The practical centre of the middle Exumas, and the base for most of what people come to see.
Staniel Cay is a small settlement of a few hundred people, roughly seventy five miles south east of Nassau. It has a fuel dock, a marina, a couple of grocery stores and an airstrip. For a charter it functions as the hub of the middle Exumas, because almost everything worth stopping for in this part of the chain is within a few miles of it.
That concentration is the reason we build multi day charters around this area rather than treating each site as a separate trip. From a single anchorage here you can reach Thunderball Grotto, the swimming pigs, the nurse sharks at Compass Cay and several sandbars, all inside a short tender run or a twenty minute reposition.
A limestone cave system just off Staniel Cay, open to the sky through holes in the roof. When the sun is high, light comes down in shafts through the water and the fish inside are used to people. It was used as a location in two Bond films, which is where the name comes from.
Nurse sharks gather in the shallows beside the marina dock at Compass Cay. They are bottom feeders with no interest in people, and guests routinely stand in the water among them. It tends to be the stop that guests describe most vividly afterwards.
This is the single most useful piece of local knowledge on this page. The grotto is entered by swimming through an opening that is comfortable at low or slack tide and difficult at high tide, when the current runs hard through the cave.
Your captain will plan the visit around slack water rather than around your schedule. If the tide is wrong when you arrive, the right answer is to do something else and come back, and a good captain will say so.
From Nassau, Staniel Cay is around seventy five miles. On a fast yacht in settled conditions that is roughly two and a half hours. In a strong north east wind it is longer and less comfortable, and on some days the sensible decision is not to make the run at all.
A day charter from Nassau to Staniel Cay is possible on the right vessel but means eleven hours or more with most of it under way. For anyone whose main goal is this part of the Exumas we recommend a three day charter at minimum. A week lets you use it as a base and explore properly.
There is also an airstrip, and some guests fly in one direction and cruise the other. The seaplane page explains how that works in practice.
Staniel Cay is small. There is a yacht club with a restaurant and bar, two small grocery stores, and not much else. That is part of its appeal, but set expectations accordingly: this is not a resort destination, and the settlement is a working community rather than an attraction.
This is how we would usually order a full day here, though the captain will rearrange it around the tide.
Run to Big Major Cay for the swimming pigs before other boats arrive. Thirty to forty five minutes ashore.
Thunderball Grotto if the tide suits, otherwise a reef stop nearby and the grotto later in the day.
Lunch aboard at anchor. On yachts carrying a chef this is prepared fresh rather than brought from shore.
Compass Cay for the nurse sharks, then a sandbar as the tide drops. Swimming, water toys and the quietest part of the day.
Itineraries are examples and stay flexible. Wind direction and tide will change the order, and sometimes the destination.
Timing, the grotto, and how to build a charter around this part of the chain.
Roughly seventy five miles, or about two and a half hours on a fast yacht in settled conditions. In a strong north east wind it takes longer and is less comfortable.
A limestone cave system just off Staniel Cay, open to the sky through holes in the roof. When the sun is high the light comes down in shafts through the water. It was used as a location in two Bond films.
Because you swim in through an opening that is comfortable at low or slack tide and difficult at high tide, when the current runs hard through the cave. Your captain will plan the visit around slack water.
A good captain will do something else nearby and come back later rather than putting you into a strong current. That is normal and it is the right call.
It helps. There is a short swim through an opening and some current even at slack water. If anyone is unsure, the crew will say so honestly rather than encouraging them in.
Nurse sharks gather in the shallows beside the marina dock. They are harmless and used to people, and guests routinely stand in the water among them. It tends to be the stop people describe most vividly afterwards.
A short run. Big Major Cay is close by, which is why the two are almost always combined. See our swimming pigs page.
A small settlement of a few hundred people, a yacht club with a restaurant and bar, two small grocery stores, a fuel dock and an airstrip. It is a working community rather than a resort destination.
On a multi day charter, yes, and some guests enjoy an evening at the yacht club. On a day charter there is rarely time.
On a fast vessel it is possible, but it is eleven hours or more with most of it under way. We would normally suggest a three day charter instead.
Yes, and some guests fly one direction and cruise the other. Our seaplane page explains how that is usually arranged.
Pigs early before other boats arrive, the grotto when the tide suits, lunch at anchor, Compass Cay in the afternoon, and a sandbar as the tide drops. The order changes with the tide rather than with the clock.
If Thunderball Grotto, the pigs and Compass Cay are on your list, they are all in the same few miles. Tell us how many days you have and we will shape a route around the tides.
Our captains plan this area around slack water, not around a printed schedule.
The middle Exumas need a multi day charter to see properly.