Bell Island and Little Hall's Pond Cay: who owns them and what the park rules mean

Bell Island is one of the private islands of the Exumas, and it sits inside the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. People look it up because of who controls it, and because a second private island, Little Hall’s Pond Cay, turns up in the same stories. This page covers both and explains what the park’s rules mean for boats passing near them. For the full list of well-known owners, see Exuma private islands and the people tied to them.

Who owns Bell Island?

Wikipedia reports that Bell Island was purchased for $100 million in 2009 and that it is controlled by the Aga Khan¹. The island has a surface of 349 acres¹. Wikipedia describes a heliport and two large homes amid extensive landscaping¹, and says three large guest cottages were renovated at a cost of $8 million¹.

Wikipedia calls Bell Island a private island¹. Treat the island itself as private property and plan your stops elsewhere. The places guide lists the cays that visitors do stop at.

Bell Island, Big Bell Island and Little Bell

Wikipedia notes that the island is sometimes called Big Bell Island, and that it is not to be confused with nearby Little Bell, which is also known as Cambridge Cay¹. Cambridge Cay has its own page: the Cambridge Cay guide.

Sail Abacos gives the dinghy run from a Bell Island anchorage to the Aquarium snorkel site off O’Brien’s Cay as about 1.2 nautical miles, and from Cambridge Cay as about 2.3 nautical miles⁶. The site has its own page: the Aquarium at O’Brien’s Cay.

Is Bell Island inside Exuma Park?

Yes. Wikipedia describes Bell Island as a private island inside the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park¹. The island’s coordinates, 24.306°N 76.558°W¹, fall between the four corner coordinates the Bahamas National Trust publishes for the park². The Trust says the park was established in 1958².

Because the island sits in the park, the park rules apply to the water around it. The Trust’s rules include these³:

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a NO TAKE ZONE: no fishing, conching, shelling or lobstering – nothing living or dead may be removed from within the boundaries of Exuma Park³.

Anchoring is not permitted in the mooring fields, on coral reefs and certain other designated areas within Exuma Park³.

All vessels, dinghies and jet skis included, must run at idle speed in any mooring field or anchorage³. Trash disposal is not available in the park, so take out everything you bring in³. The park office answers on VHF channel 09 when you call “Exuma Park”². Read the full park rules, the no-take zone guide and the fee guide before you go.

Little Hall’s Pond Cay and Johnny Depp

Bisnow reported that Johnny Depp bought Little Hall’s Pond Cay for $3.6 million after spotting it while shooting Pirates of the Caribbean⁴. Bisnow describes a 45-acre island with pure white sand and clear blue water⁴, and says it is not open to the public⁴. Bisnow also reports that Depp owns the small neighbouring island Osprey Bird Rock⁴.

Because Bisnow says the island is not open to the public, keep boats and dinghies off its beaches.

Other well-known owners in the Exumas

Wikipedia notes that a number of well-known people own islands or residences in the Exumas, and names the Aga Khan and Johnny Depp among them⁵. It adds that a few smaller cays remain partially or wholly privately owned⁵. The private islands page sets out what Wikipedia and the press say about each name, and the Pipe Creek guide covers a stretch of cays where some entries are by invitation only.