggers or baby shampoo.

As far as luggage goes, use the medium sized one if you want to bring the luggage on flight, if its larger than you will have to check it in.

You're also going to want to buy travel sized containers to add your favorite lotions, shampoos, or conditioners. You cannot travel with bottles filled with any types of liquid that are over 3 ounces. You can find these travel bottles at Walmart in their convienet travel care section.

Have fun!!!!

Starfish Are Everywhere Grand Bahama Island; But I Found Their Secret Hiding Spot

2009-04-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

I came across all sorts of beautiful marine life while lazily snorkeling around the waters at our resort (Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach), however the more time I spent in the water, the more I realized that these starfish seemed to enjoy hiding more left in the water.

They pretty much avoided the middle swimming area, and hid left to the swimmers marked off sections. If you follow the marked off rope on the left side you will come across all sorts of beautiful colored starfish!

I saw ones that looked green, with odd markings. Ones that were enormous and a gorgeous orange color, and others that seemed to look like they were painted with dark red paints.

Take a look at some of the beautiful starfish we came across while snorkeling just 2-4 feet out in the water.

---This fella looked like he was painted for war

---This giant flesh starfish was one of my favorites, with a flawless orange and tan coloring to it

---This fella just seemed to be in the right place, at the right time for a stunning photo opportunity

---Another Beautiful Starfish

---One of my Favorite Shots

You Will Want To Bring The Olympus Stylus 1030SW To Grand Bahama Island as Well!!!! Here's Why...

2009-04-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

This huge fish was caught on camera just as the sun was going down. Larger fish seem to visit the reef when night falls.

You want a camera to take perfect underwater photos on Grand Bahama Island don't you? I knew I did when I booked my trip. However everything I came across was either priced in the $800.00 range, needed batteries, or couldn't go down further than 10 feet.

When I came across the Olympus 1030SW, I was more than excited because this camera could travel down to depths up to 30 feet, did not require an expensive waterproof chamber, and it was pretty indestructible.

Read my review on the Olympus 1030SW, look at my photos, all of them were taken with this camera!

A few months ago I began planning a trip to the Bahamas. Before going though I wanted to make sure I had absolutely everything I would need for such a vacations.

Some thing, I didn't quite need, but I sure as hell am glad I purchased them.

One item that I considered more of a luxury item, actually became the one thing I was so glad I didn't do without.

The Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera.

This beast of a camera will not only take photos on land, but you can also tote it along in the water with you, without having to worry about destroying the camera.

I wanted it for just that. To take pictures of coral reef, and tropical fish.

I never in a million years thought the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera would have taken such beautiful photos, and at such a rate of speed.

The camera has all sorts of different functions that take no guesswork. Functions include snow & beach settings, underwater, underwater macro, portrait, night scene, candle light, fireworks, behind glass, and so many more easy to adjust settings.

The Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera features 10.1 mega pixels, so each and every picture you snap with the camera is flawless.

I bet you are wondering how well it works though right?

Well it took phenomenal land photos, and I was able to take photos of children blowing out birthday cake candles, without the annoying yellow squiggly lines that my old camera left behind. I also never missed a shot with the shutter settings. Basically all I had to do was hold down a button and it would take a snap shot at lightning speed rates. It continues to take shots till I lift my finger. I love this feature because I never miss a moment.

Land photos look fantastic.

Sea photos are even more beautiful.

I was able to snap shots of tropical fish, and corral reef without an issue whatsoever.

In pools however I get a very deep blue saturation hue, which can be adjusted using the Olympus Master software that comes with the camera.

Mainly though, I picked the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera because it offered the best features for the price range I was looking to spend.

I ended up picking it up at Circuit City for $342.99 after using a promotional code I had found online.

The Li Battery is fully rechargeable, and does a full recharge in about 2 hours. The first charge took longer though.

One of the main reason I choose the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera over other underwater cameras was based off of the fact that the battery was rechargeable. Other cameras required 4 AA batteries which I knew would be very annoying, and very expensive... not only that it would add unnecessary weight.

If you take a gander at my slide show, you will see just how beautiful the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera really is.

I'm sure you can find better, but that is only if you are looking to spend $500 or more. The Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Shock and Waterproof Digital Camera in my opinion will take just as good a shot as those high end money gobbling underwater cameras.

What Dive Mask Should You Bring?

2009-04-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Mask You Should Bring With You For Perfect Viewing While Diving or Snorkeling Grand Bahama Island!
As I may have mentioned in previous posts, a mask to snorkel with is 100% necessary if you are going to be on Grand Bahama Island. If you leave these equipment behind, you may be charged a rental fee on resorts, so if you plan on being in the water bring your own mask.

