Thunderball Cave, Staniel Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

Today is another bright sunny day and we decide it would be a good day to go to the famous local land mark, Thunderball Cave, named after it’s staring role in the James Bond film of the same name. Due to the currents in the area we have to visit on low water slack so we have been waiting for this to occur nearer the middle of the day for better light. It occurs today at 10.30am so we head over to the dingy moorings outside. I have done a reckie the afternoon before and find it is fairly easy to find, having a sign in the rocks above it. The limestone Cay has entrances on each side and the inside has been carved out by the waves over the ages to form a cavern inside with hole through the roof with piercing sunlight shining through. It is most famed for the large numbers of fish which congregate inside and will hand feed.

 

Followed into the cave for feeding time 

Before the bread arrives but they know what is coming

Behind that mass of fish you can just see Kevin The last of the bread being eaten and the fish disperse 

Looking out the south entrance 

South entrance  Light penetrates the roof of the cave

South entrance after the second feeding 

Shoal of fish on the outside of a smaller south entrance

Kevin beside the entrance 

Jo thankfully no longer surrounded 

Fish still hopeful of more bread 

When we arrive there is another small motor boat moored up but they have not yet entered the water. The fish are obviously well versed in the procedure and come out to greet us when we enter the water. I take the camera and Kevin takes the bread. I am well used to diving with fish over the years but I have never been anywhere where they get so close and it is is quite claustrophobic as they cramp right up to your mask. Kevin starts distributing the bread and the fish go into frenzy. The photos are just a blur of movement. Kevin throws some bread near to me which brings them even closer and I squeal like a girl as the fish nip me in their excitement to get to the food.

It is quite spectacular inside the cave and when the bread is gone the fish back off a bit and I get some photos. The other group then come into the cave and do their feeding. We swim out round the Cay and back round into the entrance. I try to get the classic blue window shot from the film, but although the water looks clear it doesn’t quite come out in the photos as the sun is the wrong side of the Cay. However it does catch the light on the other entrance and the fish obligingly swim into shot. We were hoping there may be some nurse sharks, but there are not, obviously the apparently quite lazy nurse sharks thought better of hanging around in a tourist spot.

Invincible at anchor, Staniel Cay