Boating the Exumas: moorings, anchorages, weather and clearance
Plan a boat trip through the Exumas: clearing in, Exuma Park moorings and anchoring, VHF, weather, cuts, fuel and charter, with a link to every boating guide.
Clear into the Bahamas at a designated port of entry and pay your cruising permit in the Click2Clear system1. Inside Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park the Trust takes no mooring reservations, so you pick up a ball first and pay through ParkPay afterward2. Call the park office on VHF 093. The Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November4.
- At a glance
- Clearance
- Designated port of entry, Click2Clear1
- Park mooring, under 40 ft
- BSD 27.27/day + VAT2
- Mooring reservations
- None taken2
- Park office
- VHF 09, "Exuma Park"3
- Emergencies
- VHF 16, monitored 24 hours3
- Hurricane season
- 1 June to 30 November4
On this page
A boat trip through the Exumas has a fixed order: clear in, plan the weather and the cuts, then work the moorings and anchorages. This page is the map. Each section sends you to the guide that covers that step in full.
Clear in before you cruise
Every pleasure vessel is entered and paid for in the Cruising Permit module of Click2Clear, and you must enter at a designated port of entry1. Do this before you head for the park. The clearing customs guide covers the process, and the cruising permit cost table lists what the permit costs by boat length.
Moorings, anchoring and park rules
Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park takes no reservations, so you secure a ball first and pay afterward in the ParkPay app or on its site2. A private boat under 40 feet pays BSD 27.27 a day for a mooring before 10% VAT2. The full table is on the park fees page.
Anchoring is not permitted in the mooring fields, on coral reefs and certain other designated areas within Exuma Park5.
Read how to get a mooring in Exuma Park and the anchoring rules before you arrive. Dinghy and jet ski speed rules sit on the dinghy rules page, and the wider park rules and no-take zone apply to every boat.
Routes, cuts and weather
Your route decides your timing. Run the Exuma Bank or Exuma Sound and cross at the cuts only when tides and cuts allow. The weather windows guide covers fronts and wind. Starting from Nassau? Use Nassau to the Exumas by boat. For the south end, see George Town and Elizabeth Harbour.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November4. The hurricane season boating page explains how to plan around it.
Radio, fuel and supplies
Call “Exuma Park” on VHF 09 for the park office, and channel 16 is monitored 24 hours for emergencies3. The VHF channels guide lists the other channels cruisers use. For stocking up, read the fuel, water and provisioning guide.
Itineraries and charter
Short on ideas for the route? The seven-day and two-week cruising itineraries stitch the stops together. No boat of your own? The Exumas yacht charter guide covers the options.
Every boating guide
- Clearing in: customs by boat, cruising permit cost
- Park: moorings, anchoring, dinghies
- Passage: Bank vs Sound, cuts and tides, weather windows, Nassau to the Exumas, hurricane season
- On board: VHF channels, fuel, water and provisions, George Town
- Plans: seven-day itinerary, two-week itinerary, yacht charter
Fees and rules change. Check the Trust’s ParkPay page and Bahamas Customs before you pay.
All 15 guides in this section
Exuma Park moorings: how to get a ball, call ahead and pay
Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park takes no mooring reservations. How to get a ball at Warderick Wells and the other fields, when to pay, what it costs and who to call.
Anchoring in Exuma Park: where you can anchor, fees and speed rules
Where you can and cannot anchor in Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park: no anchoring in mooring fields or on reefs, idle speed rules, jet ski distance, fees.
7-day Exumas cruising itinerary: day-by-day legs, miles and stops from charter operators
A sourced 7-day Exumas cruising itinerary from Nassau: 12knots legs with miles and hours, The Moorings and Ocean Adventure Cat routes, park rules, charter cost.
14-day Exumas cruising itinerary: eight sourced days, then choose an extension
A two-week Exumas cruising itinerary: IYC's route for days 1 to 8, then sourced ways to extend south to Staniel Cay, Farmer's Cay or George Town, with miles.
