Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park—Pirate’s Lair

As we crossed over from Eleuthera to the Exumas yesterday we decided to visit a location that was new to us, Pirate’s Lair, within the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. It is a relatively small area and surprisingly protected. There are currently just two mooring balls in the area and we are on one of them. The other one is empty. The current is strong through here and even when the wind is blowing over 15 knots, Breeze On points into the current and not the wind. Right now the wind is blowing from behind.

The water is clear and beautiful here but the most exciting thing about this location are the nearby stromatolites, among the oldest living things on earth. Fossilized stromatolites are the oldest fossils on earth but it is extremely rare to find living stromatolites. We have them right here. If you would like to know more about them here is a link to a brief excerpt from a PBS Nova show.

Stromatolites

George and I snorkeled over them today and would have thought they were just large boulders on the sand if we hadn’t read about them. They benefit from being in an area with a lot of current which covers them with sand for months at a time and protects them from coral, sponges, and algae. We also snorkeled over some nearby coral reefs. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy by then so the photos aren’t as good as they might have been.