I went absolutely crazy trying to figure out which mask would be best for me; which mask would offer the best view without fogging up, or without causing strain on my face.

In the past I simply went with whatever I could find at Walmart, however if you are traveling to experience Grand Bahama's waters as they are intended to be viewed than you are like me, and you want the best of the best.

You can get the best of the best for just $42.00.

It's called the Tilos Excel Frameless Mask, and what makes this mask so phenomenal compared to other dive/snorkel masks is that it is frameless. Basically there is no large plastic head piece which causes extra weight and strain on the face and head. Besides just that though is the low low dip in the tempered glass plate. This low leveled pane allows you to see all the way down to the bottom of the sea without having to tilt your head down causing strain.

Now new masks have a tendency to fog, however if you order this mask you should definitely give it a toothpaste rinse, followed up by a scrubbing with baby shampoo. Repeat this daily for up to a week, this will ensure that your mask does not fog while in the water.

It is my advice that you also bring a travel sized bottle of baby shampoo in case you need to do rinses while snorkeling. It really wont be necessary so long as you do the toothpaste and shampoo rinses while still home. Trust me, you do not want a fogging mask while snorkeling the beautiful reefs in Bahamas, and ALL masks fog no matter what they write on the package. Do the rinses though, and you will have a fog free time in the Bahamas.

Anyhow, with that said, definitely consider the Tilos EXCEL.

Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach; A Review of The Hotel/Resort We Stood At

2009-03-17T08:53:00.001-07:00

When booking our trip to Grand Bahama Island, I was so nervous to book a hotel because I did not know what hotel would be best for us.
After searching around endlessly, and changing my mind every other minute, I finally decided that Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach would be the best resort for our needs.

Not only did this resort boast about a beautiful reef just a few feet from shore, but it was also all inclusive; which meant drinks, food, taxes, and booze were all included in the price.

Although I knew nothing about the island at the time, I took my chances with the resort; and let me tell you...we were not disappointed.

We booked for late September, early October so the price was exceptionally low for the off season months. The total came to $798 per person in 2008 for a 5 night stay.

On arrival I fell in love. I had such low expectations because over at TripAdvisor many were complaining about how horrible the resort was.

I was immediately drawn to the tropical mini garden they had going on at the entrance of the building.

After taking in the outside entrance of the Viva Wyndham, I then walked inside through the opened wooden doors where I was greeted by a doorman who took my luggage and left it in the middle of the floor till we were assigned a room.

While waiting for the front desk to assign us key cards the doorman then handed us a nice cool Bahama Mamma as a greeting drink. He had a large sincere smile on his face, and even though he must have been sweating his rear end off in the suit he had to wear, he never broke his smile.

Once we got our key cards, and were given our resort bracelet's, the doorman then took our luggage and showed us to our room.

We took a slow stroll around the walkways of the resort while on our way where the doorman told us where we could find the restaurant's, pool, dive shop, and other activity centers located in the resort.

We walked past the bar which was also the home of a pool table, a ping pong table, a fools ball table, and a large outdoor chess set.

(Photo of pool area)

Immediately my eyes were drawn to a large trapeze that was located on the resort! The thing was huge, and although I was deathly afraid of heights, there was no way I was going home without at least trying it out...(or at least watching my boyfriend try it out. Hehe!)

The pool was gigantic, and located in the pool area there was a nice large stone jacuzzi which was located up a small set of stairs. The jacuzzi was surrounded with all sorts of large tropical plants making the area seem like a nice private cut off little cove. It was simply stunning.

Lounge chairs are lined around the pool as well. You can walk from the pool area out to the beach if you'd like. The views are gorgeous.

On the way to the room I also spotted a bunch of curly tailed lizards and gecko's. The area also was home to some gorgeous tropical flowers, and a large tree that grew some sort of interesting looking fruit.

After strolling through the resort and getting a feel for the place, we were taken to our room. My heart sunk because I thought they had made a huge mistake. I paid extra for an ocean view room.

However the doorman raced ahead of me, and pulled away the curtains.

And there it was...

(Views from our balcony second level room)

The dream vacation I had dreamt since childhood. Outside of our sliding glass door balcony stood an ocean so beautiful, so captivating...so glorious, that I had to pinch myself. This had to be a dream, this could not be real!

Yet there it was, no dream, no illusion. The white powdery sands were there, the palm trees with actual coconuts, all there, the tiki umbrellas, all there, the lounge chairs, the sun, a sky of blue like I'd never seen before. Even the clouds seemed fuller and fluffier here. Brighter and more beautiful than where I am from.

