LAST CAST

HOOKED ON THE BAHAMAS

FRED GARTH

For the past 25 years, Fred D. Garth’s articles have appeared in numerous books, magazines and newspapers around the world. Read his blog at: GuyHarveyMagazine.com

Right: The tranquility of the Old Bahama Bay Club on Grand Bahama.

Want to make someone exceedingly happy? Sure you do. It’s easy. Just tell them you’re going to The Bahamas and invite them to come with. You’ll immediately see a big ol’ slice of watermelon spread across their face. And, you’ll be their newest best friend...at least until after the trip!

What is it about the islands that gets our heart racing and our soul soaring? Is it the 50 shades of blue? And not much gray. Or the visions of snorkeling with pastel creatures, dolphins and, yes, sharks? Those insta-grins spring forth with thoughts of cold beers on a blazing hot day and, later, tropical drinks as the orange orb melts into the horizon while steel drums magically whisk away your stress. There’s the smell of fried fish and conch fritters in the air. And garlic butter fumes absorbed into your nostrils as it’s poured over a plate of grilled lobster tails. Mmm. We fantasize of skipping across a light chop in a beefy center console while we rig the rods for tuna, mahi, wahoo or whatever will rip off line until the reel screams for mercy. It’s all of those fantastical daydreams that fuel us, along with a huge serving of not being at the office staring at a computer screen with 132 unanswered emails.

Shall we state the obvious? We yearn for paradise. It completes us. It powers us through cruel bosses and kids who break iPhones like I lose fishing lures. Paradise has saved me from insanity so many times. I’ve tasted—no, feasted—on it more than I deserve. I’ve caught everything from bonefish to billfish. I’ve dived with pufferfish, tarpon, turtles, sailfish, sharks and humpback whales. I’ve walked sandy beaches from the Caribbean to Italy to the Indo Pacific.

I’m not boasting, I’m leading up to a salient point. Or at least, I’m trying to but my mind

keeps drifting off to glorious tropical moments. Anyway, my point is that, thank God, there are good, inspired people in this world who are protecting paradise. Because, there are always those unsavory A-Holes who want to exploit our precious resources, usually for a fast buck.

In this issue, we’ve featured the Bahamas National Trust, a group that is working day and night to fight back the onslaught of exploitation—both by man and nature. They can confront real estate developers, illegal fishing fleets, crooked politicians, and even invasive lionfish, but what about ocean acidification, coral bleaching and hurricanes? It’s an ongoing battle, sometimes against insidious foes we cannot even see or control.

Nonetheless, they march forward, these saints for nature. They fight every day to make sure the planet will be a better place in the future rather than what we’ve come to expect: a slow, steady degradation of the ecosystem. I applaud the BNT and the hundreds of other organizations who are watchdogs for our paradise playground. They are the heroes of our generation and they are spawning a whole new genre of young, active conservationists.

The good news is that all of these efforts to revive the heartbeat of our planet have made and are making a difference. We are seeing wild animal stocks building back to record numbers. Rivers, lakes and bays that once were uninhabitable are being managed back to health. Oyster farms, which clean the water and provide tasty nourishment, seem to be popping up everywhere. Renewable energy is booming so fast that one day soon kids will be asking, “So, like, can you explain why people like burned oil when there’s so much sunlight and wind to, you know, like, harness?” And, “You mean cars and boats weren’t electric back then? That’s just weird.”

Yep, there is hope on the horizon. But now is not the time to relent. This is the moment when we should increase our efforts and then ramp them up even more. So, I urge everyone reading my words to support local and national conservation organizations with money and manpower. It will make you feel good about yourself and, as a bonus, help make the world better. When you think about it, that’s another way to make someone smile, even if you don’t take them with you to The Bahamas. Above and below: Chilling out at the beach on Grand Bahama at the Old Bahama Bay Club.