The Blue Hole

by Nicole
Nassau, Bahamas

Hoffman’s Cay is a small island in the Berry Islands that is known for the Blue Hole.  The Berries are on the eastern edge of the Great Bahama Bank and north of Andros Island.  To their east is the Atlantic Ocean.  After we left our anchorage in Bullock’s Harbor, we anchored in the small bay south of Hoffman’s Cay and west of White Cay.  We stayed for three days at these uninhabited islands and visited the Blue Hole, explored White Cay, and went
snorkeling.

Dad gets ready to    
jump in

Trail to base of cliffs

Hoffman’s Cay is known for its mysterious Blue Hole, which lies in the middle of the mangrove-infested l  The Blue Hole is a round, deep lake that is connected to the ocean underground.  It is about 250 feet wide, and goes down at least 600 feet.  There is a path through the low, dense mangroves that leads, twisting and turning, to a large ledge extending out four feet over the water.  The ledge was about 20 feet above the blue, blue water.  We all took turns jumping off the ledge, but you had to be careful, because if you didn’t
jump far enough, you would hit the mussel-encrusted edge of the hole.  We circumnavigated the hole with our snorkel gear, which was really cool because we could see that the walls were covered with fungus and algae.  When we walked back along the path, we noticed that there were remains of stone houses on the island from farmers or spongers that lived there a long time ago.  

There was an island to the east of our anchorage called White Cay.  It’s a small island with a steep hill on the west side and surf pounding against limestone rocks on the east.  We dinghied over to the beach there and explored the beautiful island.  We also went snorkeling off of the beach, near the cut between the cay and some other rocks.  We saw a queen triggerfish and a really fat mutton snapper that my dad tried to spear for dinner.  I had a magnificent time at Hoffman’s Cay and White Cay.  
 

Here are some more pictures of White Cay.