I didn't focus much on the room. I could care less about the room. I could literately be standing in a flooded room and I could care less...so long as this beach were here for the taking I could care less about anything.

For those interested in the actual resort though, our room was a second level ocean view. In the room there were two comfortable queen sized beds, a lamp, central air conditioning that worked like a charm, a TV set, dresser, full sized bathroom, a desk, wall plugs, a coffee pot, a mini fridge, a safe, a large nightstand, a phone, and of course a bible in a draw!

Everything that we would need for the week was provided. I couldn't have been happier.

Food is served in 3 different restaurant's. The Junkanoo, The Bamboo, and La Trattoria. The Bamboo serves Oriental foods, while La Trattoria serves Italian.

The Junkanoo was my all time favorite place to eat. It is large, and set up in a salad bar type theme.

The food was changed up every day with cuisine themes to go along with them. Italian food, oriental, etc etc... deserts were always plentiful and delicious, and breakfast at the Junkanoo was my absolute favorite. Just thinking about the egg omelets the cook whipped up every morning makes me drool.

Everything from scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, and bacon were all served every morning. Normally I am not a breakfast person, but the delights I had to chose from every morning enticed me to get up earlier to enjoy them.

The 2 other restaurant's need reservations. In order to make reservations you simply go up to the resorts front desk, where you chose a time, and are given a reservation slip.

Although it was fun, I found having to do reservations a bit annoying. The food at these restaurant's were good, the menus were interesting and plentiful, but I actually enjoyed the Jukanoo best.

There is another snack bar located on the right hand side of the beach where you can walk up and order fries, burgers, soda, chicken nuggets and so on. The food here was delicious, and served fresh right in front of us.

Late at night if you were feeling hungry and the restaurant's were closed you could walk over to the very far right of the resort and order yourself a pizza. The pizza was awesome, and another favorite of ours.

Remember all of the food is included. We did however leave tips which I know the employees appreciated.

The only minor set back when it came to the resort was that if you were not a Wyndham By Request member they did not fill your fridge with drinks. You had to walk down to the on site deli to buy your own. I found this annoying because I was a member, however seeing that I did not book directly with the hotel (I used Travelocity) I could not be rewarded drinks in the fridge daily.

Some of the drinks sold in the deli though are very interesting indeed!!

The activities you can do right on the beach include snorkeling, wind surfing, and kayaking. You can rent a wave runner for an additional fee.

We brought our own snorkel gear. I recommend anyone going to ANY hotel or resort on Grand Bahama Island do the same. Some places charge a rental fee. If you have your own gear you skip the fee!

We skipped on wind surfing, but we did take a kayak out for about an hour to just paddle along the shores. It was wonderful; there is no other way to put it.

Snorkeling was fantastic. There were many, many clusters of reefs located just a few feet from shore of the resort. The reefs are teaming with life. Fish in every shape, size, and color could be found here.

The larger reef is marked off by a white floating barrel buoy, making it easy to find.

If you go outside of the roped off swim/snorkel area keep to the left and don't go all too deep because a wave runner may pass through. I would recommend bringing a small floating buoy flag and attach it to your body so it floats above while you swim. You can buy these buoy flags online. They are brightly colored and read 'diver below'. Although it will likely not be an issue, it's best to be safe than sorry right?

To the left there are many clusters of reefs that house different tropical fish that the reefs at the Wyndham don't have. These fish are more solitary and like hiding. They can all be found though to the left!!! Don't miss it!

If you really are in for a long snorkel tour of your own, if you continue snorkeling or walk the beach to the far left you will come across a snack bar on the beach where you can purchase Bahamian lobster, fried conch, and other foods that the resort does not have. The food here is cheap, delicious and fresh! I highly recommend you take the walk, or snorkel down to enjoy some delicious Bahamian food. I only with I could remember the name of it!!!

Anyway, back to the resort.

The beach is simply lovely at the Wyndham. There are blue lounge chairs all nicely lined up in rows at the shore. The chairs though are spaced as to where you have plenty of privacy. Some lounge chairs are placed under coconut trees for natural shading, others come with tiki umbrellas, and some are placed right out in the sun for serious bathers.

Getting a chair was never an issue. We woke up at around 9am everyday, and never had a problem getting a plot of our own. We could leave our sandals, towels, and smokes all on the loungers and no one dared tough our belongings. We however went on the off season months, so crowds were never ever an issue! The place was pretty much all ours with the exception of a few others, the place was relaxing, quite, and very private. Just a wonderful place to kick back and rejuvenate the soul.

There are also plenty of activities to take part in at the resort. There was a dance show one night while we were there.

