Island Hopping By Plane – What You Need To Know
Comprising 700 islands and cays, the Bahamas is an archipelago spanning over 100,000 square miles just off the southeast coast of Florida; most likely to be the favorite playground for yachtsmen since it’s so easily accessible from the U.S. coastline. Air transportation is an important part of the Bahamian economy and often a vital service for boaters. Island hopping by plane for enjoyment is often an experience many boaters forget to experience. Here’s how you can take advantage of some incredible options for you and your loved ones.
Where To Begin
2024 cruising plans to the Bahamas have likely taken shape. Vessels both large and small, power or sail, have been readied for an island escape like no other. By April, the flotilla begins. But have you considered island hopping on one of the most popular forms of air transport, the invaluable seaplane? Start your journey on the Exuma Cays, which appear as a thread on a chart with an island for every day in the year, situated a little more than 200 miles from Florida’s east coast.
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Throughout the Bahamas, you’ll find many Out Island airstrips—a few being major Ports of Entry requiring formal customs entry procedures. There are three Fixed Base Operations located at Nassau’s international airport giving much needed access to the more relaxed airstrips available for inter-island travel, suitable for smaller single or twin-engine aircraft. Cruising vessels using these planes would, however, be required to anchor close enough for tender transfers ashore. There are several Bahamian aircraft charter companies providing these services, but the unmatched thrill and convenience of a water landing is hard to beat, especially right to your anchorage in the middle of nowhere!
Yachtsmen planning a repeat visit to these enchanted islands know all too well the absolute stunning experience that awaits their arrival. For the first-time visitors, the effect of these magical islands will remain etched in their memories forever.
Arriving in Nassau after crossing from Bimini, passing the north tip of Andros, many boat owners lie low for a few days at anchor or docked at a local marina. A fun idea awaits. Those with an adventurous spirit to explore can find an opportunity to view some of the islands by air before sailing south. Back in 1990 as a pioneer aviator, I launched an excursion where visitors could see the amazing island chain of the Exumas by seaplane. A licensed dive-charter captain for 18 years, I decided to order a factory-new seaplane having no clue how to fly! The idea was to show visitors the swirling array of blues and turquoises from above, with the added attraction of being able to splashdown to explore or dine or actually stay for a couple days. Several Exuma Cays have boutique hotels or guest cottages for rent. Captains can even request aerial images of their yachts underway or at anchor.
Resources To Consider
I retired a few years ago after thousands of hours of experience and handed the baton to my close friend, Captain JP (John) Roberts, fully restoring his venture, Seaplane Safaris. The infamous Maule amphibian, appropriately registered C6WET, has earned the reputation of “the most photographed seaplane in the region” over 23 years. The company is now revitalized specializing in yacht guest transfers, yacht provisioning, or supplying that urgently needed boat part; most certainly a good contact to keep in the log!
Based at Odyssey Aviation at Nassau’s international airport, the seaplane’s popular day-trip flight over the 40-mile stretch of shallow water takes just 20 minutes. A landing in the Alan’s Cay group allows the two or three guests to meet the indigenous iguanas, appearing as miniature dinosaurs, always partial to a few fresh grapes. Aerial views as the flight continues illustrate clearly the approaches to the first major marina anchorage of Highbourne Cay with its renowned restaurant Zumas.
Taking aerial photos during the flight is encouraged, providing valuable future reference for yachtsmen arriving later for their cruise through the cays. Passengers flying over these islands find the pirouette of color created by the tidal flow through the narrow cuts almost staggering to the senses. Follow deepwater indigo-colored channels for an easy approach to safe anchorage, staying shy of the light sandy shoals and golden-colored reef structures found often in just a few feet of water on the west bank side of Exuma. Conversely, on the east side of the islands is the dramatic edge of the ocean, some 30 feet of clear turquoise plunging 3,000 feet downward into the indigo void. Fabulous anchorages await inside each cay or island, illustrated beautifully as the dark blue ribbon flowing through Warderick Wells Cay. Splashdown here by seaplane to visit the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, 176 square miles totally protected by Bahamian law.
This gorgeous area of the archipelago stretches from Sail Rocks in the north, 120 miles south eastward to the far tip of Great Exuma in the south. Local Bahamian cuisine is a must-experience during your cruise. Visitors can discover some wonderful local restaurants scattered through this island chain. Fresh grouper or hog snapper are the fish favorites. Conch, the prolific shellfish found in these waters, diced fine with veggies and fresh lime to make the famous conch salad, eaten raw, is a must. Prepared only by Bahamians knowing best, conch fritters or fried cracked-conch is a dish bringing one back for more. Bahamian spiny lobster, known here as crawfish, is a mouthwatering delicacy when in season, grilled or minced, served hot on a bed of rice or chilled in a salad.
Island Hopping By Plane: Your Guide To The Bahamas
The seaplane bumps gently onto a Staniel Cay beach, just halfway down the island chain for lunch at Staniel Cay Marina, allowing guests to get close to the harmless nurse sharks waiting near the fish-cleaning station—a fun photo opportunity. After lunch in the marina restaurant, guests can hire a skiff taking them to nearby Thunderball Grotto, a feature in the 1965 Bond movie Thunderball. Glide through the underwater grotto above schools of fish diving out through the far side and into the open air. This will certainly be a day to remember, experiencing breathtaking sightseeing from above; colors one cannot simply digest in a single visit.
-by Capt. Paul Harding
