Sandbar at Bonefish Point

A beautiful walk from the little beach by Osprey Rock all the way to Bonefish Point

A high light of any trip out to South West Bluff is the beautiful walk from the beach at Osprey Rock down to Bonefish Point.

Osprey Rock in the distance as we wade through the shallows

A mangrove is salt tolerant and look at the roots.

Miles of beach with only us walking along the shoreline.

Bone fisherman stalking the flats for the elusive bonefish

A Haitien sloop washed up along the shore

Sad to say, we often see these wrecked Haitien sloops carrying probably 100 or more people to what they think will be a better life. Many are caught and repatriated.

Pin cushion sea stars love the sandbar. We found many of them.

That’s an amazing flat but make sure you have your fishing license with you if you plan to fish

Turquoise waters and brilliant white powdery sand

Mr Crabby shows his fighting form.

In search of starfish at the sandbar

A picturesque, dream of a day at Bonefish Point

A perfect afternoon to wade into the water at Bonefish Point

On another rather cloudy day, a storm changed the colours to a soft pastel combination of hues.

These great kids hammed it up for the camera in the shallows of the sandbar.

These great kids hammed it up for the camera in the shallows of the sandbar.

Some local kids were fishing  with one fishing rod and a hand line but I’m not sure that they caught anything other than disturbing a blue crab, a cushion starfish and a conch.

A blue crab wasn't too impressed with facing the camera but he was let go after his modeling debut.

A blue crab wasn’t too impressed with facing the camera but he was let go after his modeling debut.

The boys were having fun finding starfish and a conch while their Dad or uncle continued sitting and fishing.

The boys were having fun finding starfish and a conch.

Life is always interesting around the sandbar and on this day I lucked out, smiling kids, someone fishing, finding a small blue crab, a bright orange cushion starfish, a conch and of course, the muted colours of the ocean at low tide and passing storm clouds. Wow! What a spectacular and lovely day.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

A Beautiful Leeward Afternoon

Ripples on the rocks, ripples in the sand, gentle waves and calm, turquoise waters.

An afternoon spent on the beach at Leeward brought many interesting sights and things to photograph. This island is rich in natural beauty and you don’t even have to look for it. Here are some of the photos taken in just a few hours.

A group of Black-Necked Stilts dropped by for a visit.

Elegant, long pink legs and quite noisy as they circled and dive-bombed .... not sure if there was a nest nearby??

 

Stilts are a common breeding resident of our islands.

 

Leeward rocks with patterns created by the clear waters

 

A small crab scuttles along the rocks and disappears quickly from the camera's view.

 

A grinning potcake with no collar was happily taking a cooling swim.

 

 

A beautiful starfish and look at that water....spectacular!

 

Ten or so starfish but why were quite a few floating? I'm hoping it wasn't that they were dying. Anyone know?

Washed up on the shore.

 

Brown Pelican sits on his favourite perch at Leeward

 

Constant entertainment watching the pelicans as they dive into the water for fish.

So that’s it, a lovely afternoon at Leeward and many photos later.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Taylor Bay Starfish

First time sighting of sea stars in the shallow waters of Taylor Bay

First time sighting of sea stars in the shallow waters of Taylor Bay

Malaika was sooooo excited when she first saw some small starfish as she played in the shallows at Taylor Bay this passed weekend. She wasn’t too sure about holding them.

Do you want to hold it as I'm kinda not sure about all this?

Do you want to hold it as I'm kinda not sure about all this?

We tried to get her to "gently" lay them back in the water but she liked it better when she plopped them into the water

We tried to get her to "gently" lay them back in the water but she liked it better when she plopped them into the water

Malaika quite liked the starfish after a while and was reluctant to leave them behind.

Malaika quite liked the starfish after a while and was reluctant to leave them behind.

Cushion Starfish on Grace Bay

We went to Grace Bay today and were treated to seeing some beautiful Sea Stars also known as Cushion Stars very close to shore.

We went to Grace Bay today and were treated to seeing some beautiful Sea Stars also known as Cushion Stars very close to shore.

I took Tina and Sheldon down onto Grace Bay close to the Club Med area. The water was beautiful but unfortunately, the sand under the water was really crusty. It used to be one of my favourite beach spots but I think the dredging at Leeward has been a detriment to this stretch of Grace Bay.  The same can be said of Leeward Beach which is also rocky and full of bits of shell and coral instead of soft sand under the waters. We still enjoyed it because we saw at least a dozen large Cushion Starfish close to the shore.

Three large Cushion Sea Stars and each one was a slightly different colour combination.

Three large Cushion Sea Stars and each one was a slightly different colour combination.

Three beautiful Cushion Starfish

Three beautiful Cushion Starfish

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

French Cay

A magnificent stretch of beach with the clearest turquoise water at French Cay

A magnificent stretch of beach with the clearest turquoise water at French Cay

French Cay is a small uninhabited island about 15 miles due south of Providenciales. It was once the hideout of a pirate called Nau L’Ollonais also known as Francois L’Ollonais in the 17th century. He would ambush and capture passing sailing vessels and was a ruthless and cruel buccaneer.

Floating in the water was the only way to cool off......it was so hot

Floating in the water was the only way to cool off......it was so hot

The boat's shadow is reflected in the water and note the starfish.

The boat's shadow is reflected in the water and note the starfish.

The day of our trip to French Cay was certainly one of the best ever for weather. All the way there and back we could see the ocean floor as clear as day. One of the highlights was seeing so many orange cushion stars strewn along the sandy bottom.

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc