Go scuba diving
This is actually one of the most common reasons people visit Grand Bahama and that’s because the shark and cave diving is excellent! I would recommend booking your scuba diving activities through UNEXSO. They offer dolphin dives, shark dives and feeding courses, night dives, and specialty dives (caves, wrecks, etc.). The famous shark whisperer, Cristina Zenato, also teaches courses through UNEXSO and she is a fantastic teacher! If you are into Tech diving, the Lucayan Caverns might be something to look into as well!
If you are going diving in Grand Bahama, some of the more popular dive sites are Tiger Beach, Shark Junction, Theo’s Wreck, Silver Reef, Sanctuary Reef, and Angel Camp.
Read More: 6 Reasons to Dive the Red Sea
Go to the Beach
One of the obvious things to do on this beautiful, tropical island is go to the beach! I’ve broken the best beaches up by placing them in either active, secluded or remote so you can choose which beach fits your trip the best!
Active Beaches
Lucaya and Taino are more active beaches, featuring snorkeling, parasailing, lively restaurants, banana boats, and other exciting activities. During the day, Lucaya Beach, the island’s most popular beach, is populated with cruise ship passengers, while Taino is more of a Bahamian hotspot. Taino Beach is known for beach festivities and Fish Fry! You will find a bunch of beach-shack restaurants with great local cuisine, especially conch!
Quiet Beaches
For more privacy and less commotion, Gold Rock, Churchill, and Xanadu Beach are perfect! Gold Rock Beach isn’t the closest to the Port Lucaya, but it is close to the Lucayan National Park and it is very beautiful! What once was a lively beach, Xanadu, is now quieter due to resort and shop closures; however, this mile-long stretch of beach is still open and more protected from the waves, making it a great place to relax. Blue crystal-clear waters have made Gold Rock Beach as famous as it is, but if you want a similar beach and want to stay closer to Port Lucaya, try Churchill Beach. Churchill Beach provides the same beautiful waters, which are usually pretty calm. Do keep in mind though that there are no restrooms on site, so if you have children or plan to spend the entire day here, it may not be the best choice.
Secluded Beaches
Fortune Beach and Barbary Beach are off the beaten path, but if you are looking for a private beach-day experience, these are great options! Fortune and Barbary Beach are located next to each other, but there’s really nothing around. No homes, no restaurants, and no bathrooms. Barbary Beach specifically has a number of tidal pools and rock jetties, so you don’t have to worry about the tide and it makes searching around for little critters fun!
Peterson Cay is about a mile offshore on Grand Bahama’s leeward side. The Peterson Cay National Park encompasses the entire cay making it a great place to see wildlife and relax with no one around! The cay is also surrounded by active coral reefs, making it a perfect place to go diving or snorkel. I think it would be pretty difficult to kayak from the beach to the cay, but there are plenty of tour groups on Grand Bahama that offer day trips!
The Garden of the Groves
About a 15-minute drive from Port Lucaya is the Garden of the Groves, a beautiful place that offers winding trails through tropical gardens and waterfalls! It’s a great place to watch migratory birds, butterflies, and turtles, while enjoying the peace and quiet! Fun fact, the Garden of the Groves has actually been certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the U.S. Wildlife Federation! Besides enjoying the beauty of the gardens, there’s a number of little shops, a café, a children’s playground and even a wedding chapel.
When my husband and I went to visit the gardens, we rented a moped from a little vendor in the Port Lucayan Marketplace and that really made the experience more fun! Depending on what you want to do at the Garden of the Groves, this experience takes about 1 – 2 hours.
Lucayan National Park
Lucayan National Park is made up of 40 acres of mangroves and a 6-mile underwater cave system, one of the largest in the world. Two caves are easily accessible to tourists: Ben’s Cave and Burial Mound Cave. You can actually dive Ben’s Cave via dive operators like Calabash Eco Adventures and Sunn Odyssey Divers!
Across the street from the Lucayan National Park entrance is Gold Rock Beach, which I mentioned before. I wanted to mention this beach again because it’s the perfect place to hang out after taking a tour of the caves and the mangroves and it shouldn’t be missed! One of the unique aspects of Gold Rock Beach is the beautiful rippling effect in the sand that happens at low tide, when the water extends almost 75 yards out. It’s no wonder Disney chose to film 2 scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean here!
Visit the Blue Holes
There are two well-known blue holes in Grand Bahama, Owl’s Hole and Rocky Creek Blue Hole. A blue hole is essentially a sinkhole or cavern that’s open to the surface. They are usually connected to intricate cave systems that run underneath the island. If you are interested in getting a closer look, there are a number of excursions in Grand Bahama that will take you on an adventure to scuba dive or snorkel one of the blue holes and you’ll learn all about what makes them unique. We recommend booking your excursion with Calabash Eco Adventures!
Go Horseback Riding
If you want a short and sweet tour to sight see some of the island, Pinetree Stables offers a 2-hour horseback riding tour that goes through fire climax pine forest, hardwood coppice dunes, along the beach and into the ocean to cool after afterwards! This is a great option if you want to do a little sight-seeing, but don’t want it to take up your entire day. Oh, and if you’re an animal lover, you’ll love the fact that Pinetree Stables doubles as a cat rescue center!
