Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

Created in 1958, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was the first protected area of its kind in the world and has been fully no-take since 1986, making it the Caribbean's longest-running marine replenishment zone. It stretches about 35 km along the northern Exuma chain — 456 km² of cays, cuts, blue holes, patch reefs, and immense sand flats in improbable shades of turquoise. For divers and snorkelers the park offers drift dives through current-swept channels, coral gardens, sea turtles, nurse and reef sharks, and grouper at densities the rest of the Bahamas rarely matches; the park's conch and lobster stocks reseed waters far beyond its boundaries.

The rules that bind divers

The entire park is no-take: no fishing, lobstering, conching, shelling, or collecting of any kind, on land or in the water. It is managed by the Bahamas National Trust, with wardens based at Waderick Wells. Visiting boats pay mooring or anchorage fees and must use designated moorings where provided; anchoring on coral or in seagrass is prohibited. Jet skis and certain watersports are restricted, pets must stay aboard or leashed, and nothing may be introduced or left behind. Most divers arrive by private boat or liveaboard-style charter, as there is no resort inside the park.

Fees & permits: Mooring and anchorage fees per vessel per night, set by the Bahamas National Trust; no per-diver park fee.