Did you know that the Bahamas contains 700 islands? While every island is beautiful, that geography makes it difficult to explore a lot of the country in a short amount of time. Luckily, travelers can book a Staniel Cay boat rental.
Known as the Gateway to Exuma (a district of 365 islands within the country), Staniel Cay is a great place from which to explore the Bahamas. And with nearby attractions like the Swimming Pigs at Pig Island, it’s also a popular destination for day trips.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the different Staniel Cay Bahamas boat charters and tour options. We’ll also cover how to get to Staniel Cay. Keep reading to find out more!
Staniel Cay Boat Rental: Staniel Cay Bahamas Boat Charters
Staniel Cay is the Gateway to the Exuma islands.
Day Trips to Exuma
If you’re looking to get a taste of a Staniel Cay boat rental, day trips to Exuma are the perfect travel option.
On a Nassau or Miami to Bahamas day trip, you’ll fly down to the regional airport on Staniel Cay. From there, you’ll switch over to a boat to explore the surrounding area. This allows you to see many of the top local attractions without having to worry about creating an itinerary or stressing about logistics, such as transportation or accommodations.
While traveling from Miami or Nassau to Staniel Cay by boat might sound ideal, the journey from either destination is long and uncomfortable. Because of that, it’s much better to fly to the region and then switch to a boat from there.
Learn about a Staniel Cay boat rental here.
Since air travel easily answers the question of how to get to Staniel Cay, you’ll then have several hours to tour the local sites on your day trip. These include the famous Swimming Pigs at Big Major Cay, sand bars at Pipe Creek, underwater caves at Thunderball Grotto, and much more.
Why You Need a Boat to Explore Exuma
The Bahamas is an archipelago made up of 700 islands. Of those islands, 365 form the district of Exuma. While you could spend your entire Bahamas vacation on a single island, like Nassau, you’d be doing yourself a disservice on account of the beauty of the different islands. Because of that, day trips or a Staniel Cay boat rental are the best way to explore the country.
For example, Staniel Cay rentals with boat allow you to make the most of your time in the country and tour the stunning region. Whether you make your way south to the different attractions of Great Exuma and Little Exuma or stick to the area around Staniel Cay Bahamas, you’re certain to visit sites you’d never see if you stuck to a single destination.
Nothing beats island hopping around Exuma.
As mentioned, on Staniel Cay day trips, this includes making your way to the Exuma Pigs on Pig Island. But besides just meeting the friendly island inhabitants, you’ll also get to learn about their history, as well as the local legends that seek to explain how they arrived at their tropical home in the first place.
While they’re not islands, other sites you can only see via a day trip or a Staniel Cay boat rental are underwater plane wrecks. The Bahamas is home to several of these, with many of them having become homes to marine life since their untimely demise.
The Compass Cay Marina
One of the attractions you’ll make your way to on an Exuma Pigs tour from Staniel Cay is Compass Cay. Likewise, the island is also another destination you could head to with a Staniel Cay boat rental.
Located in the vicinity of Staniel Cay, Compass Cay has a naturally protected harbor with a local marina. Besides being another launching point for boats hoping to explore Exuma, the Compass Cay Marina is also home to another special type of resident: nurse sharks.
The nurse sharks at Compass Cay offer an exhilarating experience.
The owner of the local marina is a shark-lover, and years ago, formed a connection with a school of nurse sharks. Since then, they’ve multiplied and have stuck around the docks of the marina ever since.
Although nurse sharks can grow large, they’re generally docile, making Compass Cay a popular destination to swim with sharks. On a one day cruise to Bahamas, you’ll see guides feeding the sharks from the docks. Afterward, you’ll have the opportunity to get in the water with them. While you can opt to remain on the piers, the experience is safe, exhilarating, and certainly memorable!
Compass Cay’s location, along with its unique local residents, make it another great place to visit with Staniel Cay rentals with boat.
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club
The hub of Staniel Cay is the local yacht club, the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Whether you’re looking for boat service, vacation packages, or a Staniel Cay boat rental, SYCY has you covered.
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club offers food, boating excursions, and accommodation options.
The yacht club’s marina has 21 moorings for vessels passing through the region. These operate on a first come, first served basis, and are rentable for both day and night. Likewise, the marina itself can accommodate yachts and other boats up to 210 feet in size.
If you’re looking to explore the beautiful Exuma Cays, the yacht club offers several tour packages. Some of these have you zipping out to local sites on speed boats, while others have you cruising around on a luxury catamaran. Feel free to get off and explore the region, or just stay on a boat and admire the views.
Finally, the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is also home to a delicious restaurant. Whether you choose to sip a beer at the bar, enjoy brunch on the beach, or eat freshly caught seafood for dinner at the restaurant itself, you’ll find the food and drink options to be top-notch.
Staying at SCYC
Staying at SYCY makes it easy to take advantage of the club’s facilities.
Unless you sign up for Exuma day trips, you’ll probably want to stay overnight in the area to make full use of a Staniel Cay boat rental. In that case, there are no better accommodation options than those at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.
Home to several colorful bungalows, the accommodations at SCYC all offer unbeatable views of the water and marina. Notably, the houses also come in varying sizes. Some are smaller and better suited for couples, and others are larger and capable of accommodating groups of travelers or families.
If you’re looking to make the most of the location, you can also sign up for additional packages when making your reservation. One of these lets you enjoy a 17’ skiff, with fuel included! Besides having access to your own small boat, you can also purchase packages that include meals and amenities like kayaks and bicycles.
All in all, whether you stay there or not, the Staniel Cay Yacht Club offers everything you need for a memorable Bahamas vacation.
Staniel Cay Boat Rental: Explore the Exuma Cays
Travelers hoping to make the most of their time in the Bahamas will want to look into a Staniel Cay boat rental. Heading out from the island makes it easy to explore the surrounding region and soak up all that it has to offer.
Another popular tour option is a Nassau or Miami to Bahamas day trip. On these tours, travelers fly to Staniel Cay before switching over to a boat to visit the Swimming Pigs, the nurse sharks at Compass Cay, and several other sites.
Book a Staniel Cay day tour of the Exuma Cays today!
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