Great Exuma and the Exuma Cays

Scuba

• Choose dives to match certification, experience, maximum depth, recent skills and the actual forecast. Ask for a full site and emergency briefing before a reef, wreck or blue-hole outing.
• Dive Exuma documents strong tidal pull in blue holes and requires slack-tide timing. Angelfish Blue Hole can reach 28 m; do not exceed certified depth or penetrate a chamber. Mystery Cave is a technical cave, which the operator treats as a snorkel-entrance stop rather than a normal recreational scuba dive.
• Follow no-decompression guidance, ascent rate and safety stops as applicable, buddy checks, adequate gas reserve, and a minimum fly-after-diving interval following DAN or relevant training-agency recommendations. Small-plane inter-cay travel counts as flight exposure; plan accordingly.
• Confirm that guides and boats carry working oxygen, first aid, surface signaling equipment, navigation and communication resources. Do not assume a nearby hyperbaric chamber or same-day evacuation.

Snorkeling and Freediving

• Thunderball Grotto is a tide-controlled sheltered/overhead environment, not a safe high-tide free-swim challenge. Ask the local guide about tide, boat movement and exit before entering.
• At Mystery Cave, restrict visits to guided snorkeling outside the cave interior. Do not enter a submerged cave passage on breath-hold.
• Freediving requires specialized training, competent direct supervision and a rescue-ready buddy. No solo dives or hyperventilation; avoid breath-hold contests. General scuba or snorkel certifications are not substitutes.
• For children and non-swimmers, discuss life-jacket use, staff ratios and whether a dry-boat option is appropriate.

Other Risks

• Any Exuma departure can be stopped by winter fronts, squalls or tropical systems. Check Bahamas and NOAA advisories before long crossings, and use licensed/competent operators with a weather fallback.
• No consistent site-level water-quality monitoring or contamination closure dataset was verified. After runoff, visible pollution or a local advisory, ask the park/health authority and avoid questionable water rather than assuming it is clean.
• Do not trust a wildlife photograph as evidence that a shark or pig visit is safe for close contact.

On Great Exuma and Staniel Cay, medical resources are more limited than in a major-city hospital. Staniel Cay Yacht Club identifies a small island clinic with a nurse, but the page does not establish current staffed hours, emergency capacity or recompression treatment. Dive Exuma explicitly warns that serious dive injuries may require evacuation. The Bahamas' government emergency directory lists air ambulance, medical evacuation and a Bahamas Hyperbaric Center telephone number, but listings do not verify immediate availability, equipment, staffing or Exuma-based chamber access.

For an emergency, contact Bahamas emergency services 911 or 919 and relay your precise island, dock, water position if known, dive profile, symptoms and phone/radio contact. Activate the operator's oxygen/rescue protocol and obtain professional medical assessment. Contact DAN emergency assistance +1 919 684 9111 for diving-medical and evacuation coordination after activating local services. Have travel and dive coverage, payment and the actual evacuation terms confirmed in advance; ordinary credit-card insurance may exclude some activities.

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

The Bahamas National Trust park is a protected no-take area. No fishing, spearfishing, collection of shells or conch, damage to coral, removal of flora/fauna or anchoring in sensitive reef/seagrass areas. Follow posted warden guidance, proper moorings and park fees. Ask before landing or undertaking drone, commercial filming or research activities. Park diving and vessel use have separate BNT fee products.

Moriah Harbour Cay National Park

The BNT February 13, 2024 notice, effective until further notice prohibits all extractive fishing, sets no-wake areas in shallow flats, mangroves and selected reefs/banks, and limits anchoring while new zoning is finalized. This is more current than historical visitor descriptions suggesting permitted fishing zones. Avoid removing anything or trampling mangrove roots and seagrass.

Animal Encounters, Community and Water Quality

Wildlife is not a guaranteed sighting. Never touch or feed turtles, rays, sharks, iguanas or wild reef fish. Big Major Cay pigs are an unusual managed animal attraction; follow on-site guidance and prioritize animal welfare. Confirm private-island landing, marina and operator access before arrival. No local water-quality sampling series was identified; defer to health/park warnings and observed pollution rather than interpreting clear water as certified safe.