A trip to the Bahamas is bound to be filled with a number of exciting and unique experiences. From trying new water sports, to sighting fascinating creatures and exploring the beauty of the ocean, you will have more than enough to choose from. That being said, nothing says thrilling vacation like a Compass Cay swim with sharks tour.
Compass Cay is located midway up the exquisite string of islands known as the Exuma Cays. So while a Compass cay swim with sharks tour is what draws most people here, you’ll be sure to find yourself surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. In fact, the Compass Cay Marina is where all the action takes place, and just so happens to be one of the most picturesque parts of the island. With a large sand bank around the marina, you will find yourself in pure turquoise-watered paradise.
Swim with sharks at Compass Cay Marina
Naturally, the Compass Cay Swim with Sharks experience is entirely at your own risk. The sharks here are wild animals, and while the owners of the Compass Cay Marina think of the sharks as pets, you would be wise to exercise caution. That being said, these creatures are mostly harmless, and as long as you don’t provoke them, or try to feed them, you’ll be safe. You must be careful with your finders here, because the Compass Cay Sharks natural instinct is to feel for something and then take a bite! These sharks have thousands of tiny serrated teeth!
The Compass Cay Nurse Sharks
Compass Cay has become a sailors mecca within the Bahamas. The large Compass Cay Marina is a full service Marina and many yachts will come an dock here for days or weeks at a time. You can understand why when the island is viewed as a secluded paradise, generally only really busy during the day when it gets alot of day trip visitors. You’ll find an interesting collection of memorabilia left by sailors and yachts in the main Compass Cay Jetty.
Memorabilia adorns the walls of the Compass Cay Marina
Compass Cay Exuma Nurse Sharks
The animals you will be interacting with on a Compass Cay swim with sharks tour are called Nurse Sharks. While they resemble the man-eating creatures of the deep in some ways, in other ways they look a whole lot like an oversized catfish. In fact, they behave a whole lot like catfish. Known as ‘bottom feeders’ they stick to the ocean floor and sucking small creatures and sediment from the sand. However, you will only see all of this once you’ve climbed into the water beside them. Before this, you may have your eye on their powerful tails, wide-set heads or their dorsal fins slicing through the water’s surface.
Welcome to Compass Cay, home of the Pet Nurse Sharks
There is something really quite thrilling about swimming in water side by side with a school of sharks. Even with the fact that they likely won’t harm you in mind, it can still be quite an exciting experience. This is enhanced by the sheer size of these creatures, with most of them reaching a length of 7 ft or more, and some being as staggeringly long as 14 ft. A Compass Cay swim with sharks experience will provide you with some excellent opportunities for vacation pictures. Whether you take pictures from the series of wooden walkways around the marina, or you grab a few shots underwater, they’ll certainly be something to show your friends and family back home.
Nurse Sharks at Compass Cay are mostly harmless to humans
The incredibly clear water of the Bahamas lends itself greatly to this tour, so if you come armed with snorkel gear, you will have a simply phenomenal view of these creatures as they swim around you. A Compass Cay swim with sharks tour isn’t just going to allow you to swim beside them, though. These Nurse Sharks have become accustomed to human interaction, and while it always pays to be careful, you can give these sharks a stroke as they glide through the water beside you. If you’re feeling particularly brave, the sharks will even allow you to hold them. One thing you may notice about the sharks is that they make a high-pitched squeal, which can best be heard from under the water. Though this may seem a little trivial, it all adds to an overall unforgettable experience in Compass Cay Exuma.
The pet Nurse Sharks that live in the Compass Cay Marina
The owners of the Compass Cay Marina really do care for these sharks, and even have names for each of them. When the owner first opened the marina, he brought in a few Nurse Sharks, those sharks have since had a number of offspring, and the owner has nurtured and fed these sharks since birth. If you get a chance to chat to the owner, or some of the crew working on the dock, it is entirely worth it to get a deeper insight into the exciting Compass Cay swim with sharks adventure.
Compass Cay Island Map
Compass Cay is a large private island with small private accommodations – there are no hotels or resorts here, the closest would be the Water Villas at Staniel Cay. The island is unique for its long crescent shaped beach on the eastern shoreline, affectionally known as Crescent Beach.
Compass Cay Swim with Sharks Experience – Island Map
Explore the Exuma Cays
Compass Cay swim with sharks is just one of the many experiences that you can look forward to in the Exuma Cays. This sub-archipelago in the Bahamas is one of the world’s top destinations, and for good reason. The beauty here is simply unparalleled, from pristine beaches to fascinating Land and Sea Parks, the Exuma Cays display all that the Bahamas has to offer.
