Andros Expedition, July 3-9th 2020

With the hurdles, concern and complications of COVID-19 we were unsure if this expedition would go ahead, however it did and we had the time of our lives! We enjoyed spending time with lemon sharks on the flats, silkies in the depths and reef, blacknose, blacktip, nurse and a possible sharpnose shark in a variety of habitats. With also saw stingrays, an eagle ray, turtles, mahi mahi and more. Please enjoy reading our expedition blog below.

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Day 1

Go time! As always our group met at a semi-private airport in Fort Lauderdale. On arrival we handed out Silent Hunter face masks, individual glass bottled hand sanitizer, questionnaires and pens (to keep) to all guests. With The Bahamas reopening just days before our arrival eliminating our contact with COVID-19 was our priority; for the group, and those we would be in contact with.

Within an hour on arrival our bags were weighed and we walked out to board our private flight. Take off! With the flight time just over an hour and spectacular views of The Bahamas we touched down in Andros before we knew it.

On landing we cleared customs, hopped in our taxi’s and made our way south to the lodge, our home for the next week. On arrival to the lodge guests were shown to their rooms to lightly unpack before regrouping for an introduction and safety talk led by Annie and Bryan, followed by lunch. With guests eager to hit the water we rounded up equipment and headed out for an afternoon snorkel. We always dive the afternoon of arrival to test gear and get everyone wet! 

Our first spot was a shallow snorkel. We saw endless amounts of jacks, at least six southern stingrays, four nurse sharks, a reef shark, and a turtle! Although visibility wasn’t to our usual standards the amount of life we encountered was a warm welcome. With a great first snorkel under our belts we headed to our next location.

 We stopped off at a point known for blacktips. Within 15 minutes we had one shy blacktip zoom past, and after another few minutes a larger blacktip and a Caribbean reef shark. We all enjoyed seeing the sharks up close, and as the sun started to fade we headed in for a shower and dinner. Lastly, we shared stories and a few guests enjoyed a beer under the moonlight before bed.

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Day 2

We woke up on July 4th ready to celebrate, and ready for shark action! After a light breakfast we gathered our equipment and jumped on the boat as we headed out at sunrise.

On arrival to our location, in the middle of nowhere with 3,000ft below us (!), we gazed down to see sharks, silky sharks to be exact. After a detailed briefing from Annie and Bryan guests were invited in, two by two. Silky sharks are naturally bold and their fearless nature offers a rather exciting dive! Eight silky sharks were present, along with numerous mahi-mahi, rainbow runners, barracuda and more. We were surrounded by pelagic life and were all utterly in our element!

After our incredible, yet tiring morning we decided to head back to the lodge for a mini break away from the strong, Bahamian summer heat. We took an hour to refuel on food and water, rest and of course review footage from mornings activity! We also observed the local fishers cleaning and preparing conch, some guests even braved consuming the rather odd-looking conch pistol, it’s certainly not for everyone! 

Before we knew it, time was up and we were back out in search of adventure. Our first drop was an ocean blue hole. On swimming towards it, it was covered by a hazy glaze, super spooky looking! A few dived down with safety on guard, while others watched from above and explored the surrounding area which was heaving with small fish and life.

Next up was another blue hole, this one is always popular, and guests took it in turns to dive down. Around the blue hole a nurse shark, stingray and other life were spotted. After our fun and hit of adrenaline playing in the unknown, we moved on to our last location of the day, a snorkel spot. Here another nurse shark was seen, tons of lion fish, including a young black colour morph, and heaps of southern stingrays and grey angel fish schooling together.

After our last activity we packed up and headed back to the lodge to celebrate July 4th with a fabulous home cooked meal as we toasted the American flag. But, just when we thought our adventures were over we spotted a weird illuminating object in the ocean, just off the dock. We couldn’t figure it out and decided to gently capture it to investigate further. With no net we opted for a cup and began scooping relentlessly, but the creature outwitted us by ending its luminescence! Eventually we scooped it up and Bryan ID’d it as a polychaete! We only kept the organism for a few minutes to ID it, then it was released unharmed. The creepy looking creature certainly made for some squeals and laughs.. Time for bed..

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Day 3

Another early start saw us head out to a location known for inquisitive sharks! On arrival we spotted two reef sharks, followed by two nurse sharks resting side by side. The depth here was around 45ft so many of the guests enjoyed the view from the surface, while a few others dived down for a closer look. After a few minutes of exploration, we spotted more reef sharks and a huge school of jacks! Hassan enjoyed a special moment swimming through, as they allowed him a close pass. 

After our dive it was drone time. Bryan launched the drone to survey the area in search of sea life and a large nurse shark was spotted! Guests enjoyed a laugh at Annie and Bryan under their towel tent while whispering about potential movement!

