The Berry islands
kayak and explore the beautiful Berry islands
The Berry Islands are located on the northeastern edge of the Great Bahama Bank. They are a beautiful chain of mostly uninhabited islands with a rich pioneer history and geological uniqueness. There are two small settlements in the Berry Islands: Great Harbour Cay in the northern part of the chain and Chub Cay at the southern most end. Our tours begin and end at Great Harbour Cay. The local economy is based on tourism and fishing. Once away from these settlements, you may occasionally see fisherman and sailors but not many, if any, sea kayakers or stand up paddle boarders.
More about the berry islands
The paddling environment is diverse. The deep and swift New Providence channel lies to the east. This coastline is open and exposed with steep beaches, high limestone cliffs and some sea caves. We paddle the outside only in good weather. The Berry Bank lies to the west. The depth of the Bank ranges from a few inches to several feet (several centimeters to a few meters) for as far as one can see. The inside coastline is better protected with many large, gently sloping beaches and mangroves. Between the islands are coral bottomed tidal cuts. The sea state caused by tidal currents can make for challenging paddling. We avoid the cuts whenever the current opposes the wind. They are otherwise fun to explore.
Wildlife is abundant in the Berry Islands, although most of it is in the water. There are shore birds like the White Ibis, the Great American Egret, the Brown Noddy and the Laughing Gull just to name a few. But it’s the marine life and the water clarity for underwater viewing that is really striking. You’ll see sport fish like Grouper and Bone Fish as well as sea turtles, rays and sharks.
The Berry islands Itinerary
Each tour is customized according to the weather and the skills of the group. If the group has individuals with significantly different skills and ambitions, we will do our best to accommodate. Sometimes that means splitting the groups accordingly.
The tour begins and ends in Great Harbour Cay. Assuming everyone in the group arrives early on the day of departure, we will move Mirage to another anchorage in the morning and have enough time for a paddle in the afternoon. Otherwise, we will stay anchored out at Great Harbour until the next morning. We will still paddle near the harbour with anyone able to arrive early enough to do so.
We will move Mirage early in the morning and eat breakfast while underway. Where we go depends on the weather. It takes between 3 and 4 hours to reach the first anchorage. One option is to travel north from Bullock Harbour, around Great Stirrup Cay and down the east coast of Great Harbour Cay, then we will be in an unnamed bay I call East Harbor. There are terrific snorkeling opportunities here. A barge sank in the northeast corner of the harbour about four years ago and has created an artificial reef. There are also numerous mangrove creeks to explore in the opposite direction from the barge. There are miles of beaches to hike.
We may or may not move early in the morning depending on the consensus of the group. There are so many things to do and see in East Harbour, sometimes people decide to stay a little longer. In that case we would move in the middle of the day or even in the evening. The next closest anchorage is another unnamed bay I call Ambergris Harbour. It is about 1 hour from East Harbour. If the wind is easterly, we will continue on another 30 minutes to Soldier Cay. Otherwise, Ambergris offers several unique paddles. Shelling on the sand flats is among the best in the islands. Snorkeling on Whelk Point is very good, but the weather has to be calm. Soldier Cay has some of the best examples of differential erosion on fossilized coral beds in the islands. In the late spring, early summer, nearby Market Fish Cay is a Laughing Gull rookery. High Cay to the north east is home to a spectacular Brown Noddy rookery.
We often move in the morning, but late afternoon works well too. Assuming we are moving in the morning, the next anchorage from either Ambergris Cay or Soldier Cay is about an hour away to Hoffmans Cay. There are some paddle routes around the south end of Hoffmans that take us out to open water if the weather is calm, or we stay behind several islands that limit the exposure. There are two good hikes on Hoffmans. One takes us to a look out above limestone cliffs overlooking the Northeast Providence Channel. This is one of the highest elevations in the Berry Islands at about 55 feet. There is a large blue hole a short hike from the beach. There are several trails that cut over to the ocean side to explore beaches. There are several reefs on the bank side to snorkel over. One of them is the best we’ve found in the Berrys. During easterlies, the anchorages along Hoffmans Cay offer excellent leeward protection. If kayakers want to try out the paddle boards, this is often the best place to do so.
We often stay more than one day at Hoffmans Cay, but not always. For instance, we might move in the middle of the day the day after we arrive at Hoffmans. Regardless, the next anchorage is about an hour away at Little Harbour Cay. From here we can paddle to the cut between Devils Cay and Little Harbour Cay. In mild swell, it is great for snorkeling and beach combing. Paddling on the inside offers good protection from every direction except north. We always try and visit Flo’s Restaurant and Conch Bar when we are near Little Harbour.
We usually use day 6 to move back to Great Harbour, either in the morning so that there is time for a paddle around Great Harbour, or in the afternoon after a morning paddle. It takes about three and a half hours to travel from Little Harbour to Great Harbour. The paddles near Great Harbour Cay range from paddling north through Great Harbour to Great Stirrup Cay, or in the other direction, to the ship wreck and up what locals call Shark Creek through the mangroves to East Harbour.
In the event that someone departs early on day 7, we dinghy into the dock by 7:00 am. If someone departs in the afternoon on day 7, there will be plenty of time for a short paddle around Great Harbour Cay. If nobody departs early on day 7, that would give us more flexibility to stay out and paddle longer on Day 6.