Bahamas-Out Island Life

Bahamas Out Island Life

A few more reasons to love the Bahamas...

In our hectic work-a-day world, there never seems to be enough time.

Client meetings, kids, job sites, patients and customers fill our schedules to the brim. In the out-islands of the southern Bahamas, time and responsibility are reckoned differently. Jobs and work are, of course, prioritized and important, but family and friendship are never neglected.

Here, time seems to slow down a bit or at least proceed at a more manageable pace.

One of the best reasons to go to the Out Islands (besides the fishing, of course) is to experience this decompression of time. In the Out Islands, there is always time to talk and take a deep breath. For many, the day's activities are governed by the realities of the sea and weather. Fishing is a way of life in the Bahamas. The natives develop their skills on the ocean at an early age spurred on by the need to gather the expertise necessary for survival.

In the Out Islands, there is time for some fun. We can learn a few things from the inhabitants of these islands... as if we needed another reason to visit the Bahamas!

Photo Essay Bahamas: Part 2

About two-thirds of the population of the Bahamas lives on New Providence Island, the location of Nassau, and about half of the remaining one-third lives on Grand Bahama Island, the location of Freeport.

That means only around 50,000 people are spread out on the other islands including Great Abaco Island, Andros, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, the Exuma Chain, Crooked and Acklins Islands, Mayaguana, Inagua, and Ragged Island and the Jumento cays. These "other" islands are often called the Out Islands. On these islands you find no cruise ships, no highrise hotels, and no crowds... Thankfully, here there are no Holiday Inns, Senor Frogs or Kentucky Fried Chickens. It’s different in the Out Islands and those of us that bonefish here, love these islands and its people.

The Out Islands are also called the Family Islands. Many Bahamians out of necessity move to the busy islands of New Providence and Grand Bahama to go to school or get jobs in the casinos and hotels of Nassau and Freeport. They leave their families behind and are therefore referred to as the "family" islands. These transplants visit their home islands as often as they can and most of these island have a homecoming weekend that is one of the big events of the year!