There is a kiddie club for kids, a dive shop where you can book diving and snorkeling excursions.

If you don't know the island all that well, you can ask the front desk for help on booking excursions outside of the resort. They will provide you with a binder that is loaded with all sorts of excursions outside of the resort to enjoy.

Transportation:

Transportation waits right outside 247. If you need to take a cab somewhere outside of the resort, you don't have to worry at all about the cab arriving late. There is usually one waiting there at all times, and you will not wait long periods of time for one to pull up to the resort.

We had one female cabbie that was an absoulte doll. Not only did she stop off at a canal for us to take photos, she took photos of us! She also filled us in on some not to miss locations. We ended up calling her for every cab ride we needed because we both fell in love with her larger than life bubbly personality.

Seriously if you just take the time to get to know the locals, you'll go home missing them. They have a lot of infomration to share on the island, the lifestyles, and the places not to be missed!

One cabbie even invited us along to a fish fry that was happening that evening. Unfortunatley it was out last day on the island so we couldn't attend.

Cleanliness of Resort:

Not once did we ever experince anything negative in regards to cleanliness that I had read on some 1 star rated reviews on TripAdvisor (about the place being dirty)!

The resort was always clean, and our room was cleaned throughly everyday. We tracked sand into our room everyday, and when we got back to the room at around 7pm, no traces of sand were present, beds were always made up neatly, and the bathroom would be cleaned daily.

We did experinced a few issues while staying our full 5 days. During one of the days they forgot to give us new coffee packets. It annoyed me, but I was able to walk down to the Junkanoo and pick up some that are always located there.

Expectaions:

The Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort was spectacular all in all. I could not have wished for a better place to stay at while on the island, and it's a resort I highly recommend. It is a low key place, with a smooth atmosphere, a friendly staff, and it was just an all around great time. If you are used to all out pampering though this place just may not be for you. This resort is for people looking to stay in a gorgeous resort without all of the yuppiefied commerical amnmeties. This resort does not charge a lot, all is included, and frankly I don't think we could have done better!

I Can't Take it Anymore!!! I'm Heading Back!

2009-03-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

I just figured out how to use Google Analytics. This program pretty much gives you an idea on where all of your traffic to your site is coming from; how many clicks, and average time spent on site.

I was excited to learn that not only people from the USA were frequenting this site, but residents from the Bahama's were stopping in as well!

Anyway, I figured I would inform all of you that I am taking yet another trip to Grand Bahama Island this year. We loved the last hotel we stayed in so much, we deiced to head back.

We of course are going to visit Lucayan National Park/Gold Rock Beach again; however we will be doing a few new excursions that we didn't know about such as taking a boat ride to Sandy Cay, aka Gilligan's Island. We will also be taking an hover air boat ride, and we're going to explore some of the Cays that we missed during our last visit.

I'm beyond excited about the boat ride out to Sandy Cay/Gilligan's Island. I stumbled upon a website that was offering tours to Gilligan's Island. I wish I would have known about this tour sooner, but thankfully I found it this round and will be sure not to miss it!

You can book a tour to Gilligan's Island at www.smilingpat.com.

I am hoping that the tour is running when we visit this upcoming September. I sent the site an email, but have yet to hear back. I'll likely call the number on the site before I book my vacation, so I'm not all too concerned. Even if the tour is not running, I'll find another way to get to Sandy Cay; there is no way I can miss it!!!

If you want a photo of Sandy Cay, click here. It is simply spectacular isn't it?

Man I'm drooling just thinking about it!

My Favorite Sighting

2009-03-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Although spotting a Sharp Tail Eel was phenomenal, my favorite run in was one of the most unexpected sights.

I was swimming along the coast right outside of our resorts doors, about 10 feet off the shoreline, and in about 3 feet of water I found myself drifting right on top of a Barracuda!!!

I panicked and didn't know what to do. I knew swimming away like a frantic idiot would only cause the Barracuda aggravation, so I began to swim backwards using my flippers very slowly.

As I swam away, I took a very decent shot of the Barracuda. It barely even seemed to care that I was there. Here is what I caught though. I think it came out pretty damn good!

Just look at that beauty!!! When I have the time, I will clean this photo up in photoshop and re-post it for better viewing.

A Sharptail Eel

2008-12-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

When I spotted this guy, I had no idea that I had spotted an eel that many divers, and locals of the island have never seen before. Our dive instructor who had been giving dive tours for years had never spotted one of these before, and when I showed him the picture I took, he was baffled at what the creature could be.

At first I thought I was seeing a water snake, so I stood as far away as possible, because I didn't know if it was poisonous, or if it would strike at me.

