Exuma Bahamas Cruising Conditions

Puffy cumulus clouds make for epic, year-round sunsets

To begin, the Exumas is not a place for beginner captains – weather, anchoring, tides, and cuts present unique challenges. It helps to have experience on the water. That said, you can always hire a skipper if you are less experienced and still charter this wonderful destination.

Here's what you need to know about chartering in the Exumas:

Exuma Route Planning
When to Charter in the Exumas
Sailing Conditions
Current Wind Forecast (Windy)

Exuma Route Planning

The Exumas are a long string of 365 islands, stretching over 100 miles from the Sail Rocks in the north all the way down to Great Exuma in the southeast.

That’s a long way to travel for a week long vacation! It is too far to go all the way down and back in a week. Here are your options:

Explore the northern Exumas, turning around near Staniel Cay (this is what we recommend!). There is so much to explore that you won’t miss out by missing the southern Exumas.
Do a one way trip from Great Exuma to Nassau. This takes advantage or the prevailing trade winds out of the east – enjoy that downwind sailing. It does, however, complicate provisioning since Great Exuma is not as well stocked. You will also need to coordinate extra logistics to travel to Georgetown for the start of your trip.
One way from Nassau to Great Exuma. This makes provisioning easier, but you are more likely to sail to windward.

When to Charter in the Exumas

My favorite time of year to go is April-May. Here’s why:

Consistent trade winds blow out of the east to southeast, allowing for more settled cruising conditions
Cold fronts are not as common. This means fewer squalls and potential exposure to westerly/northerly winds
Days are longer, giving you more time for fun on the water
Although early tropical activity can occur, it is far less likely
It’s less busy since many of the full-time cruisers have begun to leave the area in preparation for hurricane season

November to December can also be a good time to go – the weather is often pleasant. Keep in mind that cold fronts do sweep down from the west. This can occur as early as October. You’ll need to pay close attention to the weather forecast and have some flexibility with your itinerary.

In the winter months (January to March) cold fronts march in like clockwork. Be prepared for squalls and winds in excess of 20 knots.

We would avoid the summer months since it can be very hot/humid, the winds are light, and there is always the risk of tropical activity and trip disruption.

Another secluded anchorage in the Exumas, however, we had to be careful about strong tidal currents

Sailing Conditions in the Exumas

Sailing in the Exumas is not for beginners – you need to understand tides, conduct weather planning, and navigate by reading the color of the water. Few mooring balls are available, so you should also be comfortable anchoring almost everywhere (the good news is that the holding is generally very good!).

Wind

The trade winds blow somewhat consistently unless interrupted by fall/winter cold fronts and tropical disturbances in the summer.

In the winter, the trades blow more from the NE. In the summer, they are more frequently from the SE.

Exuma Bank vs. Exuma Sound

You’ll likely spend most of your time cruising on the west side, on the Exuma Bank. Depths are ~20 feet making for incredible shades of turquoise blue. You also get great protection from the easterly trades, so even with fresh breezes – swells stay to a minimum!

Exuma Sound is the deep side to the east of the Exumas. Reefs mark the edge with many cuts allowing for passage in between. In some places, such as the Dog Cays in the north, the drop plunges to thousands of feet only a couple hundred feet off shore.

The Exuma Sound is where you want to go fishing for the pelagic fish – mahi, tuna, and wahoo. I recommend sailing NW (instead of SE) in the Exuma Sound due to the prevailing trades – you are less likely to encounter swells on your bow. Keep that crew happy!

Even in calm conditions, opposing tidal flow and trade winds can cause washing machine conditions in the cuts

Tides and Cuts

You will want to pay close attention to the tides due to many shallow anchorages and passages. In general, the tidal range is ~3.5 feet, but can be higher during, for example, Spring tides. In this case, depths at low tide could be below the ones indicated on the charts (MLLW).

I like to print off the latest prediction from NOAA, which provides the tides for Nassau.

In the northern Exumas, the tides will be around 20 minutes later than Nassau
Around Staniel Cay, you can expect the tides to be about 30 minutes later than Nassau

The numerous cuts between Exuma Sound and Exuma Bank can rip when the tide is flowing. They can be especially treacherous when the wind blows against the direction of the flow. Try and time any passages you make for a period of slack tide.

Charts, especially the Explorer Chart, should be studied carefully. They’ll provide good advice on the preferred cuts to pass through (some are much wider and easier than others).

Anchorages

The majority of anchorages are located with protection from the easterly trades. I’ve found that holding is generally very good with white sandy bottoms. Coral or rock bottoms can be found in areas more affected by the cuts/tidal flow, so keep that in mind.

Use of mooring balls is mainly limited to those available in the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Expect to anchor most everywhere else.

I talk about my favorite Exuma anchorages in this post.