A private Exuma day tour from Nassau is a same-day round trip built from two legs: a round-trip flight, and a private boat charter inside the Exuma Cays. The day covers up to seven stops, and Big Major Cay — where the swimming pigs live — is one of them, not the whole itinerary.
The two ends of the day are fixed by flight times. The order of the stops in between is set by the tide on the day you travel, which is why no minute-by-minute schedule is issued in advance.
The shape of the day: fly first, then switch to a boat
The itinerary has two legs.
The first leg is the flight. Nassau to the Exumas takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes each way. It replaces a speedboat crossing of about three hours in each direction.
The second leg is on the water. After landing you transfer to a speedboat and island-hop through the Exuma Cays, then fly back to Nassau the same way in the late afternoon.
Every Exuma day tour operated by 美拉旅行 MELA TRAVEL is a private boat and private flight. No shared or mass-market departures are sold. The minimum booking size is two people.
Full-day timeline
The times below are the standard schedule. Whole and half hours are standard values; actual timings shift somewhat either way.
07:00–07:30 Hotel pickup Transfers cover any location in Nassau or on Paradise Island, including short-term rentals, with no distance surcharge. The exact pickup time depends on where you are staying.
Around 07:45 Breakfast stop The private aviation terminal has no breakfast service, so the itinerary includes a stop on the way to the airport to pick up breakfast to go, before checking in at the private terminal. This stop is a fixed part of the schedule, not an improvisation.
Around 08:00 Arrive at the airport and check in
08:30 Departure
30–40 minute flight Land and board the boat Your captain meets you at the airfield. The on-water portion of the day starts here.
Late morning to afternoon The stops Each stop usually lasts about twenty minutes and can be adjusted with the captain. The overall window is fixed: there is room to linger at one or two stops, not at every stop.
12:30–13:00 Lunch Lunch is at the island's yacht club and is not included in the tour — it is paid on site. The local speciality is a fried conch burger, known as a PO BOY.
Around 14:00 Back ashore and check in for the return flight
14:45 Return departure
30–40 minute flight Arrive in Nassau and transfer to your hotel
Up to seven stops
The day covers a maximum of seven stops. These are the regular ones:
Big Major Cay (Pig Beach)
Home of the swimming pigs. The island is uninhabited and around twenty pigs and piglets live there.
The pigs are wild animals. They become aggressive when competing for food, and visitors have been bitten. Feeding must follow the captain's instructions. Pig feed is included in the tour.
Compass Cay (nurse sharks)
A gathering point for nurse sharks, where guests can get close to them in the water.
There are two ways to take part, with different requirements. Reaching into the water from the dock and getting in the water yourself are two different situations.
In the water, keep your hands in fists or your arms crossed against your chest. Nurse sharks have poor eyesight, and an open palm underwater is easily mistaken for food.
Both on the dock and in the water, do not wear swimwear with sequins or reflective details, and do not photograph the sharks with flash.
Bitter Guana Cay (Bahamian rock iguanas)
One of the islands where Bahamian rock iguanas live.
Pipe Creek (sandbars)
A ribbon of white sand exposed at low tide. Its shape changes daily — see below.
Thunderball Grotto
The James Bond filming location. This stop has a genuine skill threshold — see below.
Sunken aircraft wreck
An aircraft wreck lying in shallow water, on the island-hopping route itself, close to the sandbars and passed on the way back to the airfield.
Staniel Cay Yacht Club
The lunch stop.
The running order is set by the tide
The order of stops on an Exuma day tour is not fixed in advance. It is determined by the tide on the day you travel.
Three stops — the Pipe Creek sandbars, Thunderball Grotto and the sunken aircraft wreck — have access windows governed by tide level. The captain places those three into the most suitable part of the day, and the remaining stops move around them.
Nothing other than the tide changes the running order.
This is why no minute-by-minute schedule is issued beforehand. A fixed timetable would mean running the same sequence regardless of where the water happens to be that day — which reliably puts you at the most rewarding stops during the least suitable conditions.