Next up was a try for great hammerheads. We typically only see hammerheads in the winter months, however we always try because occasionally we get lucky! Within minutes we had at least three large Caribbean reef sharks present, then another joined, in addition to two blacknose, and finally a HUGE nurse shark! The majority of sharks stayed low in the water column, which is unusual, and with a storm brewing the atmosphere was intense. Below our guests we had sharks, huge grouper, schools of snapper and more, and above we could hear the sound of crisp crackles of thunder and lightning. We desperately wanted to stay and persevere, however the weather started to close in and we were reluctantly forced off our spot. As we quickly jumped back on the boat and fled with the storm chasing us we all truly felt a sense of adventure, with a touch of madness! Once out of the storm’s path we stopped for lunch as we slowly putted to our next location.

Next up was lemons in the shallows! We anchored up on a sandy bottom and started to form a ‘human wall’ ready to bait. ‘She’s behind you’ Annie heard as she snapped a few pics.. Within minutes we had a ~ 2 meter/ 6ft lemon shark within 3ft of water. The shark was bold, curious and certainly hungry! Guests enjoyed some close interactions with her for almost an hour before another lemon had the courage to approach. The second lemon was considerably smaller, at approximately 70cm and was certainly put in its place by the larger shark. We did our best to feed them both and enjoyed observing them until it was time to head home. 

With spirits high we headed back to the lodge for a hot shower, and dinner before bed.

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Day 4

Today guests were treated to a special location activity, one that’s a little further to reach, but worth the adventure! 

First up was a mangrove snorkel. Snorkeling around and in the mangroves can be addictive, however today guests were treated to jam-packed mangrove roots, Annie went on to say she had never seem them so busy! Fish were hustling everywhere, from mangrove snappers and grunts to pilchards and silversides, life was beaming wherever we looked. Upside-down jelly fish, crabs, sea cucumbers, lionfish and more were also spotted.

After an incredibly special snorkel it was search time! We always spend a little time each day simply looking around at our surroundings, enjoying the beautiful views in the hopes of finding activity. Within 30 minutes we found endless amounts of southern stingrays and nurse sharks, which never get boring! 

Time for lunch! We anchored up in a beautiful little spot as some grabbed lunch and others prepared for our next activity, an inland blue hole. This hard to reach blue hole is very isolated; it’s a water trek or swim, followed by a balancing act walk across rocks! On arrival though you are greeted by a refreshingly cool swim and some adventure swimming and freediving the hole itself. Guests took it in turns diving down to where they felt comfortable, some only a few feet, others to the bottom at some 45ft. In the blue hole we found a lobster, a variety of small fish and with birds passing by it was a naturalist paradise! After our dives we took it in turns to pose and simply have fun. Let’s not talk about our selfie attempt…… 

Before we knew it, it was time for our last infield activity of the day. We stopped and anchored up for a baiting session. Within 15 minutes we had two large nurse sharks at the surface. Guests enjoyed seeing the sharks up close where their skin was clearly visible and their famous feeding noise could be heard! – The name nurse shark may come from the sucking sound they make when hunting for prey in the sand, which vaguely resembles that of a nursing baby.

After our fun with the inquisitive sharks it was time to head home. After our shower it was dinner and a lecture with Dr. Bryan Keller. Bryan spoke on his PhD defense which focused on the movement ecology of the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo). Guests were captivated by his words and knowledge, and with our minds and stomachs full a few guests enjoyed some early evening drinks as the sun set, while the rest heading to their rooms for an early night.

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Day 5

We woke to glorious weather and another jam-packed day of sharks and exploration. Our first activity of the day was a snorkel in a popular spot. We all hopped in to find a few nurse sharks and reef sharks, however a giant eagle ray stole the show! Captain Cole confirmed it was one of the largest he’d ever seen, so, when we say big, we mean big!

After our fun swimming and freediving it was time to move on to an incredibly special location, known as Isla’s spot. On arrival we played our usual ‘find the first shark, win a prize’ game! Someone always spots a shark within minutes of pulling up.. This special channel is known for lemon sharks and wow, did we had an afternoon to remember!

In total we had at least 12 lemon sharks, two blacknose and a few giant red cushion sea stars! The sharks were on fire, coming in closer and closer showing off their comfort with our presence, and their confidence in super shallow water. We’d planned to be at this location for one to two hours but none of us could leave… Our plan for the afternoon was to try and bait hammerheads, however with the lemon sharks proving hard to leave we voted, and the group were a FIRM stay!

Eventually though it was time to go.. We couldn’t stay forever, could we? So, we slowly walked back to the boat (which had to be relocated as we’ been so long!) and made our way home to the lodge.

