Episode 2/8: James Bond, Pigs, and Wrecks
Solo SUP-venture Around 365 Islands of Exuma Cay Chain (450km)
Little Lansing Cay was next on my list to explore as I had found there was a small airplane wreck in its shallow waters. There is hardly any information available about its location and so it took me a while to find it. The island is tiny, there are no beaches, and I saw just a few ruins of what once must have been small but exclusive cottages. The wreck resembled a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche and lots of fish seemed to enjoy hiding under its fairly intact left wing.
Wrecks and destruction brings James Bond to mind. Close to Staniel Cay, there is a grotto in which Thunderball, the 1965 James Bond movie starring Shawn Connery, was filmed. The grotto itself is inside a large rock sticking out of the water rather than an island. I tied my SUP outside and swam into the small, almost hidden entrance. The cave system that emerged in front of me was a kaleidoscope of brilliantly colored coral reefs that teemed with exotic marine life. I found myself alone in the spectacular dome of shimmering light and colors that would blow any poet’s mind.
The next stop had to be the pigs! Yes, the famous swimming pigs that are, in fact, cows – cash cows. The number of tourists who pay for a boat ride to see the Pig Beach is staggering. If the pigs knew how much revenue they generate every day, they would, for sure, demand better living conditions! Yes, it is neat to see the creatures swimming towards your boat to greet you in hopes of being given food, but let’s face it; the whole attraction is grossly overblown. Historically, nobody knows how the pigs got to Big Major Cay. The cay is uninhabited and the pigs are not native to the island.
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