Clearing Customs in the Bahamas by Boat: Click2Clear, Ports of Entry, Fees and Rules
How to clear Bahamas Customs and Immigration by boat: Click2Clear permit, ports of entry, worked fee total, fishing permit, firearms, pets and clearing out.
Bahamas ports of entry by boat from Florida: where to clear in
Where to clear Bahamas Customs by boat from Florida: ports of entry at Bimini, Chub Cay, Nassau, Grand Bahama and Exuma, how Click2Clear works and fees.
Bahamas Cruising Permit Cost (2026): 6-Month, 12-Month and Digital Card Fees
What a Bahamas cruising permit costs in 2026: 6-month and 12-month fees by boat length, the 2-year digital card, passenger tax and clearance-out fee.
Exuma Park dinghy rules: idle speed, jet skis and Shroud Cay creeks
Dinghy rules in Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park: idle speed in every mooring field, the 300-yard jet ski limit, Shroud Cay creek closures, and beach and pet rules.
Fuel, water and provisioning in the Exumas: what the Staniel Cay marina sells
Where boaters top up fuel, water and ice in the Exumas, what Staniel Cay Yacht Club charges, where to buy groceries, charter pre-orders and the park trash rule.
VHF Channels in the Exumas: Exuma Park, Emergencies and Marina Calls
Which VHF channels to use in the Exumas: Exuma Park on 09, emergencies and the Defence Force on 16, marina calls, and how to reach the park office.
Yacht charter in the Exumas: prices, skipper costs and what to budget
Exumas yacht charter from Nassau: The Moorings' stated prices with seen dates, skipper cost, licence rules, extra costs, deposit and charter park fees.
Exumas weather for boaters: trade winds, cold fronts, swell and hurricane season
Exumas boating weather: hurricane season dates, how each source describes the trade winds, and how a cold front and its swell show up in a Bahamas Met bulletin.
George Town and Elizabeth Harbour: anchoring, docking and Stocking Island
George Town, Great Exuma and Elizabeth Harbour for boaters: where boats anchor, the Exuma Yacht Club marina, Lake Victoria dinghy dock and Stocking Island.
23°30′N 75°46′WNassau to the Exumas by boat: distance, time by boat type and what it costs
Nassau to the Exuma Cays by boat: leg distances and times for power and sail itineraries, charter surcharges, the cruising permit and what to do on arrival.
Exuma cuts and tides: slack water, swell and when to run a cut
How to run an Exuma cut: tidal range, slack water, why swell matters more than wind, a Bahamas Met swell warning and the VHF channels to call.
Questions people ask
Can I reserve a mooring in the Exumas?
Not in Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. The Bahamas National Trust takes no reservations, and paying ahead does not hold a ball2.
Where do I clear into the Bahamas by boat?
At a designated port of entry. Bahamas Customs enters and charges pleasure vessels through the Cruising Permit module of its Click2Clear system1.
When is hurricane season in the Exumas?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November4. Plan your dates and your storm plan around it.
Sources (5)
- Marine Vessel Declarations & Cruising PermitsGOV
Bahamas Customs Department · bahamascustoms.gov.bs · checked 2026-10-18 - Pay for Mooring and Anchorage Fees (ParkPay)BNT
Bahamas National Trust · bnt.bs · checked 2026-10-18 - Exuma Cays Land & Sea ParkBNT
Bahamas National Trust · bnt.bs · checked 2026-10-18 - Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season (NHC climatology)GOV
US National Hurricane Center (NOAA) · nhc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-10-18 - Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park Rules (PDF)BNT
Bahamas National Trust · bnt.bs · checked 2026-10-18
Photo credits (1)
- José Adrián Moreno / Google Maps · Google Maps user photo · source
Park fees and rules come from the Bahamas National Trust or the Bahamas government; check them again before you go. How we check facts.