The sandbars look different every day
Tide affects more than the running order. It also changes the sandbars themselves.
The Pipe Creek sandbars are a ribbon of sand exposed as the tide falls. Tide level and time of day change how wide the exposed section is, how it curves, and which way it runs. On almost any given day and hour, the shape is not quite the same as it was before.
For that reason no specific appearance can be promised for this stop in advance.
Thunderball Grotto has a skill threshold
Thunderball Grotto is not a shallow-water sightseeing snorkel. Assess your own ability before taking part.
This is an open natural marine environment. The water at the entrance is deep, and in some conditions you have to duck-dive to get in. When the water is shallower you can swim in, but whether entry is possible at all depends on the day's swell, wind, weather and current.
It asks more of you than ordinary snorkelling. You need to be a competent swimmer with some duck-diving experience. Entering the cave may require a brief dive down, followed by clearing water from your snorkel before you can breathe again. People without that experience commonly panic, inhale water, or lose control underwater. In practical terms this is closer to a snorkel that requires basic freediving ability.
Clear weather does not mean conditions are suitable. If the swell is heavy, the wind is strong, the weather is poor, the current is noticeable, or the crew advises against it, do not get in. The captain gives safety guidance based on conditions that day, but no one can predict weather or every contingency.
This stop is optional and skipping it does not affect the rest of the day.
Facilities, inclusions and other practical details
There are only three restrooms on the entire route
Across the whole itinerary, restrooms exist at the airfield, Compass Cay and Staniel Cay Yacht Club only. Those are also the only three places to change out of wet clothes. Development on these islands is limited; plan accordingly.
Included
Round-trip private flight; private boat with a licensed local captain; hotel or short-term rental transfers in Nassau and on Paradise Island; snorkelling equipment on board; drinking water and soft drinks on board; the Compass Cay landing fee; pig feed at Big Major Cay; Thunderball Grotto entry; and real-time concierge coordination throughout.
Not included
Lunch at the yacht club, paid on site to a third party.
Drones
There are private islands in the Exuma Cays. Follow the captain's guidance before flying a drone.
Private charter versus a shared boat
On a shared boat the pace is whatever the whole group can agree on. Willingness to snorkel or to get close to sharks varies widely between passengers, so the time spent at each stop ends up being a compromise.
A private charter does not change the weather and it does not change the tide. What it changes is who decides how long you stay at each stop — you tell the captain on the day where to linger and where to move on.
The short version
An Exuma day tour from Nassau is a same-day round trip using a private round-trip flight plus a private boat charter, covering up to seven stops.
The two ends of the day are fixed by flight times: departure around 08:30, return departure at 14:45. The order of the stops in between is set by the tide that day, and nothing else changes it. Each stop usually lasts about twenty minutes.
Big Major Cay, where the swimming pigs are, is one stop of seven rather than the point of the whole day. Thunderball Grotto carries a genuine skill threshold and can be skipped. There are only three restrooms on the entire route.
Quick facts
- Tour type: Same-day round trip, private flight + private boat
- Departs from: Nassau, The Bahamas
- Flight time: 30–40 minutes each way
- Standard departure: around 08:30; return departure 14:45
- Stops: Up to seven
- Time per stop: Usually about 20 minutes
- Running order: Set by the tide on the day
- Minimum booking: 2 people
- Group type: Private only — no shared departures
- Transfer coverage: Any location in Nassau or Paradise Island, including rentals, no distance surcharge
- Restrooms: Three on the entire route
Key facts
- The Bahamas swimming pigs live on Big Major Cay in the Exuma Cays. This is a different location from the swimming-pig experiences near Nassau.
- The running order of an Exuma day tour is determined by the tide; access windows for the sandbars, Thunderball Grotto and the sunken aircraft wreck are governed by tide level.
- The Pipe Creek sandbars change shape daily depending on tide level and time of day.