When I got home, I had to find out what this long eel like snake actually was. After hours of endless photo searching on Google.come, I came across the Sharptail Eel.

The sharptail eel is a rarer sight, and is normally found in Panama, but sometimes seen in the Bahamas, only more rare.

I felt pretty excited that I managed to see this eel up close. It's actually really pretty, with a long slender brown body, and white colored dots on it's body.

The head is the most interesting because it actually looks more like a snake, but the Sharptail Eel seems to have some sort of whiskers.

This fella was literately no more than 10 feet off shore, and he seemed to be slowly cruising around the bottom of the sea. Maybe looking for some crabs to feast on?

Don't Forget To Feed The Fish!!!

2008-12-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

I don't think there has been a day that has gone by where Grand Bahama Island has not been on my mind. Coming home was nice, but honestly I don't think I will ever look at the waters here where I live, quite the way I did in the Bahamas.

Here there are no magical worlds of colorful reefs underwater, nor are their fish swimming at your sides.

One of the first things we did when we arrived was feed the fish some bread that we took from the resort. I had no idea that we would have such a large school of fish in just seconds. It was surreal, amazing, and unforgettable.

Paradise Cove Tours

2008-12-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... sweet sweet serenity.

Before arriving to the island, we pretty much had a mapped out itinerary to follow. We were going to go on a snorkeling tour through blue holes. Blue holes are large craters in the sea, which is the home to so many different tropical fish, and I knew this would be something not to miss. Unfortunately the tour was no longer operating Blue Holes, which was sad.

Instead of sitting around though, we figured we'd simply do another tour for the day we were going to do Blue Holes.

We were given a book of activities to do on the island from the customer service desk at our resort.

In it we found Paradise Cove Tours, which was an all day tour to Paradise Cove, which is located on the west end of the island.

For only $35, the tour included, lunch, free transportation, and of course snorkeling in what is called Deadman's Reef; which we were told was the islands best spot for snorkeling.

The tour was not quite as planned though, because the tour bus refused to come pick us up at our resort seeing that we were the only couple doing the tour. They said we were too far away, and that there were not enough people from our resort who booked the tour.

We had to take a $20 cab ride to the casino at Westin where the tour bus picked us up.

A good 20 minute drive or so, and we were finally at Paradise cove.

You walk up a narrow little walkway to a beach hut, where food is served. Here you can rent snorkel gear, lounge chairs, towels, and umbrellas for a very small price.

We rented a lawn chair. An employee at the beach shack set it up for us, and we were ready to go.

Paradise Cove is pristine and beautiful, with white sand beaches, crystal clear water, and a reef far out in the distance.

It took some time to swim out to the good snorkeling spots which are located very close to the small mountains of rock that rise up out of the water.Many say that only good swimmers should tour Paradise Cove, but at the beach hut you can rent out flotation belts in order to make the swim easier on you. If you take your time though, and just take in what you are seeing down below in the crytsal clear sea, you won't have an issue with becoming fatigue. I found that just drifting worked best.

The water is not scary deep, but it gets very deep when you are near the reefs.

Some areas in the water are so deep that it may even scare you, but if you relax, and just enjoy what you are seeing, you will adore the large craters and dips in the sea floor.

Far out you will be looking around 100 feet down, and it does not even seem that you are that deep until you look over at your partner and see just how far their body is from the surface. It's all pretty surreal.

The corals all seemed relatively dead at Paradise Cove, but the fish are there in an abundance, and sting rays seem to enjoy this area. One ray was around 10 feet long, and was literately 3 feet from shore. So be very, very careful when getting into the water- although they do not attack, their barbs are deadly, and odds are if you step on one, it will not hesitate to lash out on you. Try and scout it out before just flopping in!The thing I really loved about Paradise Cove is that while swimming out to the reef you will come across a huge landscape of green seaweed. In this seaweed you will notice large clumps... upon close inspection you will notice that these large hunks of seaweed are actually living sand dollars. They come to the weeds to collect them to their bodies for camouflage. If you don't look closely you could miss one amazing sea creature.

Now the coolest part is that the green sea bed ends onto a huge landscape of white sand. This sand is not barren though. Here you will find the shells of the former guests of sand dollars. I was able to find sand dollars here in bucket fulls... however they have been sitting down there for so long, that when you try to pick them up, they turn to dust.

I was able to find about 5 or 6 really good sized sand dollars that stood together. Some the size of my palm.I liked to call this area at Paradise Cove, Sand dollar Graveyard.

