Nassau: Swimming Pigs, Turtle Watching & Snorkel with Lunch

4.70

(260 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the boat ride out of Nassau’s harbor to feel so quick—fifteen minutes and suddenly the city noise faded behind us. Our guide, Marcus, cracked a joke about his “office view” as we zipped over blue water. The air tasted salty and there was this sweet smell from someone’s sunscreen drifting around. I kept squinting at the horizon, waiting for something wild to happen. It didn’t take long.

First stop: Green Cay. We weren’t allowed to snorkel here (it’s protected), but honestly just standing on deck and spotting turtles gliding under the surface was enough. They looked slow-motion in that glassy water. A little girl next to me squealed every time one popped up for air—her grandma tried counting them but lost track after five. I liked that nobody rushed us; Marcus just let us hang over the rail as long as we wanted.

Then came the big one—the swimming pigs on Rose Island. If you’ve never seen a pig paddle up to you in clear turquoise water, well, it’s stranger than it sounds. One snuffled my hand looking for snacks (I had none), and another just flopped down in the sand like he owned the place. I tried saying “hello” but mostly got grunts in return. The whole thing felt surreal but kind of hilarious too—Li laughed when I tried to get a selfie with a pig and almost dropped my phone.

After that, we hit the reef near Athol Island for snorkeling. No fins, just mask and snorkel—it made floating easier somehow. I saw flashes of yellow fish darting between coral and, maybe, a stingray? Hard to say; it moved too fast for my brain to catch up. By then I was starving so lunch back at the beach club felt perfect—grilled burgers and chips under palm trees with a Bahama Mama in hand (the drink, not an actual mom). There was music playing somewhere nearby, kids building lopsided sandcastles, and hammocks swaying if you wanted quiet.

I still think about that view from my hammock—a sky so wide it made everything else feel small for a minute. The tour packed a lot into half a day but never felt rushed or fake; just real people having fun together out in the sun. If you want a day trip from Nassau that’s equal parts weird and wonderful… well, this is it.