The setting is sublime with the vast Atlantic stretching for miles. The swell is coming in pretty strong and every few seconds a wave breaks on one of the two rocky islands just off the mainland, exploding with a burst of white contrasting with the deep blue of the ocean. In the distance, the lights of the nearest settlement twinkle. All is lit brilliantly by a nearly full moon, so bright that it is possible to see this all clear as day.
The spectacular setting had me excited to see what a photo would look like with the moonlight. These two pictures are my favorite from the trip. Take a look and guess what time of day it captures? Maybe dawn? Maybe dusk? Nope, I took this picture at 11:30 at night, and there are zero filters or alterations. The moon was huge and glowing strongly so I thought I would try a night shot. Never would have thought that there was enough light from the moon to make the photo turn out like day. I didn't even know that was possible!
With four friends (two from London and two from the west coast), had the pleasure of heading out to Long Island in the Bahamas on New Years day for a relaxing long weekend. This island is a narrow stretch of limestone that runs about 80 miles end to end. We explored the island broadly in the 3 days -- one day, we even fit all 5 adults in a Jeep and headed to the northern tip. A tight squeeze for sure.
The driving was worth it when looking out from Columbus Point and taking in a vista that recalled the Garden Route in South Africa and Queensland, Australia. And worth it again when snorkeling in a natural reef amphitheater with several schools of different colorful fish. Also worth it when munching on some grouper fingers lightly fried to perfection at a local restaurant. And of course, worth it when the vibrant sun set over the calm bay from the Stella Maris Resort with a delicious umbrella cocktail.
The next day we had two cars and went south. Our primary destination was Dean's Blue Hole. This is the largest blue hole in the ocean not just in the Bahamas but in the entire world. It is crazy to arrive at the setting and see that it looks like many other beaches we see in Long Island and on some of the other islands in the Bahamas. However, this beach is quite different with the water deceptively plunging over 600 feet. It has a deep blue hue that is a stark contrast to the pale blue of the sand bottom waters literally 5 feet to the side of the hole. It is quite disarming to be swimming along in a few feet of water and then all of sudden be unable to see the bottom.
Dean's blue hole is also really cool because it has cliffs ringing about half of the circumference, which got me thinking about doing a bit of deep water soloing. Have climbed all over the world but have never done this variant of the sport, which is climbing over deep water and then, when you fall, you crash into the water. It is a little crazy because you can get in some weird positions when climbing and if you fall in that position, it can be quite painful. The cliffs here were like all the limestone in the Bahamas, brittle and loose, and had not been climbed much if at all so it was not great climbing. My first fall I actually pulled off a piece of rock and went crashing into the water. I enjoyed the climbing, which had more interesting features and climbing than I have enjoyed thus far on other islands.
It was a great start to the New Year and a trip I hope to replicate a few more times while we are living here in Nassau.