Just as we docked the boat a southern stingray and a lemon shark was spotted, what a welcome home, Andros just keeps on giving! With a tiring crew we offered an optional activity for the afternoon; an inland blue hole that we call ‘green hole’! Some guests decided to skip, while others joined. There is never any pressure to join every activity, however we always encourage guests to do everything as you really never know what could happen. 

After our light trek through local shrubs we made our way to our hot spot, literally. We were all hot from walking and on jumping in we found the water temperature practically matched the air! A not so refreshing dip, but with Spiderman posing, underwater rock climbing and more, we found ourselves laughing and releasing our inner child! This green hole usually houses freshwater mosquito fish and a rarely seen snapper, however today we were greeted by at least five barracuda, a huge mangrove snapper who appeared to be protecting a hole!

As the sun started to set we finally made our way back to the truck, and home to the lodge for showers, dinner and shark chat before bed.

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Day 6

Our final full day and our adventures were far from over! On the previous evening we took a vote on what the final day would encompass and we agreed on a more relaxed schedule, but still full of fun. 

To start things off we headed north to Androsia. Androsia is a small, local batik store, that was established in Andros in 1973. Batik is a very beautiful, and unique art form which involves hand waxing textiles. On arrival we entered their store and made some purchases of their colorful, fun textiles. Silent Hunter supports authentic ecotourism so stopping to support a local business, especially amongst a global pandemic, was right up our street! After our purchases we were given a brief tour of the facility, where guest Hassan took the lead!

After our shop we headed to a large, inland blue hole.. with a dive platform! We took it in turns jumping in, striking poses and filling Annie’s phone with slow motion videos! After our fun we all swam the perimeter of the stunning blue hole and gazed down to an eerie, unknown depth; we know the blue hole is at least 100 feet deep. After our relaxing swim, bellies were rumbling and lunch was on the horizon.

Next stop, lunch at Sams! Again, we believe in supporting the economy where possible and we all enjoyed lunch and drinks at this wonderful and tasty outdoor restaurant. Calmness. We all sat eating and enjoying the ocean view as we relaxed on the beach enjoying each other’s company and reminiscing on the last few days, wow we’d seen and experienced some incredible animals and moments.

Next up was a beach walk to work off lunch, followed by a beach clean. We always try to clean a beach, even just a little, on every trip, and this was no exception. Compostable bags were filled with ease (unfortunately) and were loaded in the truck before moving our trash to the dump for disposal.

Although a relaxing day, it was a long day in the sun so we headed back to the lodge for a snooze and early dinner. Over dinner we voted on tomorrow’s activity. The vote was in, silkies were on the cards! Lastly, to complete the day, we decided to head out for some night baiting!

As soon as darkness set in we boarded the boat in search of, well, anything really, we had no expectations, this was an exploratory, fun activity! We started baiting and within minutes had small box jellyfish surrounding the boat. It was crazy to see so many, and a species not often associated with The Bahamas. Not long after we spotted what we believe was a sharpnose shark, and a larger shark that made multiple passes but kept out of our lights, thus we did not gain an accurate ID. With the crew tiring it was time to head in.. off to bed we went.

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Day 7

For our final morning we were greeted with calm, flat, glassy conditions and by 7:30am we were on the water heading out for our final dive. With the sun just lifting up we all hopped in and found 12 silky sharks below us; most ranging from 130-160cm, but a little newborn around 70cm (2ft) and a ~2 meter/6ft female stole the show!

We enjoyed diving with them for just over an hour before suddenly they all shot down the depths, except the neonate. We all gazed at each other wondering what spooked them? After 5-10 minutes we decided to climb back on the boat to bait, in the hopes of attracting what potentially lied beneath, up to the surface. We had a blast feeding the sharks from the boat and their bold, curious nature was obvious as they showcased their comfort by cruising within inches of the boat. No larger shark did appear so the spook remains a mystery! After our last moments of fun we slowly made our way back to the lodge as we enjoyed some flying fish chaperoning us!

With time sinking away we quickly packed, leapt into our taxi’s and made our way north to the airport. Within minutes our flight landed, and before we knew it we were in the midst of a performance takeoff (!) and flying out of Andros. The views were of course spectacular, however we couldn’t hide our sadness to leave. Once back in Fort Lauderdale we cleared customs and finally said our goodbyes. Many of us had met previously on other Silent Hunter expeditions and some of us were new friends, but all will remain in contact as we shared a week to remember.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful guests for joining us, the incredible Andros Island Bonefish Club for their hospitality, the hardworking and ever professional Cole from PFO Charters for his top class boating and captaining skills, and everyone that made this trip as awesome as it was: an entirely unforgettable January 2020.

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If you’d like to join us on an expedition, we still have space on our 2021 expeditions, so contact us and be part of something truly special.