Kim

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon and have chosen Dolphin Beach Resort on Guayana Cay. I am interested in hearing from anyone who might have stayed there recently and if they recommend it for a honeymoon....we are both looking for something away from all the glitz and glitter and Dolphin Beach sounded great. Any help would be appreciated as it will be our first time to the Bahamas....Thank you in advance....

Robert

One more reply to a webber, and I'm off to bed. My wife and I did reef surveys off of Abaco, about a dozen trips in the past 11 years. I love Great Guana Cay, and we stayed at the Guana Seaside Village on the northern end, about 5 miles from the settlement. Dolphin Beach is right outside the settlement, and will be quiet and secluded. It has a neat wild life trail through it, with indigenous plants and trees, and some neat birds which feed on the fruits. Although we didn't stay there, we ate at the small restaurant and feasted on their unmatchable buffets. You will be on the Atlantic side of Great Guana Cay, and the ocean is usually rougher than the on the Sea of Abaco, about 700 feet on the other side of Guana. You will be on a steep hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and the vista is beautiful; you can see for miles each way up and down a secluded beach. Often looking at the 7 miles of beach, we saw no one on it. If not too rough, the swimming is excellent. But, do not venture out into the Atlantic in early morning or at dusk or evening; stay on shore! Just swim during the daylight hours. Also, DEFINATELY rent a golf cart from Donna in the settlement; you will want to island explore, and there are only golf carts. Very few cars are there. Oh, I forgot, they were building a spacious restaurant at Dolphin when we were there last year, so it's definately finished by now. You are in luck...Froggies dive and snorkeling operation is at Dolphins, so go on a snorkeling trip to Fowl Cay. We did a reef survey with Froggies and ran into a wild pod of 44 spotted dolphins with newborns! I video-taped the pod and sent it to the researchers on Abaco who study marine mammals residing or passing through the Abaco Cays. They Id'd one by the dorsal fin; matched their "fin print" on file. So much to tell, but I've got to hit the hay. If you have other questions, I'll be glad to answer them. Robert

TGT

Robert- Enjoyed your report. Will be staying at DBR in mid-June. Are sharks the problem with early morning snorkeling on the Atlantic side? How early is too early? Is it OK on the Sea Of Abaco side? Thanks.

Kim

Thanks for the report Robert! I grew up in Central Florida bodyboarding in the rough atlantic during hurricane season,(yes I was crazy) so I actually enjoy watching the rough water.

TGT - Please keep us updated with a trip report! Am excited to hear how you find the resort.

Robert

Sharks are not a problem during the day, but early morning and at dusk the chances of attack increase if you're splashing around off the beach. Two factors. First, the reefs have fish and other critters that come out during the day, while others like squirrel fish stay hidden in dark crevices. As night approaches, around dusk, the day reef life goes into hiding while the night reef critters come out. This is because space is a luxury item on coral reefs, and all the teeming life can't occupy the limited coral reef space all at once. It is during these times of the day when night and day reef life passes each other, when sharks grow particularly active, and have their "antennaes up" for a quick meal. Second, at dusk with diminishing visibility combined with choppy waves and sand kicked up, you may be mistaken for a quick meal. During the day, I've often encountered sharks while snorkeling and scuba diving, and they passively glided by me. Interestingly, at Nipper's which you will no doubt go to, on the other side of Guana Village, there is a great coral reef about 70 feet offshore. While sipping a beer and looking down at snorkelers offshore during daylight hours(Atlantic side of Guana), we see Caribbean Reef sharks glide by, following the shoreline, between the humans and the beach! I didn't call out to warn them, because I didn't want to frighten the snorkelers; plus it happens on a daily basis. Sharks aren't interested in humans as a food item. So, swim in the Atlantic at Dolphin Beach with the cautionary measures mentioned, and make it easy for sharks to ID you as a human. Most shark attacks occur within 80 feet of the beach, and in less than 6 feet of water. The Caribbean Reef Shark, common throughout the Bahamas, aren't aggressive; you can actually swim with them(My wife and I have). There are also sharks in the Sea of Abaco, but dittoe the warnings above. We departed the Guana Seaside Village Resort two years ago, to see large shark fin cruising through the dock area. I would have loved to put on the snorkeling gear and gently approached it, but had to make a plane out of Marsh Harbor. You can swim with safety off Dolphin Beach during daylight hours, with not sand kicked up and good visibility. Robert