3 min read
How to visit the swimming pigs of Exuma
Where the swimming pigs are, how to reach Big Major Cay from Great Exuma, Staniel Cay or Nassau, what a day trip includes, and how to behave around the animals.
Thunderball Grotto, Staniel Cay
Just off Staniel Cay, a hollow limestone island hides a cavern lit by shafts of sunlight through holes in its roof and filled with fish. You swim in through a low entrance at slack low tide. It appeared in the Bond films Thunderball and Never Say Never Again, and it is a fixture of Exuma boat tours.
The snorkel
At low tide the entrance is above water and the swim in is short and easy for confident swimmers with a mask; at higher tides it requires a brief duck under the rock, and strong currents can run through the cave, so guides time visits carefully. Inside, the cavern opens into a chamber with sunlight falling from above, and sergeant majors, yellowtail snapper and other reef fish crowd the water.
Getting there
The grotto is minutes by boat from Staniel Cay and is included in nearly every cays tour from Great Exuma and Nassau, usually alongside the swimming pigs at Big Major Cay and the iguanas on Bitter Guana Cay.
What to expect inside
The cavern is a hollow rock island with openings in its roof, so sunlight falls in shafts onto water that stays remarkably clear. Sergeant majors, yellowtail snapper, angelfish and parrotfish gather in numbers because visitors have fed them for decades; operators now ask guests not to. The swim in takes a minute at low tide, and the chamber is large enough that a boatload of snorkellers spreads out comfortably. Tide tables set the timing: tours arrive around slack low water and leave before the current builds.
Further north, inside the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, the Rocky Dundas caves offer a similar swim-in cavern with stalactites, visited by longer charters.
What to see and do
Cavern snorkel at low tide
Shafts of light, clear water and crowds of reef fish.
Pig Beach
A few minutes away by boat.
About this place
Want to visit Thunderball Grotto, Staniel Cay?
Send your dates, group and what you have in mind. We check availability with verified local operators and reply with real options, free of charge.
Common questions
Do I need to be a strong swimmer for Thunderball Grotto?
At low tide the entrance is easy for confident swimmers with a mask. Guides will advise against entering if currents are running.
Which James Bond films were shot at Thunderball Grotto?
Thunderball (1965) and Never Say Never Again (1983).
Guides
3 min read
Snorkelling and diving in The Bahamas: where to go and what to expect
Where to snorkel and dive in The Bahamas: the Andros wall, Exuma's marine park, Bimini's hammerheads and Grand Bahama's shark dives, plus seasons and rules.