Blue Lagoon Island

Blue Lagoon Island, properly Salt Cay, lies about five kilometres northeast of Nassau and operates as a private day-trip island: beaches, a sheltered lagoon, hammocks, inflatables and a large marine mammal facility running dolphin and sea lion encounters. It is a standard cruise excursion and a standard Nassau day out, sold as packages that bundle the boat, lunch and whichever activities you choose. The beaches themselves are genuinely good.

History

Until the late 19th century the lagoon was a salt marsh and the island was legally Salt Cay, where pirates and privateers gathered salt while waiting to enter Nassau harbour. Charles King-Harman bought it from the Crown in 1875 for 35 pounds, it changed hands several times, and in 1902 Abraham Van Winkle bought it, dredged the marsh, blasted a cut to the sea, planted 5,000 palms and stocked a small zoo; the McCutcheon family, of the Chicago Tribune correspondent John T. McCutcheon, owned it as Treasure Island from 1916 to 1979, a storm cut the island in two in 1991, and Dolphin Encounters began its programmes here in 1993 (Wikipedia, Blue Lagoon Island).

Highlights

• The lagoon - a sheltered shallow inlet that gives the island its marketing name.
• The beaches - several sheltered strands with calm clear water.
• The boat crossing - half an hour across from Nassau with the skyline behind.
• The marine mammal facility - the dolphin and sea lion programmes the island is built around.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the peak. Cruise days are the busiest by far. Crossings are cancelled in rough weather, which happens in winter norther fronts.

What to expect

The captive dolphin and sea lion programmes are the island's core business and are criticised by animal welfare organisations; it is reasonable to visit for the beach and decline them. Everything is priced as an add-on and the total mounts quickly. It gets very crowded on multi-ship days.

Nearby

Nassau and Paradise Island are across the water to the southwest.

Key facts