The waters here at Paradise Cove are pretty much filled with the same types of fish we saw at the resort, with the occasional sting ray, and a few odd balls that we didn't see in the waters at Fortuna Beach. We were looking primarily for sea turtles, but unfortunately it wasn't the right season.

The one thing we did see here in an abundance besides live sand dollars, and sand dollar shells were these odd blue fish that seemed to glow. I only wish I knew what they were called, but they had these spectacular blue dots on them that seemed to just light up. Like lightning bugs of the sea.

Out near the rocks, we came across about 4 or 5 Bahamian lobsters hiding in small pockets in the rocks. They have no claws!!!

The absolute best thing though that I spotted here were these gorgeous neon yellow and orange sea slugs. They were so easy to miss... but like I said, if you take your time you will see more than expected.

Not only were there neon yellow sea slugs, but I also came across some blue ones, and grey colored ones. They are so beautiful, and so graceful, just inching along pieces of coral.

Unfortunately my underwater camera had a hard time focusing in on the small sea slugs.

After swimming around for what felt like an eternity, we headed back in shore for some conch chips, and Bahamian lobster.

Unexso, Grand Bahama Island- Not To Be Missed!!!

2008-12-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

Another gem nestles on Grand Bahama Island, is a little cove I like to call Paradise's creatures. (Well that's what I would have called it). It's actually called Unexso.

You can find all sorts of information on Unexso literately the moment you step off of your plane into the Freeport Airport. There will be brochures on racks as you leave the airport. Be sure to check em out, because there are so many activity brochures for you to grab.

What is Unexso?

Oh my God, it's just about the most mind blowing experience you will ever participate in. You have many choices though, at Unexso you can either have a dolphin encounter, a dolphin swim, an open ocean dolphin encounter, and so on. They also do shark dives!!!

We paid extra for the dolphin swim. The encounter is a little cheaper, but truly you wont experience the dolphins one on one, unless you do the dolphin swim.

You have to make reservations, and from wherever you are staying you need to take a cab into Porty Lucya, in order to take a ferry over to Unexso, which is hidden down a weird channel like cove. The ferry ride is part of the experience, and it is fantastic.

On the way I was able to look down into the water and see huge tropical fish swimming around. Not only that, around 10 minutes into the small ferry ride, you will see a huge abandoned pirate ship in the channel, which is just so... neat.

You will also see some of the locals shoe string fishing from the bulkheads.

Once you pull up you will see just about the cutest little atmosphere I think you will ever see. To the left there is like this adorable little hut covered in tropical leaves high up on a hill. You get off to the right, where you meet with your instructors.

We had a pretty lil' blond gal take us to our swim. The best thing about the swim was that it was only my boyfriend, I, and another couple of two. It was very private, and made it all the more comfortable.

Before hopping into the water, we were given a quick lesson on what to expect. We were also given the dolphin's names. Ones name was corral, but I cannot for the life of me remember the other ones name, simply because he was the behaved dolphin. We were told that corral at times could get fresh, which was true because she pounded my leg in, in the water with her tail. I still think she did it on purpose. hehe. Thankfully it didn't hurt... but it was one hell of a series of powerful thrusts to my leg.

After swimming around with the dolphins, the time was just about up for us to come out of the water.

First though, we were told to do certain hand signals to the dolphins. Once we did the hand signals, the dolphins would perform a trick, such as waving, spitting, speaking, and so on.

After that, we then took photos with them.

It wasn't over there though, because next we got to come out of the water and see the dolphins in all of their glory. They did flips, waved, and a slew of other awesome tasks.

The experience was not over yet though... nope. Before boarding our ferry, we were taken to a small area in the forest where a group of parrots and macaws were. Here we were able to kiss the birds (yes this one bird actually kisses!), pet them, and feed them. It really added to the enjoyment of the place. Unexso is not to be missed.

If you are going to Grand Bahama Island, you must, and I cannot stress it enough- you must take 2 hours out of your plans to take a trip to Unexso. An experience never ever to be forgotten.

Gold Rock Beach, Grand Bahama Island

2008-12-18T07:25:00.001-08:00

See the websites main photo? That's the gem that was nestled across the street from Lucayan National Park. If you pull up at the park, you honestly would not even know it was there, unless you previously searched for it online. The locals may also mention it to you, and if you are lucky, hopefully your cab driver mentions it, because there is no sign.

The sign is hidden down a very small narrow dirt path, surrounded by tropical plants, bushes and flowers of every kind. If you look closely across the street, you may be able to see the path, but it's a bit over grown.

Once we found the little path, it took us to a huge green rock that stated GOLD ROCK BEACH. You now know you are on the right path.

