5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 3 – Off the Cay

In 5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 1, we talked about the beaches on Staniel Cay and in Part 2, we highlighted some of the other attractions on island that we were lucky enough  to experience. In this last part, we’re going to feature the area surrounding Staniel Cay – which are just a short boat ride from Staniel Cay and definitely worth exploring!

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Exuma, a long chain of stunningly beautiful islands, or cays – 365 of them, that start about 35 miles south of Nassau, Bahamas. The Exuma Cays are the northernmost part of this chain and much of it is easily accessible from Staniel Cay.

Map of Exuma Cays
If you have boating experience, you can rent a boat for the day or the week from Coral at Staniel Rentals, or 1/2 day and daily rentals from Nicole at 3N’s Vacation Services. If you’re not comfortable navigating your own boat, Nicole can also arrange a guided tour of the surrounding cays for you.

During our all too short stay, we first took a guided tour of the surrounding area, which included snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto,

Thunderball Grotto - copyright Rum Therapy
Swimming with the pigs at Big Major Cay,

Pig Beach - copyright Rum Therapy

Swimming with the nurse sharks on Compass Cay,

Compass Cay - copyright Rum Therapy

And a fun afternoon playing on the sandbar near Little Pipe Cay.

Beach Walk - copyright Rum Therapy Exuma Cays - copyright Rum Therapy
We enjoyed the day so much that several days later, we decided to rent a boat of our own to explore more of the incredible area. We swam with the pigs again, then headed north for more time on Compass Cay, where we spent time chatting with Tucker, the proprietor of Compass Cay Marina,

Compass-Cay-copyright Rum Therapy
Exploring the stunning Crescent Beach on Compass Cay,

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Boating through some of the clearest, bluest water we’ve ever seen,

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Then spending the last several hours of our day on Sandy Cay, exploring the tiny uninhabited island and the long arc of white sand sandbar that appears during low tide.

Exuma Cay Sandbar - copyright Rum Therapy
Have you spent time on Staniel Cay or in the Exuma Cays? Tell us about it!

To see more posts on the Bahamas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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Crescent Beach, Compass Cay

During our recent interview with Beach Bar Bums, we were asked to list a few of our all-time favorite beaches. Crescent Beach on Compass Cay in the Bahamas was one.

This gorgeous arc of brilliant white sand and clear turquoise water was actually a recent addition to our favorites “list” as we visited the Exuma Cays for the first time a few months ago. One of the stops on our first day of exploring was Compass Cay. Compass Cay has become known for it’s marina, where you can can interact with their friendly pet sharks, but, as we found on our second visit, there is more to see on Compass Cay than sharks – although that was really a great experience…

We rented a boat for a second day of exploring from Coral at Wheels -N- Waves Island Rentals on Staniel Cay and she mentioned that we should definitely spend a little more time on Compass Cay, and to make the short hike over from the marina to Crescent Beach. Boy are we glad she made that recommendation.

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Upon our arrival, we spent a little time swimming with the sharks again and visiting with Tucker, the proprietor of Compass Cay, who echoed Coral’s thoughts on Crescent Beach, then started on the path to the beach.

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The path was marked with colorful and whimsical signs.

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The sandy path wound its way through the foliage.

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As we rounded the last corner, we got our first glimpse of the gorgeous beach.

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The beach was a long stretch of sugar soft, white sand and there was no one else in sight.

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We spent several hours walking the beach and floating in the lovely warm, clear water.

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copyright Rum Therapy
copyright Rum Therapy
copyright Rum Therapy
There are so many gorgeous beaches and sandbars in the Exumas, but we must say Crescent Beach stands out as our favorite Exuma beach from this trip just for its sheer beauty, although we’ve only visited a few of the 365 islands and cays that make up this magnificent chain so far…

Have you been to Crescent Beach on Compass Cay? Tell us about it!


Find Crescent Beach on our Bahamas Map

You might also enjoy:
Compass Cay and its One Full Time Resident

The Swimming Pigs of the Exuma Cays
Staniel Cay Yacht Club
Thunderball Grotto


To see more posts on the Bahamas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

 Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC