Classic Bahamas: Warderick Wells

Our journey left off at Halls Pond, where we spent the morning (March 13) snorkeling a sea plane and some gorgeous coral beds. We accomplished all that we wanted here, and were anxious to get going to Emerald Rock, the anchorage just south of Warderick Wells.

We opted to motor the full stretch since we didn't have far to go, and half of it would be through narrow shallow channels. It was completely uneventful and for the first time in a week, completely calm! The sun was out and I was happy to get a break from steering and enjoy the bow of the boat.

We pulled into the Emerald Rock harbor at about 230PM. There was only one other boat anchored and a couple tied up to the mooring field. After all of our time cruising, we thought it would be silly to pay for a ball. We can access everything. Why pay when you can anchor for free?

Warderick Wells is one of the most popular attractions in the Exumas and has been on our "must-see" list since Day 1. Its the hub of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, known for awesome hiking and snorkeling. We can't fish here because its a protected area, so thats a bummer. But that means lots of fish to see underwater. Warderick Wells draws a lot of tourists and charter boats, but most people prefer to pay for a mooring ball. So that means lots of anchor room for us! yay.

We got right down to business as soon as we dropped anchor. I was already throwing snorkel gear in the dinghy before turning off the engine. Excited much!? It was so beautiful this afternoon too, the sun was shining and the water was so bright and blue and clear.

We jumped in the dinghy to scout out snorkeling areas and visit the main beach. We were anchored about 1/2 mile from the main coral gardens and found a few smaller rock gardens along the way. They were tiny but pretty. We held off on snorkeling them as we wanted to find the good stuff. Everyone says that Warderick Wells has the best coral and snorkeling. So naturally I wanted to find it.

One really nice thing the National Park provides is mooring balls for dinghies in coral garden areas. Instead of dropping anchor (and potentially damaging the coral), you just tie up to the ball and jump in the water! Makes it easier to spot.

As we pulled close to one of the mooring balls, we noticed a very strong current ripping through the area - probably around 3 knots. I tied the dinghy up but noticed it was pulling hard against the line. Jake opted to wait while I went below to scout. I held on to the dinghy as the current ripped past. it was hard to see anything. I spotted some coral, not a ton and definitely no rock features of any kind. Just some coral on the sandy floor.

I didn't stay down long, just a few minutes. But I was disappointed. Perhaps this isn't the right spot? I know there is a ton of coral on the map around these parts. We journeyed over to the main beach in hopes to discover something.

We chatted with a few people who confirmed the snorkeling locations. Pretty much where we were. But they said slack tide is the only time to go and when its calm out, otherwise you can't see much. So perhaps we'll try it again tomorrow.

Intel re-conned, we dinghied around the area to see what there was to see. It was so pretty out here. We passed a sting ray and a few turtles, some interesting looking rock features (I thought were sharks) and stopped at a super pretty beach.

The afternoon melted away. Daylight savings threw us out of whack especially that it was still bright at 600PM. That also marked slack tide. The water was exceptionally calm and flat you could see through to the bottom. Jake took the SUP out to explore. He paddled to some small rock gardens near our anchorage and said they were unbelievable from above. It was like looking through a glass fish tank from above. We were about to go back out on the dinghy but the current picked and the sun set before we made it. Oh well it was still a gorgeous evening.

Since we didn't manage to catch any dinner (and can't fish while we're here), our food is down to all dehydrated or canned goods. We have managed to concoct some decent things, tonight was no exception. Mexican rice bowls made with dehydrated meat, beans, tomatoes, veggies, rice and salsa. Super tasty considering.

March 14, 2016 The night was calm and we went to bed feeling great. At about 2AM, though, things changed. The boat started rocking a lot and I was feeling it in the V-berth. So of course I had to wake up and struggled to fall back to sleep on the little settee until 4AM.

We planned to wake up before sunrise and hike around all day. Since I slept pretty terribly, I didn't stir until about 630AM. It was still dark but I knew we wouldn't make it to shore before dawn. No biggie, it was beautiful sunrise on Bosco.

Jake made us a potato casserole type of thing for breakfast. It was a smart use of our dehydrated ham, potatoes and peppers and the little bit of cheese we still had. But it took over an hour for it to cook, which further hindered our timing.