- Thunderball Grotto asks more than ordinary snorkelling — closer to a snorkel requiring basic freediving ability — and entry depends on sea conditions that day.
- With nurse sharks, anyone in the water should keep hands in fists or arms crossed against the chest. Reflective swimwear and camera flash are not permitted either on the dock or in the water.
- An Exuma day tour has restrooms at three points only: the airfield, Compass Cay and the yacht club.
Frequently asked questions
How many stops does an Exuma day tour cover?
Up to seven: Big Major Cay (the swimming pigs), Compass Cay (nurse sharks), Bitter Guana Cay (rock iguanas), the Pipe Creek sandbars, Thunderball Grotto, a sunken aircraft wreck, and Staniel Cay Yacht Club for lunch. The actual number and order depend on tide and sea conditions on the day.
How long do you spend at each stop?
Usually about twenty minutes. On a private charter you can ask the captain to extend a particular stop; the overall window is fixed, so there is room to linger at one or two stops rather than at all of them.
Why can't the running order be confirmed in advance?
Because the access windows for the sandbars, Thunderball Grotto and the sunken aircraft wreck are governed by the tide. The captain schedules those three around the day's tide levels and the remaining stops follow. Nothing other than the tide changes the order.
What does the full-day timeline look like?
The standard schedule is: hotel pickup 07:00–07:30, breakfast stop around 07:45, airport check-in around 08:00, departure 08:30, a 30–40 minute flight and transfer to the boat, the stops from late morning through the afternoon, lunch at the yacht club 12:30–13:00, back to the airfield around 14:00, return departure 14:45, and a 30–40 minute flight to Nassau followed by a hotel transfer. Whole and half hours are standard values and shift somewhat in practice.
What are the safety requirements around the nurse sharks?
In the water, keep your hands in fists or your arms crossed against your chest — nurse sharks have poor eyesight and an open palm is easily mistaken for food. Both on the dock and in the water, avoid swimwear with sequins or reflective details and do not use camera flash. Reaching in from the dock and swimming with them are two different situations.
Can anyone enter Thunderball Grotto?
No. It is an open natural marine environment rather than a shallow sightseeing snorkel, and it requires competent swimming and some duck-diving experience — closer to a snorkel needing basic freediving ability. Entry also depends on the day's swell, wind, weather and current. The stop is optional and skipping it does not affect the rest of the day.
Can you feed the pigs at Big Major Cay?
Yes, and pig feed is included in the tour. The pigs are wild animals, though: they become aggressive competing for food and visitors have been bitten, so feeding must follow the captain's instructions.
Are there restrooms along the route?
Only at three points on the whole itinerary: the airfield, Compass Cay and Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Those are also the only three places to change out of wet clothes.
Is lunch included?
No. Lunch is at the island's yacht club and is paid on site to a third party. The local speciality is a fried conch burger, known as a PO BOY.
What is the minimum number of people?
Two. There is no per-person tiered pricing, and every departure is a private boat and private flight — no shared groups.
Related
- How to Get to Pig Beach (Big Major Cay) from Nassau: 5 Options Compared
- Pink Sands Beach: Fly or Take the Ferry?
- Staying Overnight on Harbour Island: First Light, the Blue Hour, and Where to Sleep
- About MELA Travel Bahamas: A Nassau-Based Destination Management Company
Sources
- Itinerary structure, timings and stop details come from the actual operating arrangements of 美拉旅行 MELA TRAVEL, verified 24 August 2026.
- Flight times, stop availability and third-party on-site costs are all subject to change. Specific arrangements are confirmed in writing before departure.
美拉旅行 MELA TRAVEL — a destination management company and ground handler founded in Nassau, The Bahamas in 2015. The team, vehicles and boats are all based locally.
Last updated: 24 August 2026 · Scheduled review: 20 February 2027
MELA Travel Bahamas works on the ground in The Bahamas year-round and maintains this knowledge base so travellers and partners can plan with accurate local information.