Snorkeling on your own!

If you are not a big time snorkeler and are happy with a shallow reef and a few fish, here's a few places to try.

We brought our own gear (mask, snorkel, pfd) with us. The snorkel and mask cost $19 at sports authority and the pfd's were $20 at Namco. By bring our own, we could explore the beaches and snorkel at any spot that looked interesting.

Westwind II Snorkeling
There is some sea grass and a few fish in the area marked as the Westwind II swimming area. But a better place is to walk next door to the Radisson's beach. There are 3 small reefs a short distance from shore. The reefs appear to be manmade but there's enough to see. There were Sargent Majors, Jewel fish and Angel fish. Also some sea anemones. We were told that a barracuda and a small octopus were spotted the week before but we didn't see them.

Orange Hill Beach
This is a small beach off the side of the road past Sandyport and before the Love beach area. There was not much hard coral here. The water was shallow and calm. We stopped because we saw a few others snorkeling here. There were a few sea anemones and some small fish.

Honeymoon Cove at Atlantis
We walked here from the public beach access next door to the old Sheraton. The Atlantis beach is private but nobody bothered us. Walk all the way down the beach and then across the bridge to honeymoon cove. About 3/4 around the cove is a good sized coral reef with a deep cut. There were a few large fish and some smaller ones around the reef. The main Atlantis beaches are clean but crowded. This one is a bit of a walk and was nearly empty.

We had fun at these smaller reefs but they didn't compare to the Sea Island Adventures Rose Island trip we took. These are fine for an hour or two and for some practice before you head out on a snorkeling tour. They are also great if you want to hit the beach for a couple of hours either before or after some other exploring of the island.

Lighthouse Beach was across the street (a very narrow street) from our hotel. Cabbage Beach was the main drag on Paradise Island, accessible through many of the resorts.

Lighthouse Beach was calm, secluded, and frequented by many locals. When I stayed at Ocean Spray in college, we were the only people on the beach! Since then, the area directly in front of the hotel has sort of closed down . . . so with slightly less beach to use, we had some company. But still, not much. At the busiest time there were probably 15 people in the area, all at least 20 feet away. The water was calm, fairly warm, and completely clear. The view of the cruise ships was kind of cool too, since I have no experience with cruise ships.

Cabbage Beach, by contrast, was well-populated with tourists sporting wristbands from their all-inclusive resorts. The only locals here were selling something, whether it was sarongs or piña coladas. The closest towel was less than 10 feet away, so it still wasn't jam packed. The water on this side was cool and the waves were strong . . . perfect for body surfing, wave jumping, or just laughing like a child while running away.

Women traveling alone (or even with other women) will get pestered incessantly on Nassau. Everyone wants to be your "friend!" It's fairly harmless (especially during daytime at the beach), but it can be annoying. So, while the resorts are not for me, it was kind of nice not being bothered while laying out on Cabbage Beach. The waves were a lot of fun, but it was also nice being able to actually swim and float on our backs at Lighthouse Beach.

One thing: Getting to Cabbage Beach, if you're staying on New Providence, is a bit of a process. First you have to take the ferry over for $3, then you have to walk for about 10-15 minutes, past many of the hotels, going around the side of the Sheraton, through a wooded area, before you get to the beach. When you first come out it's pretty crowded, but if you're willing to walk a bit further down the beach, you should be able to find a spot to yourself.

There is no point to this . . . just pointing out differences! You'll never really know what the stretch of beach nearest to your hotel is like until you get there and experience it! Enjoy...

I must confess that for my three trips to New Providence, I've never seen the town of Nassau or Paradise Island! On my first "solo" trip there, I asked the cab driver where would be a great place to spend a day on the beach? He pulled up into the spacious drop-off point for the Radisson Cable Beach Hotel and, with his thick accent, indicated this beach strip was the best and closest to the airport.

I was somewhat confused but with beach bag thrown over my shoulder, I was greeted like any other guest when entering the lobby and from there made my way through the main floor complex to the outer courtyard with terraced gardens, multi-swimming pools, outdoor bars/cafes, and a pristine strip of beach that obviously prompted my lack of need to ever look any further!

The spoof of acting like a guest was not necessary with the Bahamian staff treating me/us like everyone else with no questions asked. Their hospitality was most gracious and their generous servings of food and drink readily came whether beach or poolside or when making a conscious effort to head for the bar and grill. They usually, too refused to accept pay...likely assuming we were more "all-inclusive" guests who'd removed our tacky wrist bands which leave the white ring from lack of sun exposure. Let's just say they were generously tipped.

The beach has what you'd expect from a resort-type facility - towel service, plenty of lounge chairs, thatched-palm umbrellas for shady refuge, and a host of eager locals offering goods and services discussed in other activity and shopping entries. There's also a poolside cabana with locker rooms great for showering and washing off the salt and sand before heading back to the airport.

Beach waters are shallow allowing you to walk/snorkel well beyond the roped-off beach area without any problem. To the right of the facility are other large resorts you can pass through; which also seemed to have more of a Spring Break crowd/atmosphere going than the upscale and laid back ambiance of the Radisson.

To the left of here was what I considered the best bonus...like spending the day here wasn't already enough! During my last visit here, the Radisson was still the last hotel on the strip. Walking to the left along the sugary sands was certainly more "authentic" with the natural vegetations and walls sealing off back yards of beach villas. For those looking to get away and enjoy a private moment, this is definitely worth the effort of getting up from your chair with the walk surpassed only by the vistas back out across the sea.