Rocky Dundas, Exumas: the caves, low tide and how to reach them

Rocky Dundas is a limestone islet in the Exumas, known for its sea caves. The tide decides whether you can get inside, and the Atlantic swell decides whether you should try.

Where is Rocky Dundas?

OpenStreetMap places Rocky Dundas at about 24.278° N, 76.540° W¹. The Bahamas National Trust gives the park’s south-west corner as 24°14′25″ N, 76°36′02″ W and its south-east corner as 24°18′37″ N, 76°28′47″ W⁸, which puts the islet on the park’s southern edge. Charter operators describe it as lying within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park³.

Boaters reach it by dinghy from nearby anchorages such as Cambridge Cay, Bell Island or Fowl Cay². The Cambridge Cay page covers the nearest of those anchorages. The islet is a limestone wall with several cavern systems in it⁵. The places hub lists the other cays in this guide, and the park boundaries map gives the Trust’s corner coordinates for the park.

What are the Rocky Dundas caves like?

The main attractions at Rocky Dundas are the two large caves accessible at low tide². Two main caves penetrate the rocky islet, and at low tide their openings widen above the waterline³.

Inside are stalactites and stalagmites, and light filters down through the water². The larger cave has a small sand beach and a ceiling heavy with limestone formations, which formed when the chamber stood above sea level during past ice ages³. On a visit in March 2023, expedition guests put on wetsuits and snorkeled into the opening of one cavern⁵.

When can you enter the caves?

Visit at low tide, when the cave entrances are most accessible⁴. At high tide, reaching the interior means swimming underwater⁴. Check the tide before you launch the dinghy, and time the trip for the low. Look at the formations but do not touch them³.

Is Rocky Dundas safe in swell?

The caves are exposed. Calm water is necessary to enter and snorkel them safely, and the site is open to easterly swell from the Atlantic Ocean⁶. If swell is running, plan on skipping the caves.

The weather windows guide covers how to read the forecast before a trip like this. If something goes wrong, the Trust monitors VHF channel 16 around the clock for emergencies, and you can call “Exuma Park” on channel 09⁸.

Snorkeling outside the caves

The snorkeling outside the caves reveals healthy coral formations, including endangered elkhorn coral⁴. Brain coral and soft corals share the seabed with blue tangs, sergeant majors, angelfish and parrotfish³. Depths run from the surface to about 15 feet (5 m), so the spot suits beginner snorkelers³.

The park is a no-take zone: no fishing, conching, shelling or lobstering, and nothing living or dead may be removed⁹.

Anchoring is not permitted in mooring fields, on coral reefs and certain other designated areas, and all vessels, dinghies included, must run at idle speed in any mooring field or anchorage⁹.

Take your trash with you, because the park offers no trash disposal⁹. Approach with care and watch for coral heads when anchoring nearby³.

The snorkel sites guide lists more reef stops, and the March 2023 expedition day that visited the caves also stopped at the Sea Aquarium⁵: see the Sea Aquarium page.