From the Captain’s Log: The Importance of Tidal Flows in the Exumas

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THE EXUMAS, BAHAMAS – Ever wondered how tides work in The Bahamas? There’s a difference between tidal flows in The Bahamas, and in the Exuma Cays it’s unique and special.

Exuma is my home away from home. It’s somewhere I frequent, especially during the summer season.

But for the very first time last week, I had the opportunity to tour exclusively through some of the cays in the Exuma chain.

My cameraman, Darnel, and I landed at Staniel Cay’s airport and then made our way to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, where we boarded our Intrepid boat from Staniel Cay Adventures.

Our Captain Keiran Miller was passionate about the crystal clear waters in the Exuma chain and how the tides affect it all.

Capt. Keiran Miller – Lead Tour Operator, Staniel Cay Adventures

“all around us here we’re surrounded by this crystal clear blue water and that being directly tied into the tidal flow that im speaking of; the incoming tide comes from the exuma sound which is known as the deep sound or the ocean and it brings the nutrient rich clear water into the shallow bank side over here; that is the main reason these waters are so crystal clear compared to other places even in The Bahamas, let alone the world”

We visited Compass Cay, Over Yonder Cay and East Sampson Cay, just to name a few, where Captain Miller continued to share how the tidal flows work and why they’re so important.

Capt. Keiran Miller – Lead Tour Operator, Staniel Cay Adventures

“Typically tidal flows are about six hours, you have the incoming tide in most places in exuma move from east to west; in some islands they’re actually structured to move from north to south all depending on the lay of the islands; after that six hours that I talked about the incoming tide raises it to a high tide which is about 3 feet roughly, give or take, it varies depending on the moon phase and the summer season”

Once the high tide is reached, here’s what happens next.

Capt. Keiran Miller – Lead Tour Operator, Staniel Cay Adventures

“it immediately switches direction from the shallow banks back to the exuma sound; it takes all the sedimented water and everything and flushes it out into deep water; essentially it acts as nature’s washing machine”