Bahamian Islands are Tropical Paradise

Relax on Grand Bahama’s West End and at Freeport/Lucaya

Jul 19, 2009

Stretching across 500 miles of the some of the most beautiful waters in the world, "The Islands of the Bahamas" are a 100,000 square mile tropical archipelago.

Numbering close to 700 islands in total - including uninhabited cays and large rocks - the most popular and populated are New Providence (Nassau and Paradise Island), Grand Bahama (Freeport and Lucaya), Eleuthera, and the Exumas, Turks and Caicos, Abacos, and others simply known as the "Out Islands."

While more than two-thirds of the population lives in Nassau, the capital, you can forego Nassau's glitz, glamour, and gambling casinos with a stay on Grand Bahama, about 80 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida. Here the Gulf Stream's warm waters lap its western tip, and the Little Bahama Bank protects it from the northeast.

Columbus Named it "Baja Mar"

Long before any regular visitors, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World on the island of San Salvador (some historians think he landed on Cat Island in the eastern Bahamas). After observing the shallow sea around the islands, he said, "Baja mar" (shallow water or sea), and effectively named the area "The Bahamas," or "The Islands of the Shallow Sea."

Since it was located close to Florida and well-traveled shipping channels, the islands eventually caught the attention of explorers, settlers, invaders, and traders, and it is these people who shaped the colorful history of the Bahamas and made the country what it is today.

Bahamas Tourism Blossoms in 1920s

Surprisingly, the tourism industry didn't begin until the mid-nineteenth century with government support for the construction of hotels and subsidized steamship service. Tourism once again blossomed in the 1920s, when Prohibition brought well-to-do Americans to the islands, and the influx of visitors increased the demand for food, lodging, and other items.

When Cuba, with its glitzy casinos and beach resorts, was closed to American tourists in 1961, good fortune returned to the Bahamas. Capitalizing on its close proximity to the United States, the government set out to increase the number of people who visited it each year, dredged Nassau's harbor so it could accommodate up to six cruise ships at a time, and built a bridge connecting Nassau to Paradise Island.

Nassau aside, the lovely Grand Bahama Island, which gets its name from the Spanish "gran bajamar," meaning "great shallows" to describe the many flats and shoals in the waters off the island, is the fourth largest in the archipelago. It rambles on for a blissful 96 miles, and is rimmed with villages, cays, and interesting nooks and crannies that offer beaches, boating, relaxation, and refreshment.

For almost 300 years, it was virtually uninhabited and little more than a pine forest. With the development of Freeport/Lucaya in the 1950s, and because of its close proximity to Florida, it is now one of the most visited of all the Bahamian islands and is the quintessential tropical Caribbean playground.

Tourist Attractions in Freeport/Lucaya

There's plenty to do and see in the capital, including duty-free shopping at Port Lucaya Marketplace, a harbor side village of shops, restaurants, a straw market, and Count Basie Square, and watching "Junkanoo," a lively, costumed performance with Bahamian music and dance. Fans of the Johnny Depp "Pirates of the Caribbean" films can check out the pirate ship used in the films, and underwater types will love UNEXSO (Underwater Explorers Society), home to swimming and diving activities with friendly Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.

One of the oldest dive resorts in the world, and the first one on Grand Bahama, the UNEXSO experience has something for everyone, including those who want to learn the basics of snorkeling and diving. Children (ages 4-12) and adults who want minor interaction, like a kiss on the cheek or a few strokes on the back, will enjoy the "dolphin close encounter" from a shallow platform in a lagoon pool.

More adventurous types can swim and play with them in another lagoon, and experienced swimmers can actually frolic with them in an open ocean environment. For those who choose the "close encounter," they'll get a three-hour, two-for-the-price-of-one event that includes a scenic boat ride to/from the dolphin's 9-acre playground, as well as the chance to kiss one of the dolphins.

Grand Bahama offers many other tropical experiences including reef and wreck diving, deep-sea and bottom fishing, glass-bottom boat tours, golf, horseback riding through nature trails and powder-white beaches, and eco-adventures at Paradise Cove, Lucayan National Park, and the BNT Rand Nature center.

Grand Bahama is quite a unique destination. It combines a cosmopolitan vacation with the charm of historical fishing villages and undiscovered ecological treasures. After suffering through several hurricanes during the 2004 and 2005 season, "The Islands of the Shallow Sea" are absolutely back in business.

The copyright of the article Bahamian Islands are Tropical Paradise in Bahamas Travel is owned by Margaret Johnson. Permission to republish Bahamian Islands are Tropical Paradise in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.