You don’t go to Andros, Bahamas for the night life or casinos or shopping. You go because of its natural beauty, the beaches, the wildlife, the wetlands, and the third largest barrier reef in the world. If you like to explore the natural environment, Andros is for you. One of the most interesting natural features of Andros are its blue holes. Blue holes are vertical caves, formed by the slow erosion of the limestone bedrock of the island from acidic rainwater trickling through crevices in the limestone. Andros has the highest concentration of blue holes in the world, over 220 total, some inland, and some oceanic. In 1971, the famous diver Jacques Cousteau, released dye into the water of an inland blue hole, which was later detected emerging from an oceanic blue hole, proving that the holes were connected through a series of underwater caves. We explored both on this trip, visiting Captain Bill’s Blue Hole in the Central Andros National Park, and snorkeling the oceanic blue hole at Rat Cay.
Captain Bill’s Blue Hole, Central Andros National Park
Our first stop is Captain Bill’s Blue Hole, located in Central Andros National Park. The road out to the blue hole was under construction, so we were glad to have a taxi driver like Mr. Rupert Pinder, who was willing and able to traverse the rocky terrain to get us back to the blue hole!
One you’re parked, take the boardwalk back to the swimming platform.
Once at the platform, you’ll see that many people have visited and left their mark. On Wisconsin!
The view is beautiful from the platform. It reminds me of a lake in northern Wisconsin, and its fresh water. Although connected via the caves that run under the island, the sea water is heavier and stays at the bottom, while the top layer is fresh water, which is really refreshing in the hot Bahamian sun.
Let’s jump in! The platform is about 15 feet from the surface of the water. If you don’t want to jump, there is a staircase along the side of the platform. You’ll see an older rope ladder which apparently pre-dated the construction of the platform, but the staircase is to the right of that in the photo below.
It was really nice way to cool off, and not one Lusca in sight!
Rat Cay Blue Hole
Now let’s explore an oceanic blue hole. This blue hole is located near Rat Cay, a small island off the shore. We were escorted on this snorkeling trip with our guide, Hannah, from Kamalame Cay. This blue hole is not conducive to diving, but is a great place to snorkel and explore a blue hole.
As we snorkeled in from the boat, Hannah popped up to tell us that we would soon notice a dramatic temperature change. As we moved forward, the temperature dropped, and you could feel a strong current coming from ahead. It was still comfortable to snorkel in just a swimsuit, but it was definitely cooler! The area approaching the blue hole was very shallow, with loads of coral and small fish, and then you saw the edge of the blue hole.
Hannah dove down into the hole for a better look around.
The blue hole and the area around it was teeming with fish and other sea creatures!
Watch the video of Rat Cay Blue Hole here. Make a point of visiting a blue hole or two on your visit to Andros!