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| Belying past “hard to find” complaints, Ocean Hole was well marked!. This sign shows Rock Harbour Bay in the background. |
Hot weather. Cool but not cold placid “blue” swimming hole set in limestone. A short walk from where we dinghied in from our Rock Sound anchorage. We were in, literally and figuratively!
We were not alone.
Eleuthera’s brackish Ocean Hole is inviting, all the way around. Nice pathways, covered gazebo, rock rim bordering the entire Ocean Hole, well done educational signage on native trees, and placards on wildlife, geology, history and culture.
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| Ocean Hole is a popular hangout spot with locals as well as visitors. |
The swim area included a ramp down, steps, a ladder, two life rings and a rope climb back up. The water was a mystical jade green, transparent enough at the surface, but quickly turning opaque as the walls plunged over 600 feet down. It’s believed to be connected to the ocean, but as yet even Jacques Couseau’s been unable to pinpoint where.
Fish clustered near the swim access area, used to visitors feeding them. We obliged. There were grunts and sargent majors in profusion, plus angelfish, tangs and more. Our crushed tortilla chips caught their attention, though we’re relieved the fish didn’t rush or bop us or our snorkel masks.
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| Most of all, it’s a great place to swim, and… |
In addition to feeding the fish, I happily fed myself; nibbling away on some ripe tamarind pulp, which tastes a lot like tart dried apricots. No one else seemed interested in harvesting the tamarind, so I felt no guilt in taking the few pods I did.
Snorkeling the entire diameter of the hole, I was pleasantly surprised at how clean, and relatively litter-free it was, particularly for such a popular spot.
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| Feed the fish and… |
Rumor has it, Ocean Hole’s waters are healing. We can’t say yea or nay, but appreaciated a refreshing swim in a beautiful spot on a hot day. Not at all hard to understand why it’s one of Eleuthera’s top attractions.
Location Location
April 28, 2014 BAHAMAS. This blog post is a recent retrospective of Rock Sound, Eleuthera (N24.51.820 W76.02.814). We knew the wind was due to take a page from “Rock Around the Clock;” in a short span of a few days it would at some point blow from just about every point on the compass. There aren’t that many places that are comfortable on a boat throughout, and very few in Eleuthera that are both safe and comfortable when the wind blow in from the West. With 360 protection, Rock Sound Harbour was a great place to ride the cycle out. We spent 5 days there.
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| Feed ourselves from the tamarind tree at Ocean Hole park. |
We’re now in Hatchett Bay (N25.20.962 W76.29.253), Eleuthera; our 4th anchorage on the island. We’re working our way slowly back to the States for work and shelter over hurricane season and expect to explore Eleuthera a bit further in the mean time as well as the Abacos.
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| Looking across Ocean Hole from the not very high “high point.” |
