A quick six-mile trip this morning took us into the Exumas Land and Sea Park. We passed behind the anchored megayacht and dropped our hook just off one of the openings into the mangroves. The wind had laid down to breeze level, the sun was shining, and we quickly got the dinghy down. We picked Pete up from Spartina and headed south around the point to an opening that would take us to the Exuma Sound shore. A 3mph speed limit sign greets all visitors. No problem for us as we were busy taking in the beautiful surroundings and looking for any signs of sharks and turtles. Once again, the crystal-clear water was mesmerizing. A lone mangrove sprout was spotted trying to establish itself in the middle of a sand flat.
We arrived at the beach an hour before high tide. I hopped out and walked the final 100 yards to the beach. Barry and Pete paddled the dinghy closer to shore and tied up next to two other boats. I waited for them and enjoyed the scenery.
This colorful shot of them coming around the bend is one of my favorites. The Park is a no-take zone so even though there are treasures to be had in the wrack, they are to remain as we found them. Sadly, the Park is NOT a no-leave zone. Tons of plastic waste lined the sand. Interesting items included a golf ball, and easter egg, and one flip flop. No so interesting, but dominant ones, included water tanks, jugs, and five gallon buckets. The surf line, however, was pristine and that is where I chose to walk for two miles.
The boys met up with three other couples (whom we had met in Great Harbour Cay) and chatted in the shade while watching the waves rise and fall on the beach. An hour after high tide we loaded back in the dinghy and continued our safari. The sandy bottom was easily visible in the shallow water.
We saw several darting turtles and one four-foot shark. In my first real experience with the new underwater camera, I was thrilled to find that I got a shot of the shark. I missed the turtles. Oh, well. We hope there will be more days and opportunities just like this ahead of us.
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