News

Beach Collector: Swimming Beach, Deep Water Cay, Bahamas

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - October 17, 2014

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

They call it swimming beach. But they really should call heaven on earth.

Because that’s what it feels like on this Monday morning as I sit on a deck chair facing the sea, listening to the rhythmic sound of waves lapping against the shores of Deep Water Cay, a two-square-mile private-island resort just east of Grand Bahama.

In front of me, nature demonstrates color-blocking skills superior to that of any fashion designer: horizontal striations of tawny sand, transparent aqua and deep navy meet an emerald stripe of mangrove and the cloudless turquoise sky. A westerly breeze makes the canvas scallops of my beach umbrella flutter, and coconut palm fronds whisper against textured tree trunks.

swim2

Here, on this white-sand sweep, my perch is one of only six chairs, arranged in pairs and positioned a respectful distance from each other. I’m the only person here. (The Cay’s other guests have gone fishing, I presume, since world-class bonefishing in the surrounding flats has brought fishermen and their families here for more than half a century.) And I feel like the luckiest, having Swimming Beach all to myself.

Well, almost.

The frosty Kalik in my hand has only just begun to sweat when I spot a cushion starfish as large as a dinner plate and as orange as the fruit itself at the water’s edge. And not two seconds later a ray appears mere feet from the shore, its expanse casting a shadow in the crystal shallows as it glides swiftly and silently by.

swim3

But they are the only distractions on this tranquil strip. There’s no music, no beach toys, and no jet skis buzz by. AJ’s Bar, the resort’s oceanfront watering hole, won’t be open until later in the afternoon. So for now it’s just me, and the Caribbean trifecta of sun, sea, and sand.

And it’s all that I need.

Popular Posts ian fleming villa with beach and green trees

American Airlines Begins New Ocho Rios, Jamaica Flights, With a Nod to James Bond 

Ian Fleming began writing the book that would become Casino Royale at his seaside villa in the town of Oracabessa, Jamaica in February 1952.  It was here on the outskirts of Ocho Rios that Fleming would forge the story of […]


A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

w punta cana

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


Related Posts blue beach with palm trees

In the Grenadines, the Caribbean's Ultimate All-Inclusive Private Island Resort 

The sky is purple as the boat makes its way from tiny Union Island, and we’re met by torchlight and smiles as we make our way onto the dock.  For the next few days, this will be our island, our […]


WestJet Is Planning a Big Summer in the Caribbean

bonaire

Canadian leisure carrier WestJet says it is significantly ramping up its flight network in the Caribbean for the summer season.  WestJet’s Latin American and Caribbean routes are growing by 57 percent this summer compared to the summer of 2023, according […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You