I completely forgot to decorate the driftwood that we got from Oven Rock to place on the infamous Boo Boo Hill. The only art materials I could find were some sharpie markers. That would have to do. I didn't have a ton of time either, so I quickly drew a Bosco face and the name on one side. But I felt like the other side needed something too. So I added the JJA.com website. Now its perfect (sort of).

With our bags packed with cameras, water, snacks and driftwood, we made our way to shore and began hiking the south end of the island. There are some ruins in these parts we wanted to explore. The ruins were more like piles of rocks. I guess they fell apart after the last hurricane so there wasn't much to see. They were still super cool. We also saw lots of wildlife, including some cute lizards, birds and a marmot-like furry creature that looked like a large squirrel without a tail.

It took us about an hour to hike down to the south end of the island. We stopped at a few gorgeous overlooks out over the ocean. On our way back to the dinghy, we passed by a couple of ultra-deep wells. Didn't want to get too close to those!

Once back to the dinghy, we motored up the island a bit, so we wouldn't have to backtrack as far, to Rendezvous Beach (where we stopped yesterday). It is so pretty and has great access to the northern trails (namely, Boo Boo hill).

Hiking was so nice at first. The limestone felt great under our feet. Connection to the earth is something we miss on the boat. But as the hours wore on, it started to cut into our feet until red and raw. The sun got more potent by the hour.

It was probably 3 miles back to the main beach (where we landed yesterday). A nurse shark swam by as we walked over to the water (so cool!!!!). Our trail followed the beach, passed the preserved whale bones through some interesting desert-marsh terrain and then up a steep hill, aka Boo Boo Hill. We could see the huge mound of driftwood from here.

It took us less than 10 minutes to hike up to the top from here. The summit boasted 360 degrees of rich blues spliced with shades of green and white sandy beaches, like something out of a fairy tale. A place of true perfection.

We were so distracted by the view, we didn't even realize the mountain of driftwood that was in front of us. I pulled my eyes away and was shocked by what I was seeing. It was literally a mountain of driftwood. But each individual piece with different boat names and so many designs. Like a modern art exhibit. And the detail on some of the driftwood was kind of amazing. Many were simple drawings or paintings with a name, but some were carved, chiseled and burned into their wood. Its obvious that some people brought their piece from home (especially the super fancy ones with polished wood and stone). The smart ones rigged a way to tie it down to the ground so it wouldn't blow away in a storm. It made ours look kind of pathetic.

We met another couple on the summit, whom we only noticed after absorbing our surroundings. They are on an Island Packet 35 (called Island Spirit). They have been cruising a long time and were super nice to chat with.

The hike back down went a lot faster, but my feet were killing me the entire way. Every step felt like torture. We found a shortcut too so we got back in under 30 minutes (Lucky Spot!!!). We were feeling hot, tired, parched and ready for this hike to be over! ;) My feet were on fire. My brain was blurry from the heat of the day and I just wanted to go for a swim!

I'm so happy we got our Seafrost Refrigerator (and freezer). We had ice and ice-cold drinks ready and waiting for us at Bosco. AHHHH that's better.

Even though we were both pretty tired, I insisted that we go snorkeling since slack tide was around the corner (130PM). We dinghied over to the coral gardens and the current was still strong. This time, we tied a trail line from the dinghy so we could swim around and hold on to the line (instead of drifting away).

I dumped myself unceremoniously in the water and my skin screamed in protest. It was FREEZING! It took a few seconds to collect myself before I could actually concentrate on what was around me. It was a bit more clear this afternoon so I could actually see things. Still, the coral wasn't as amazing as I felt like it should be, but on the plus side I saw a HUGE mana ray swim past. My picture doesn't do it justice.

After seeing all we could, we dinghied over to the shallow, smaller rock gardens between us as Bosco boat. Though small, they were pretty and had some fun fish to see. The coral was just okay here. The fish were great. I didn't really care, I was just happy to be in the water.

The few hours in the water was just what the doctor ordered. We were completely exhausted but were very happy with our full day of fun. Jake was still motivated so he scrubbed the hull and water line, which had some growth. Now Bosco is much more presentable!

The last few days were full and fun! The true beauty of the Bahamas shines through in the Exumas. I can't wait to see what else there is to see...