Respect the water – always.

The currents in the Exumas are VERY strong near the cuts. The tides either bring the ocean onto the Banks or it sucks the Banks water back out into the ocean.

Shortly after our arrival during our first season, we read a Facebook post reminding everyone to always tie a long line onto the boat and let it drop down onto the water. That way you can jump in while holding the line to gauge the current. Apparently the poster’s wife had jumped in without a line and, within seconds, she was swept several hundred yards behind their boat. She was o.k., but it was a good lesson for newbies like us who had no idea.

We always used a line after we read that post, and it came in handy a few years ago when we were in Pipe Creek. I jumped in, the current immediately swept me behind the boat, and I basically crab walked with my feet against the hull to get back to the ladder. After that we started taking note of how strong the current was by the position of the rope when we put it in the water. But despite knowing better, it can still catch you unaware if you let your guard down, as I discovered when we made a return visit to Cambridge Cay.

In our previous visit to Warderick Wells, we went snorkeling near the cut at slack tide so we could see the drop off to the ocean. We had specifically waited for slack tide, but knew we had wiggle room because once slack was over the current would start pushing us in again (away from the ocean and onto the Banks.)

Once the current started to increase, we moved over to the snorkel area by the Ranger Station. We were starting to tie our dinghy up to the snorkeling mooring ball when two newbie cruisers called out to us. They had been snorkeling when the current picked up, sweeping them away from their dinghy. Try as she might, the wife was unable to swim back to their dinghy (the husband was struggling, but making progress).

We motored over to her and gave her a ride back, and the husband made it to the mooring while we were bringing his wife back. It was a good reminder to be aware of the currents and respect the water – a reminder I would forget a few weeks later – and we decided to snorkel over by Emerald instead where the currents weren’t as strong!

So, back to our trip north. After we left Staniel Cay, we motored over to Cambridge Cay for a return visit. We wanted to grab a mooring ball so Jeff could do some work on the windlass. We had hoped to get one more season out of our chain, but it had become apparent that was a bad decision. The chain was skipping on the gypsy and jamming, basically making us the entertainment of the anchorage every time we tried to raise the anchor. Jeff hoped he could improve the situation by doing his annual windlass maintenance early, but no luck. We were going to have to suck it up until we could buy more chain when we arrived back in Connecticut.

With that failed attempt out of the way, it was time to have fun! We ordered an Olympus Tough camera a few months prior and had it delivered to Lyn and Ken. They brought it with them when they came to visit, so now we could take underwater pictures!

The first time we used the camera, we discovered two things: (1) taking pictures of fish while snorkeling is harder than it looks; and (2) until I get progressive lenses for my snorkel mask, Jeff will be the designated picture taker. I can’t hold the camera out far enough to actually see what is on the screen, so I was basically randomly pushing the button and hoping that I was lucky enough to capture something!

There are several areas to snorkel near Cambridge, and we wanted to return to a few favorites. We took the dinghy over to Rocky Dundas and jumped in without looking, then immediately jumped out as quickly as we could when we found ourselves surrounded by little brown dots. A Facebook inquiry told us that they were thimble jellyfish. Luckily we were wearing wetsuits, and we had jumped out of the water so quickly that we didn’t get stung!

Thwarted at Rocky Dundas, we decided to go snorkeling on the other side of Cambridge – a new snorkeling spot for us. It was around slack current and the snorkeling was getting better as we went closer to the cut. After about an hour Jeff said he wanted to head back, and I said I just wanted to quickly see what it was like at the cut. Jeff waited while I started heading out, and after around ten seconds I could feel a change in the water. I was moving MUCH faster, and in the wrong direction – out to the ocean.

I poked my head up and Jeff was calling my name, and I made eye contact so he knew I was aware of what was going on. My heart rate skyrocketed as the adrenaline hit, but I decided to treat it like a rip current. I swam across the current towards the cay (hoping the current would be weaker closer to the rocks) vs. just swimming straight back, and also tried to settle down my heart rate (which was easier said than done.)

Obviously everything worked out fine, but it was scary for both of us. Candidly, we were both shaken for awhile. Despite having rescued the couple a few weeks previously, I had completely forgotten about being aware of what the current was doing. Big lesson learned, and one I’m sure neither one of us will forget again!

That experience was definitely the end of snorkeling for the day. A few days later we left Cambridge and went up to Shroud Cay, another favorite spot. We relaxed and I did some snorkeling (I had finally shaken off my previous misadventure), but the wind direction meant the visibility wasn’t as good for pictures. It’s a great place to snorkel from the boat though, and the current isn’t a factor, so we’ll certainly try again next season.

Ultimately we spent more time in the Exumas this season than any of our previous trips, and we explored several new spots. It was a fantastic stay, but with a great wind forecast for sailing it was time to say goodbye to the Exumas and head over to Eleuthera.