This is funny because it is one of the most populated and tourist islands in the Bahamas and yet 70% of the island is covered by wild forest and totally preserved.
We barely cross a few cars outside the main town Freeport. Basically, you have all the amenities of a big city in Freeport, without the downside. Why Choose Grand Bahama Island? Grand Bahama is an easily accessible island with affordable prices while offering all the things that make the Bahamas dream.
The paradisiacal beaches, the breathtaking underwater diving, and absolutely adorable premises.
- Enjoy the white sandy beaches and the turquoise blue sea
As soon as you walk a few meters away from your accommodation, you’ll be all alone on the beach. And it is still very fun to have the impression of being on your bottom of the computer screen, but true! This is the kind of image that has made us dream since childhood and is a bit of a symbol of paradise: during a trip to the Bahamas, you will get it!
- Scuba diving
The waters of the Bahamas are known for having the best visibility in the world. I don’t know if this is true, but in any case, the visibility is really amazing! We really see extremely well.
Actually, with the white sand at the bottom of the water, it reflects the light and you just feel like you’re in an aquarium. But what has made the Bahamas a world-class destination for divers is its abundance of sharks. Here in Grand Bahama, you can do Shark Diving with The Great Sharks of the Caribbean. Beautiful babies 2 meters long or more! It’s already very impressive. For the record, sharks are protected by law. Fishing or hunting is prohibited.
At first, I didn’t want to participate in this dive because they said they feed the Sharks. In fact, they just have bait in a plastic tube whose smell attracts sharks and throughout the dive, they caress them and put them to sleep in front of you. Then at the end of the dive, they give them very small amounts of fish.
In the end, this activity helped protect the Sharks in the Bahamas but did not really feed them to make them dependent. In addition, they are almost the same 15 who return each time, hence the special relationship that the divemaster has with them.
Because you can’t just walk in and pet a shark-like that, this relationship of trust takes time! And it’s really crazy to see. The staff of Reef Oasis Viva Bahamas at Viva Wyndham Resorts is really professional, nice and doing great work. If you want to go for this type of experience, diving with sharks isโฌ 120 and “normal” diving (but you will see sharks anyway) isโฌ50.
- Discover the Mangrove by Kayak
The Mangrove is protected by law here. Prohibition to build or modify its environment. The kayak tour takes you through the tiny canals and mangrove branches. Plus, it gives you more chances to see the many species of birds. The walk takes about 2 hours and takes place on a course of about 5km. It’s nice to do on a trip to the Bahamas, but it deserves a little lower price.
- Jeep Tour
You walk in the small Jeep convertible all day (between 5H / 7h excursion) through the different landscapes of the island, beach, and forest. You stop in various places of interest and tourist points of the island. A very nice way to discover the island in a good atmosphere. The thing is, you can end up with a convoy of seven-and-a-half Jeeps and more. Personally, I have always preferred to rent my own vehicle and to be free to travel according to my desires. Without having to follow a group.
- Eating conch salad
The conch is an absolutely magnificent shell and just delicious. It is not an endangered species and the local consumption for generations. This is the traditional dish par excellence here. I just hope that in view of their heavy consumption, they will quickly introduce quotas without waiting for them to be an Endangered Species. The best place to eat conch salad is Man Overboard, a small place where there are only premises with a great atmosphere by the sea.