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By Kymberly Taylor
If you crave peace and a touch of the wild, the low-key isle of Eleuthera may be for you. We have visited this skinny, narrow archipelago in the Bahamas twice. It is approximately 110 miles long, with a central winding road flanked by charming towns and 135 powder-soft beaches that flush to pure pink at sunset. However, when I see a beach, I look right on past the sand to the water and wonder what is in it and if we can cook it for dinner. My goal is straightforward: to spear fish and lobster feeding upon the abundant reefs and coral heads. With a handy guide called “Eleuthera Beach Book,” I can identify the beaches and locate the snorkeling spots.
On the first day of our first visit, we chose one of its recommendations, packed up our gear, and drove to a captivating beach ringed by pines swaying in a light breeze. However, beneath its glistening waters were coral formations that looked sad and grey-white, like abandoned ghost towns, with little or no fish. We learned that many of the coral heads in South Eleuthera were suffering from “bleaching.” According to the Island School in Eleuthera, an organization devoted to environmental stewardship, this may have occurred when ocean temperatures soared in the summer of 2023. Scholars explain that bleaching occurs when stressed corals expel the algae that live within them, called zooxanthellae. The algae provide nutrients to the coral, giving them their signature vibrant hues. If conditions remain stressful for the coral, they cannot regain their zooxanthellae. Slowly, they fade to an eerie white and die.
Ocean discoveries with Captain Saunders, diving and spearing expert.
Luckily, we kept swimming and found two medium-sized coral heads thriving in deeper, cooler water. We chased one or two nice-sized groupers, who are highly intelligent and look you right in the eye before vanishing, usually into an impenetrable cave. My daughter speared a fairly large red snapper and immediately lifted her spear out of the water so its blood would not attract hungry predators. Nonetheless, as we made our way back to the beach—about a 10-minute swim—a quick glance just behind us revealed a six-foot barracuda alarmingly close and another smaller one in its wake. We swam as fast as possible to shore, though locals say barracudas are curious fish and not to worry if they get close. Or, if they do charge, they are after the fish on the end of your spear and not you.
On our second voyage to Eleuthera, I hoped to expand my hunting grounds, so we stayed on an adjacent, much smaller island, a five-minute ferry ride away, called Spanish Wells. Like Eleuthera, it has a fascinating history tied to the British Revolution. Many English Puritans and religious independents seeking to break from the Crown made their home on these islands in the late 1640s. Unlike Eleuthera, Spanish Wells has a predominantly white European population that traces its lineage to these early rebel preachers and pilgrims. We found that many share the same surname and still practice a conservative religion in a rather insular community. This may be why the feeling in Spanish Wells is very different than Eleuthera. If you want a more Bohemian experience, with the strains of reggae music wafting from beachside bars, you won’t find it here! But you will find beauty, adventure, and plenty of fish.
We rented a 27-foot Islander, which is ideal for cutting through the waves and navigating the open ocean. The spearfishing was much better when we anchored off some of the deserted islands. Things truly got interesting, though, when we hired a local guide, Captain Shamar Saunders, nicknamed “The Reaper.” When he speared four lobsters on one single free dive, using just one spear, I understood why. Twenty-eight years old, Shamar was raised on Eleuthera in Bluff and Current, and today lives in Eleuthera Island Shores, located in the North District. Captain Saunders showed us a small bay near Current, where one particular reef hidden by a point of land was loaded with fish and lobster. Using traditional Hawaiian slings, a kind of spear with a rubber handle, we ended up catching an entire lobster and fish dinner for six. We went out several times, each time returning with too many fish and conch to cook.
When we needed a break from the underwater action, we took a day trip to the nearby Harbour Island. Stepping onto its shores is an entirely different experience. With quaint architecture, charming avenues lined with tiny boutiques, and seaside cliffs dotted with gated mansions, it felt more like a mini-Bermuda. Guidebooks say it is where the rich and famous travel to vacation. We found it to be very touristy but fun in its own way.
One of the best parts of the trip came when Captain Saunders took us, at low tide, to a majestic sandbar rising straight up from the middle of the ocean. This miraculous wonder has a couple of swings built long ago by some brilliant adventurer. Swinging on them and watching the sting rays glide just below the surface of the sea was truly otherworldly, as was the fact that it completely disappears at high tide.
If you are feeling adventurous, I highly advise renting a boat and hiring a local guide, such as Captain Saunders. Official group tours are available, but I suggest circumventing them, especially if you have four or more people in your party. We truly enjoyed getting to know “The Reaper,” his cousin Shawn, and experiencing local customs, including fresh conch, prepared boat-side and eaten raw with lime. We had been warned about sharks, but when we brought up the topic, he said not to worry, adding that he would “alpha” any shark coming our way. This means swimming up to the shark and chasing it away. I hope to observe this on our next trip (from a safe distance afar), when we will surely reach out to him again.
Eleuthera Beach Book: eleutherabeachbook.com
Captain Shamar Saunders: Private guide and CEO of Nautical Breeze Watersports & Charter
1.242.827.7424 | Instagram: @eleuthera_waterman242
© Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 16, No. 5 2025