You have 2 options. For us though, we had only one option because the small bridge that would have taken us straight to the beach was out of service, and blocked off. We had to go right, and follow the path that is called Mangroves.

The Mangroves is pretty tedious, especially if it is blazing hot out. We actually were a little lucky, and a little unlucky because it began to rain, and we had to be very, very careful walking the Mangroves, because it is a long, long path through marsh land. Some areas of the path are nothing more than puddles of 2 inch water, which would break off into sections of a long narrow plank. You have to be very careful on the planks, because there are no railings, and if you fall in, you fall into water. The water is not deep, but there are many bushes growing from the water that could hurt you.

You cannot help but think a big alligator is going to come up to grab you. It's really phenomenal the whole trek through the Mangroves because you will feel like you are on some sort of safari. If you stop to take in the surroundings you will sometimes see a large crab scurrying about. You may also see a bunch of spiders.

Once the path ends, you are not quite to the beach yet... but you will feel the anticipation building up.

You are instead taken to a dark overgrown area of tropical woods, with huge trees. Looking around we saw so many different types of enormous bugs, beetles, and butterflies. A huge cicada the size of my hand was actually dead and stuck in a spiders web. A sight I thought I'd only ever see on the Discovery Channel.

A few feet through the woods you come up a small dirt hill, and just below the hill, you will find miles and miles of the secluded perfect white sand beach. The water is probably the clearest and most beautiful waters we found on the entire island.

I stood up on the hill and took in what I was seeing. Gold Rock beach was the absolute description of Paradise. Here I felt a trillion miles away from home. Here it was as if I had found a hidden gem that nobody else had ever seen. The beach is untouched. Not a footstep in the sand... not a soul.

Gold Rock can be seen out in the distance. If it is low tide, and you have your snorkel gear you can swim out to it. We though were hesitant seeing that if anything were to happen, we would be miles away from help, so we sort of just stuck to the shore, and snorkeled a few feet out. The water when we arrived was nearly low tide. Low tide is awesome because the sands create a work of art that is truly not to be missed!

The waters weren't teaming with life here though. We didn't see many fish, but we did happen to spot a bunch of gigantic crabs swimming about the white sandy bottom of the sea.

Gold Rock Beach is also a must if you are a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean. Some parts of the film were actually done here on this beach. There used to be an actual ship from the movie on the beach, but it has since been removed due to hurricanes.

You can see from the beach that the hurricanes that hit the island a few years back have managed to rip some huge trees right from the roots. However if you really look at this disaster, and what it has left on Gold Rock Beach, you will truly look at it like a beautiful disaster, because all of the fallen trees have added to the scenery. The trees have become dried out gorgeous stumps of drift wood, and it is simply stunning.

Gold Rock Beach is not to be missed! You cannot go to Grand Bahama Island, and not see Gold Rock Beach. The only visitors you will find here will be the pack of little birds that scurry about on the shore, checking you out while you take a swim.

Lucayan National Park, Grand Bahama Island! NOT TO BE MISSED!

2008-12-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Besides all of the gorgeous corals and fish we saw right off shore at our hotel, I wanted to mention that our gorgeous resort was not the only thing Grand Bahama Island had to offer! Not by a long shot!

By day 1 we already had our weekly itinerary set up. We planned to see Lucayan National Park, Unexos, and Paradise Cove. We stretched it out so we had a day to relax at the resort, and then a day following of excursions, a day to relax, a day to go out. It really made for the most relaxing vacation I could have imagined.

Lucayan National Park was by far my most favorite thing about the trip to Grand Bahama Island.

We arrived to the park by cab on Sunday, which was a mistake in a way, because we had no idea how religious the Bahamians were! Nearly the entire island takes the day off on Sunday, so if you are going to Grand Bahama Island, don't plan any excursions likely they will be closed!

At any Rate Lucyan National Park was closed, and the cabbie seemed happy for us! She told us we now didn't have to pay the $3.00 admission, and we could just get in for free.

This was very scary because we were literately in the middle of nowhere, and there was not a soul in sight. I kept thinking that some evil drug guerrillas were going to jump out of the bushes and murder us.

Once though I let my mind rest, and took in where I was, I felt okay. Still though a bit on edge seeing that I had never in my life experienced such seclusion. It was just too weird!!!!

We walked into the park, which is mainly just a small dirt path with tons of different types of tropical flowers, and many species of orchids! I felt like Alice in wonderland!

The first path branches off into different directions, with adorable hand made wooden signs giving you a brief description of hat would be up ahead.

The first thing we experienced was the bat cave!!!! Now in NY, we would never be allowed to explore such a place without a guide. Yet here I was, about to travel down a small set of spiral steel steps, into a frigging bat cave!

