LAHOWIND » Just you, me, + the dog.

Snorkeling Thunderball Grotto {Video!!!}

It’s video time again! Woot woot! :)))))

And Thunderball Grotto in the Exumas might possibly go down in the record books as one of the best spots we will EVER have the chance to snorkel.  It definitely takes the cake so far. I mean, seriously. It was AMAZING!

I literally had to edit all my GoPro footage because I kept shouting “holy crap, Jereme, holy crap!!!” through my snorkel gear. ;)) And honestly, our video does not even come close to doing it justice.

But regardless, I am SO thrilled we have a >>GoPro<<for fun little underwater excursions like this. We made sure to bring it along with us while we snorkeled at the grotto and also while we swam at the Exuma Land + Sea Park in Warderick Wells. So this video is “technically” a combo of both spots, but mostly just the grotto.

And in case you are wondering…Thunderball Grotto lies just west of Staniel Cay.  It’s been showcased to the world as the location of many of the scenes in two James Bond movies, Thunderball and Never Say Never Again, as well as Into The Blue with Jessica Alba and the Disney movie, Splash. Aside from its Hollywood fame, Thunderball Grotto (or Thunderball Cave, as it’s also known) is renowned as one of the top scuba-diving locations in the world.

There are several entrances to the actual grotto, and once inside, you quite literally find yourself in an aquarium of epic proportions. There are hundreds of varieties of fish, coral, and sea life swimming right before your eyes.  The rock ceiling is dotted with natural skylights where rain has eroded the rock, allowing the sunlight to stream in. We heard from other cruisers (after we visited the grotto) that you can actually climb to the top of the rock and jump through the skylight holes into the water.  Pretty nuts! I’m kinda glad we didn’t know that little fun fact until after we had snorkeled the grotto.

While we were anchored off of Big Major’s (next to Staniel Cay), we dinghied over to the grotto at low tide (which happened to be at 8:45am that morning) and were lucky to find only one other couple leaving the grotto…so we had it all to ourselves!!! I love when that happens. At low tide, we were able to tie up our boat to the nearby rocks and just swim right in.

Here’s our fun little GoPro snorkel video… (another snorkel video is in the works with lots of other neat underwater adventures since we hit the grotto!) Enjoy! :)))

>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Bahamas + Caribbean.

AmyMay 19, 2014 - 5:16 am

Epic! love the video.

AprilMay 19, 2014 - 6:06 pm

I absolutely love your website and check it daily. We haven’t seen any Oliver updates lately. How is he doing?

LAHOWINDMay 19, 2014 - 7:13 pm

Thanks April! Oliver is doing awesome! He was in the beginning of the snorkel video in case you missed it. 😉 -Kim

Elle St. ClairMay 20, 2014 - 12:50 am

Awesome. Reminds me of my earlier days in the BVIs and Bahamas. Love living your dream with you through your website. Enjoy every minute and create lasting memories.

Annie DikeMay 27, 2014 - 10:03 pm

Well hello there! It’s always fun to find a fellow sailing blogger (although it seems nowadays it’s the “trendy” thing for cruisers to do – everyone and their dog literally (props to Oliver!) seems to have a sailing blog nowadays). I just wanted to say, though, that we’ve been following your recent adventures, mishaps, excursions and, the occasional tear-ridden freak-out session on the way to the Bahamas, and your photos are absolutely stunning. Your posts are just breathtaking. Period. We are planning a trip to the Bahamas likely later in 2015. We just made a trip to the Keys and back on our 35′ Niagara Hinterhoeller and we only learned that we need to block off MORE time to see all of the places we had to skip on the way down there and back this time. Time … if only we all had an infinite supply, am I right? But, just a short note to say the Captain, Phillip, and I have truly enjoyed your blog. Thanks for all of the hard work I know you put into it and for aspiring us fellow writers, photographers, foodies, and snap-happy sailing fools to greater heights! Keep up the good work!

– Annie Dike
s/v Plaintiff’s Rest
http://www.havewindwilltravel.com

LAHOWINDMay 28, 2014 - 2:05 pm

Wow! Thank you SO much Annie!!! We are having the time of our lives on this little adventure and documenting it all is the fun part for me. I’m so glad you find our page worthwhile! Hope to see you out there one day! 🙂 -Kim

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