Staniel Cay, Exumas: marina, yacht club, airstrip, ball rates and what is nearby

Staniel Cay is a small Exumas island with a yacht club, a marina with a fuel dock, a few stores and an airstrip. This page covers where it sits, how to get there, what the marina charges and what is nearby. More stops are in the places guide.

Where is Staniel Cay, and is it part of the Exumas?

Staniel Cay is an island in the Exuma Cays, a district of the Bahamas¹. It lies roughly 75 miles south of Nassau and 250 miles southeast of Florida¹. Fewer than 118 people live there full time¹. A small Bahamian village lies on the western shore, with homes, a few restaurants, a church, a police station, a post office, a library, three small retail stores and marine supply shops¹.

Google Maps listed Staniel Cay at 4.8 stars from 141 reviews in October 2026⁹.

Is Staniel Cay inside the park?

No. Staniel Cay lies outside the park. The park’s south-west corner is at 24°14′25″ N, 76°36′02″ W³, and Staniel Cay, at about 24.169° N, is south of that latitude^1,3. Park rules and ParkPay fees are written for the park and do not apply on the island³. Read the park boundaries map before you head north.

How do you get to Staniel Cay?

Staniel Cay is reachable by sea and by air¹. Scheduled flights, charter airplanes and private planes use the island’s 3,000-foot airstrip at Staniel Cay Airport¹. The Staniel Cay flights guide covers the air route. By boat, you can take a slip or a ball at the yacht club, described below².

What does the Staniel Cay marina offer?

The Staniel Cay Yacht Club marina has 18 secure slips for vessels from center consoles to mega-yachts². The dock takes drafts up to 12 feet and yachts up to 210 feet, even at low tide². Dockage is at the South Dock (the main dock) or the North Dock (the fuel dock)². The club lists a separate fuel dock with high-speed pumps, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily as of October 2026². Call the marina on VHF channel 16².

The docks are exposed to the west, so boats may have to leave in strong west or northwest winds². The club posts a 3 to 4 day weather forecast in the clubhouse every day except Sunday².

Utilities are priced by the unit. Electricity costs $1.20 per kWh, with 30, 50 and 100 amp service and daily minimums². Water costs $0.40 per gallon². Ice is $7 a bag, and rigged ballyhoo and squid bait are sold². Trash is $8 a bag plus tax². Registered marina and hotel guests get free internet in the clubhouse².

Prices change without notice, so confirm with the marina when you book².

What do mooring balls at Staniel Cay cost?

The club offers 21 balls for rent by the day or night². The nightly rate is a range that depends on boat length².

Boat length	Nightly	Partial day, not overnight
Under 50 ft	$48.40 to $62.40	$28.002
50 to 65 ft	$60.50 to $76.50	$44.002
Over 65 ft	$77.00 to $99.00	$60.002

Payment for a nightly stay is good until 11 a.m. the following day². The partial-day rate is limited to 2 hours; after 2 hours you pay the overnight rate². These rates are the ones the club’s marina page listed in October 2026.

Where can you stay, eat and shop on Staniel Cay?

The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is a boutique resort with 13 bungalows, one villa and a full-service marina⁴. It has a restaurant and bar serving Bahamian food⁴. Bahamas Tourism points visitors to the club for fried conch fritters, rum punch and Staniel Cay lime pie⁸. The club lists snorkeling, kayaking and paddleboarding among its activities, and a tour to spend the day with its swimming pigs⁵.

For reservations, the club’s Bahamas office is (242) 355-2024 and its email is info@stanielcay.com⁵. For the pigs themselves, read the Big Major Cay guide.

Fresh produce, canned goods and paper products are sold on the island at The Blue Store, Pink Store and Isles General Store⁷. Marine supply shops are in the village too¹.

What movies were filmed on Staniel Cay, and what is nearby?

Thunderball Grotto, on the island’s western coast, was the setting of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball¹. The island was also a filming location for a scene in the 1983 film Never Say Never Again¹. The grotto lies just west of the island⁶; read the Thunderball Grotto guide for tides and entry.

Big Major Cay, known as Pig Beach, is close by, and its swimming pigs draw thousands of tourists each year¹. For nurse sharks, see Compass Cay.

Staniel Cay was established in 1783 when American loyalists settled the Exuma archipelago¹. The island gained popularity with the opening of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club in 1956, founded by Bob Chamberlain and Joe Hocher¹.