Outdoor Activities

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GUIDES

How to Try Paddleboarding Through Mangrove Creeks

On Shroud Cay in the Exumas, the water is so still at slack tide that the only sound is a turtle surfacing for air. Then the tide turns, and the same creek that looked like a lagoon becomes a fast-moving channel. That shift is the whole trick to paddleboarding through mangrove creeks in the Bahamas — and why getting the timing right matters more than your balance. This article covers the best places to SUP through mangrove systems across the Bahamas, from the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park to the Abacos and Eleuthera. It’s written for anyone who

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How to Spend a Day Learning to Fillet Fish Like a Local

Late afternoon light slants across the cedar dock, and a Bahamian fisherman named Marcus runs a seven-inch blade along a snapper’s spine in one smooth motion. Most professional anglers carry at least two knives for this kind of work—a fillet knife around seven inches and a longer skinning knife around nine inches. Watching him, I realized that with a sharp blade and a patient teacher, you can pick up the basics in a single day. This article walks through exactly how to organize a day learning to fillet fish like a local, from finding a guide to cooking your

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Exploring the Bahamas Underrated Hiking Trails

Over 50 blue holes dot the island of Andros alone, but most visitors to the Bahamas never see one up close. The country’s hiking trails remain largely overlooked in favor of beach days and boat tours, which means you can often have a remarkable route almost to yourself. This guide covers five of the best hikes across the islands — from a historic Nassau walk to a full-day island circuit on Stocking Island — with the practical details you need to actually get out there. Over 50 blue holes are found on Andros, the Bahamas’ largest yet most sparsely

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How to Try Free Diving Instead of Scuba for the First Time

You’re floating face-down over a white sand bottom, the surface thirty feet above you, no tank strapped to your back, no regulator in your mouth — just one breath and the quiet hum of your own heartbeat. That’s the moment freediving separates itself from scuba. You swap complicated gear for a single skill: staying calm underwater on the air you already have. The Bahamas is the best place on earth to try it, largely because of Dean’s Blue Hole, which plunges 663 feet into limestone bedrock. This article covers how to go from zero breath-hold experience to your first

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How to Spend a Morning at a Bahamian Farmers Market

I’d heard about the Saturday morning ritual at Doongalik Farmers’ Market long before I stepped into its open-air enclosure under the Nassau sun. The setup is straightforward: local farmers and vendors set up stalls selling fresh produce, cooked meals, fruits, vegetables, fresh bread, organic seasoning, locally produced oils, herbs, and freshly caught seafood and meat (Doongalik). It’s not a tourist trap — it’s where Bahamians actually stock their kitchens for the week. If you’re visiting Nassau with a family, hitting a morning market is one of the best ways to taste the real Bahamas without a tour guide. This

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Exploring Man O War Cay’s Living Boat Building Tradition

Man-O-War Cay has been the boat-building capital of the Bahamas for over 200 years, with the Albury family at the heart of that tradition since a teenage sailor washed ashore in 1820. Emily’s Take You don’t just see boats here — you watch seventh-generation craftsmen shape wood by hand, tour a century-old museum, and walk past working shipyards that have operated since the 1950s. The island is small (2.5 miles long) and dry (no alcohol sold), so it’s a half-day stop unless you’re a serious boat nerd. Best for families who want a real cultural anchor in an Abaco

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Chasing Dolphins in the Wild Instead of at a Marine Park

Captive dolphins in marine parks live, on average, shorter lives than their wild counterparts, confined to tanks that are a fraction of the size of their natural territories. The more we learn about their intelligence — complex vocalizations, self-awareness, lifelong family bonds — the harder it becomes to justify a ticket to a show. That’s why our family has shifted our approach entirely: we now chase dolphins in the wild, and the Bahamas is one of the best places to do it right. Eight of 13 dolphins at a former Bahamas swim-with attraction have died since 2018 — a

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How to Try Bonefishing Without Ever Having Held a Fly Rod

You spot the tail first — a small, dark V breaching the surface of gin-clear water, waggling as the fish upends itself to root for shrimp in the turtle grass. That’s a bonefish on the feed, and it’s the moment that turns casual beachgoers into dedicated flats anglers. Bonefishing in the Bahamas is one of the most accessible ways to try saltwater fly fishing, even if you have never held a rod before. The learning curve is real — accurate short casts, reading the water, strip‑setting instead of lifting — but the flats are forgiving, guides are patient, and

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How to Spend an Afternoon Sponge Fishing Like the Old Days

On a clear afternoon in the early 1900s, a sponger would lean over the side of a sloop, peer through a water glass — a bucket with a glass bottom — and spot a wool sponge on the seafloor 10 feet below. With a 12-foot pole tipped with an iron hook, he’d tear it loose, squeeze out the gray gurry, and toss it into the boat. In 1917, the Bahamas exported over a million pounds of sponges, ranking it the third-largest producer globally by 1935. That industry collapsed after hurricanes, overfishing, and a 1938 fungus, but the tradition of

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A Guide to Off Roading Through the Abacos Backcountry

You’ve seen the turquoise water and the bonefishing flats. But the Abacos has a rough interior too—pine forests, limestone roads, and abandoned settlements that few visitors ever reach. Off-roading through the Abacos backcountry opens up a side of the Bahamas that moves at a slower, dustier pace. This guide covers what to expect, how to prepare, and where to look for a tour that fits your style. More than 700 islands make up the Bahamas, but the Abacos region alone has hundreds of square miles of undeveloped interior—much of it accessible only by four-wheel drive. Emily’s Take Off-roading in

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