I've posted many times about the amazing sandbars that are found throughout The Exumas...but they are soooo good that I have to do it again. This time, though, I'm going to help you see one of the most incredible ones. And ironically, it may just be the most accessible sandbars in Exuma - the sandbars near Rolle Town and Man O War Cay.
First things first. You have to research the tides, because these temporary private islands appear at low tide and then disappear like magic right before your eyes. So here's a link to Exuma's Tide Chart. Find your date and check the chart for Low Tide, roughly the time when the water level is the lowest at Steventon, Exuma, on the northwest end of Great Exuma. There are two tide cycles of high and low tide every day that are continuously shifting with the lunar cycle, so check to see if one of there is a Low Tide sometime during the day. Today (Nov 5, 2016), for example, would not be a good day to see these beauties, as Low Tide hits at 4:58 AM and then again at 8:33 PM, so only in the dark. As a matter of fact, next Friday is the next time there will be a mid-day Low Tide. Still the sandbars aren't only there at the peak of the tide, so on a day like today, you'd have to plan to get out there as early as you can.
Next, you have to know where to go, which I have circled in the Google Earth image. Knowing the tides is also important as you plan your approach. This area is shallow for quite some distance...even where the sand never peaks out, so you don't want to anchor your boat only to find yourself beached if the tide is still going out. As you can see below we anchored the boat quite a ways away and then walked through the knee and ankle deep water.
If you rent a boat from Minn's it's fun to explore the area on your own, but you'll need someone in your group to be the depth spotter and take it slow. If you are heading to Stocking Island on Elvis' Taxi, you can ask Elvis or one of the other captains to take you to these Sandbars on your way.
Did someone just say Selfie!
Click here to check out our availability calendar.
If you rent a boat from Minn's it's fun to explore the area on your own, but you'll need someone in your group to be the depth spotter and take it slow. If you are heading to Stocking Island on Elvis' Taxi, you can ask Elvis or one of the other captains to take you to these Sandbars on your way.
Did someone just say Selfie!
Click here to check out our availability calendar.
