Just returned today from spending a week snorkeling out of a rental boat. I
believe all of the mooring buoys are in place at Fowl Cay. We went three times
this last week on our own to Auquapulse which is the easiest to get to without
prior knowledge of the reef at Fowl Cay. This is the most northern of the
moorings. I went with Froggies to two other sites further south at Fowl Cay
but would not recommend going there on your own unless you have good experience
in reading the water. I do not think there were any mooring bouys at Johnny's
Cay. The day we tried it the current was too bad and we gave up early. Another
great place if you have a boat is Sandy Cay south of Lubbers in the marine
preserve. The Dodge book shows several mooring bouys there but all but one were
lost in the storm. I belive there are plans to reattach the bouys to the
permanent moorings in the near future. Although we used the bouys at both sites
we would have felt very comfortable at anchor. All the sites we snorkeled and
dove at were in about 20' of water with a sand bottom with deeply undercut reef
coming almost to the surface. You can pick the depth you want to snorkel simply
by moving around the reef.

To access the Aquapulse mooring bouy at Fowl Cay I suggest going though the
channel just south of Scotland Cay and north of Fowl Cay. After you clear the
pass turn to the south (right) and stay about half way between Fowl Cay and the
ocean barrier reef. About half way down Fowl Cay look for the mooring bouy
out near the reef. You should be ok in this area for depth but be carefull.
The bouy is in about 18' of water but is just east of a round shaped reef that
you should easily see that comes up to the surface. This small reef should be
just behind your boat in an easterly wind after you tie up. You can also
go east and you will shortly reach patches of reef and eventually an elkhorn
reef which will extend forever to the north and south. Be patient and you will
find many passes though the coral both to the north and south. I suggest finding
a pass though the elkhorn, turning right or left and finding other passes back
towards your boat. If you are certified I would highly recommend taking a very
slow circut around the reef west of the boat. It is completely undercut and
the terrain is fantastic even though you will never get deeper than 20'.
In one cavern like room there is a large tombstone erected in memory of a young
Bahamian diver who favored this site. I belive he died in a motorcycle accident
and his father spread his ashes and erected the tombstone. I could have my facts
incorrect but I did see the tombstone. Any tide or wind direction should be ok
when approaching this bouy.

Good luck in your snorkeling. We never snorkeled the reef off Hopetown and
would appreciate a report (smi153@airmail.net). Also I would highly recommend
Mermaid reef by Marsh Harbour if you have young or inexperienced snorkelers.
It is very shallow but has good fish and coral.

Steve Miller

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