Off Property Excursion – Powerboat Adventures:

My 15 year old daughter and I decided we wanted to do something different and adventurous on our annual summer Atlantis, Bahamas vacation.  We found an off property excursion, Powerboat Adventures, that was advertised as “the one day, one trip that will have you talking for years”, and it did not disappoint!

Powerboat Adventures is an all-inclusive day trip from Paradise Island to the secluded Exuma Cays (the real Bahamas out Islands) 38 miles away by ocean!  We were picked up at 8:30 am from the Atlantis and brought to the Ferry terminal right across the street. We walked back to the Atlantis at the end of the day (5 pm) when the excursion was over.  They have 2 powerboats – we were on the 60 foot, triple engine boat.  Sleek and amazing, and we sat in the front for the 60 minute boat ride out to Exhuma Cay.  It was a semi bumpy ride at times – not too crazy but fast, exciting, gorgeous and relaxing all at the same time.  We rode in this cool jet drive boat on the amazing blue ocean with the sun shining on us and wind whipping through our hair.  The first stop was to a little island called Allan’s Cay – home of the Iguana Dragon lizards.  These iguanas (up to 3 feet long)! scamper out of the bushes and come close to you to eat grapes that you are feeding them from a stick.  Totally cool – we were a little apprehensive at first but it was great fun and neat to see these “living dinosaurs”.  The crew on Powerboat was amazing.  They would take pictures for you whenever asked and were very lively.  Back on the boat to the next stop: “Ships Channel Cay”.  007 James Bond music was pumping through the speakers on the fast boat ride over – I felt like I was in a Bond movie!  Loved it! Ships Channel Cay is Powerboat Adventures’ own private island lagoon with calm waters, beautiful beach and an adorable cottage/deck.   The colors of the lagoon are out of a dream – I have never seen so many different shades of blue and turquoise.  The cottage was shaded and had a full bar that provided drinks all day. It was cool to be on your own private island.  A fresh grilled lunch (steak, fish, salad, fruit, etc) and open bar ALL DAY were included on this excursion.  Yummy Baha Mama’s were flowing!

Note, several children were on the boat so it is a very family friendly excursion. 

Power Boat Adventures Activities:

The first activity was the STINGRAY FEEDING experience.  The crew has the wild stingrays come up to you as you are lined up on the shore and you feed them fresh fish out of your hand! Again, could be a little nerve wracking at first but it was an experience. The stingrays brush up against you and it is intense!  All of the encounters are in the wild, with no cages or pens.  If you do not want to participate you have a first row view from either the shore or the shaded deck.   Next activity is drift snorkeling (gear provided) – you should be comfortable swimmer for this part.   After snorkeling comes a little relaxation, lunch, drinks and get ready for the main attraction – the world famous Shark Feeding Show!  Featured often on the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel’s SHARK WEEK.  The crew wrangles the sharks close to you by throwing bait to them on a rope and “wrangling them” in.  It is really exciting to watch and surreal that these sharks are so close to you but still “in the wild”.  It seems they do know when to come close to the shore daily for “feeding time”!  Great entertainment like I had never experienced before and you might be one of the lucky ones who gets to “help” the crew wrangle a shark on the feeding rope.  It was tons of fun but also adrenaline pumping as it was repeated to us several times to stay on the edge of the shore and not go into the water while the feeding was going on!   This whole excursion was casual and not rushed – plenty of time to relax, chat with others from the excursion and really revel in the moment of being on this secluded deserted breathtaking island.  The last formal activity was the Conch Salad Show. We watched as the crew created a fresh conch salad for all to enjoy.  Fresh conch is pulled from the ocean, split opened, cleaned, mixed with limes and veggies and voila!  Delicious!  We were bummed that the day was over and would do this again in a heartbeat.

Definitely a highlight of our trip – 5 stars!

Power Boat Adventures TIP:

Sit in the front of the boat for a more “wild” ride and the back of the boat for a calmer, smoother ride.   We sat in the front on the way out and the back on the way home (back is shaded and undercover so this was perfect for the end of the day).