Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

After we left Normans Cay we entered the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (ECLSP). It’s a national park thats 22 miles long and 8 miles wide and the entire park is no-take zone. The park had mooring balls in popular areas that are reasonably priced and they also charge for anchoring in the park.

The first night we anchored off of Shroud Cay, which offered mangrove streams and coral reefs to snorkel on. There are currents in the area so we decided to explore the miles of mangrove streams running through the cay. Sue used the stand up paddle board and I followed her in the dingy. We had a great time exploring the mangroves. We saw lots of turtles and baby sharks in the streams. It was low tide so there were a couple of spots too shallow for the motor and I had to row.

The next day we headed to Warderick Wells Cay where the park’s main office is located. A west blow was heading our way and they had a mooring field that was protected. We tried calling in for a reservation, but part of the park’s charm is no cell coverage. I should have called on the satellite phone, but didn’t think about it. Of course, when we got there all the moorings were reserved, probably by folks who did think of using their sat phone. For punishment, we had a rocky 24 hours in a mooring field that didn’t have adequate protection from a west wind.

We ended up spending three nights at Warderick Wells. The second day was a wash since it was too rough to take the dingy to shore. The other days we walked the numerous trails on the island, always on the lookout for poison wood trees.

We were running low on supplies so we left the park for Staniel Cay. We had internet and it was time to recharge our Bahamas cell phone. That’s when I realized I didn’t have my credit card. I called the restaurant where I last used it and they had it. So, Sue and I got up early and back tracked over 40 miles to Highbourne Cay.

Tomorrow were heading back into the park to visit a couple of spots we missed.