Safety is your own priority, and it was what made me nervous, because we were alone! In the bat cave there are no railings, or anything to save you from possibly falling!

Once I was in though, and settled down, I was absolutely amazed at the sights around me. First and foremost, the bat cave was actually a cave with water. A small deck sits above the water for you to look into. Above your head you can see and hear the mob of bats squeaking and flapping about. Upset obviously that we were there.

The water in the cave was simply spectacular, seeing that the sun would shine in from the hole above making the water glow an odd eerie glowing color of green. I could see into the cave at all of the enormous fish swimming around.

I took in the scenery for about a half an hour before finally resurfacing. I had to look back, because I knew it would be the last time I'd see such a sight... well that is, until I return next year!

After taking in the bat cave, we realized that there were many different types of spiders all around us. It made me nervous, because I was in unfamiliar territory, and I had no clue if these guys were poisonous or not. At any rate though, the spiders made me squeamish, because they were no itty spiders like we have here in NY, these suckers were like the size of my hand! Damn things could probably catch birds in their webs!

At any rate, we next followed a sign that led to Ben's Cave.

We didn't get to actually go in too deep because there were absolutely no lights on, and I was afraid of what, or who could be in the cave. Not only that the entrance had a nice 4 foot spanned out cobweb, so I backed off pretty quickly. Next visit I plan on doing a tour.

I absolutely love, love, loved Lucyan National Park. A spectacular, secluded wonderland. However, across the street was where the real gem was, and I was saving that for last.

Unda Da Sea...

2008-12-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

We spent hours looking around underwater, and snapping photographs of all sorts of tropical fish. Out in the distance, just about 30 feet off shore we came across a large coral reef. The hotel actually added a large buoy in the water to make it easier for people to find this wonder.

I was in love. If given the opportunity, I'd trade my lungs for a pair of gills. In the reef we saw fish that were 10 times the size of what we were used to seeing in salt water tanks. Puffer fish the size of footballs, zebra fish the size of pancakes, and schools of rainbow colored fish in the thousands would come quickly dashing by our heads.

The best thing about everything was that the fish were barely shy. Some were curious and would come close to get a look at you,

others would hide behind rocks and peek their heads out to take a look at you, others more bashful, but still didn't scurry to hide from us.

The fish were the magical, but the corals in every odd shape, size and color were the magic. The charm, the underwater rainbow of life all dwelling within the coral formations.

In the distance on the very first day, I spotted my first sting ray. This wouldn't be the last of them either. I saw a different type nearly every time in the water.

Take a Closer Look...

2008-12-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, where the water ends, and sky begins is anybodies guess....

Before jumping into the glowing aquamarine colored waters, you have to really sit there for a moment and take it in. In the distance the blue hues seem to blend in with shades of glowing greens and blues. Like a rainbow of colors, and it's like nothing else on earth. I would refer to it often times while there as the ocean of Kryptonite, because truly that is the only thing I could compare this ocean of beauty to. A gem. Rare, special, and exotic.

After taking in the colors, I put on my mask and slowly made my way into the water. It's truly amazing because the water is just as warm as the air...there is no 'getting used to the water' in the Bahama's...the water is possibly warmer than the air, and it feels divine on your skin.

Under my feet I could feel hard lumps that I thought were just rocks. Upon inspection I came to realize that I was standing on a graveyard of broken coral pieces, beautiful seashells, and tons of snail and baby conch shells. I felt bad for a hot minute, till I realized that this shell graveyard was dead.

However just as I was about to scratch this large area of shell and coral scraps off as dead... I realized many of these mini conch shells were moving about. Many of these tropical shells were homes to none other than hermit crabs. Hermit crabs like I had never seen! In NY our hermits are relatively small, and house themselves in black snail shells. Some grow large, but primarily the larger ones are rarer sights.

Here in the tropical waters, hermit crabs looked as tropical as their surroundings. Some were pale white, and looked like they were covered in frost! Others were near fire colored with long slim claws.

I inspected this seashell graveyard for about an hour, and realized that it was not as I first imagined. It was far from dead. With a close eye I was able to see hundreds of different types of crabs scurrying about the shells, tons of hermit crabs in all different types of shells, shapes, and sizes, and when I stood really, really still I was shocked to find that baby tropical fish housed themselves this close to shore. I was no less than a 3 feet out, and all of this was delivered. Truly, and amazing, amazing experience.

The entire time while cruising the shoreline, I was also being followed by odd large angel fish. At first they actually scared me, because as soon as one comes along, you have a whole school of them surrounding you. These fish alone make you feel totally out of your element, and it's spectacular.