The Entrance to the Compass Cay Marina
Whether you’re swimming with sharks at Compass Cay, or swimming with Pigs on Big Major Cay, you will undoubtedly have an unforgettable time in the Exuma Cays. There is so much to do here, and with 365 islands to explore on your trip, you’ll certainly be spoiled for choice.
The Exuma Cays are so much more than just a series of new experiences though, they truly do put some of the world’s most beautiful tropical landscapes on display. Powdery, white sandy beaches stretch on for miles. These beaches are framed by stunning palm trees that cast a dappled shade on the sand. The ocean that laps at the shore seems to stretch out forever, broken only by the view of other nearby islands. If you want a real Bahamian vacation, then the Exuma Cays is for you.
One of the very best islands to visit in the Exuma Cays is Staniel Cay. The reason for this is that it serves as a sort of hub for some of the very best tours in the area, including the Compass Cay swim with sharks. If you have the time, then be sure to spend a couple nights in the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and head out on any number of adventures in the area.
Swim with Sharks on a Bahamas Day Trip
To go on a Compass Cay swim with sharks tour is undoubtedly an experience of a lifetime. However, many people simply don’t have the time to travel to the Bahamas and explore this experience and so many more. With families, and work, and maintaining a social life, time for travel is often a luxury that few can afford. Fortunately, the Bahamas proximity to Florida has opened up an opportunity to counter this issue.
Compass Cay Swim with Sharks experience
Bahamas Air Tours allows you, and your family or friends, to take a tour of the Bahamas with limited time in mind. Flying from Florida to the Bahamas takes some time, but all other tours will then transport you by boat to the various islands and tours in the Bahamas. Bahamas Air Tours allows you to island hop by air. Even with the outstanding viewpoints that you will get from above the Bahamas as you fly from one destination to the next aside, nothing can beat the speed of air travel. What this means for your tours is that less time will be spent travelling, and more time will be spent on the experiences. With a country like the Bahamas being filled to the brim with new and exciting experiences like a Compass Cay swim with sharks, this is absolutely essential.
Swimming with Sharks at Compass Cay on a Bahamas Day Tour
What this all means is that if you’re based in Florida, you can book a day trip with Bahamas Air Tours to the Bahamas. With only a single day to spare, you could be spending it waist deep in clear turquoise water surrounded by the nurse sharks of Compass Cay. It won’t even need to be a rushed tour, with the convenience of air travel on your side, you can really spend your time, and make the most of this experience. In fact, you’ll have time to do several different tours, and depending on the package that you book, you may feel as if you had quite a comprehensive tour of the Bahamas in just one day. Bahamas Air Tours will give you the Bahamian vacation you’ve always dreamed of.
Visit the famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs in Exuma
Not far from the famous Compass Cay Sharks are the famous Bahamas Swimming Pigs. These amazing Swimming Pigs can be visited on one the Bahamas Day Trip – The Nassau to Exuma Day Trip is the most popular tour in the Bahamas.
Swimming Pigs at Pig Beach, not far from Compass Cay Sharks
These curious Exuma Pigs live on an island called Big Major Cay. It’s affectionally known as Pig Beach or Pig Island. And they are now jointly the top rated attraction in the Bahamas Islands alongside the Compass Cay Swim with Sharks Experience.
If taking a Bahamas Day Trip with Bahamas Air Tours, you’ll be able to visit these swimming pigs along with all 7 of the Staniel Cay Tour Attractions:
- Swimming with Pigs at Pig Beach
- Compass Cay Swim with Sharks
- Snorkel into the James Bond Cave Thunderball Grotto
- Pristine Sand Bar at Pipe Creek
- Underwater Plane Wreck at Staniel Cay
- Bahamian Rock Iguanas at Bitter Guana Cay
- The Staniel Cay Yacht Club
Discover the best of the Bahamas on a Bahamas Day Trip
Even if you’ve got enough time to spend a weekend, or a full week in the Bahamas, you can still book tours with Bahamas Air Tours. While you may not be as pressed for time as you are on a day trip, you’ll certainly find that the significant reduction of travel time allows for a fuller and more exciting tour of the Bahamas. With several packages to choose from, you’ll have more than enough experiences coming your way. The very best part of this is that you will be able to make the utmost of each of your experiences without having to worry about time. Visit Compass Cay on a Bahamas Day Tour from Miami or Nassau.
The convenience of these tours aside, you simply couldn’t ask for a more picturesque tour of the Bahamas. Bahamas Air Tours will be transporting you in small aircrafts with the world’s largest windows in any commercial plane. What this means for your tour is that you can look down on some of the planet’s most gorgeous landscapes from your spectacular vantage point in the sky. Viewing an island from above before landing, and exploring it by foot really makes for a well-rounded and comprehensive tour, not to mention the countless picture opportunities that will be presented throughout the tour.
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