Summer in Exuma!!! (lots of pictures & videos)

Summer is here and in full swing! For us, this is the time of year where we LIVE in the water (out on the boat, at the beach, exploring the reefs, spearfishing, etc). It is when we have the spare time to do all these fun activities, but it is also when the water is the warmest, the sun in the hottest, and you don't want to be anywhere but in the water :) 

These turtles live right off the beach that we walk to from our house. They are wild, but very friendly and LOVE some squid! 

We have had some family and friends visiting on and off the last couple weeks. Most of these photos and videos are from a two week trip with Dallas' brother and some friends of theirs that are Spearfishing Enthusiasts!

Below is the Queen Trigger fish. I've mentioned before, these are the best fish to learn how to spearfish with. They turn to look at you and give you a full target to hit. This is one of the few fish that I, myself, have speared . Back in the days when I was trying to impress my 'boyfriend from the Bahamas' and show him that I could hang with him being an 'army brat from the States!'

I will NEVER get tired of exploring the world below the surface. There is always something to look at and discover. 

When spearing you have to go and look up under the ledges to find the nice, big, fish--most of the time. This ledge had a little surprise for us under it :) 

I knew the shark (nurse shark) was down there and intentionally swam through to video him sleeping, but I got a little freaked when he twitched toward me :) as you can clearly see in the video. I do gain my composure again as I'm drifting to the top! LOL

Dallas & his brother, Jeremy. These guys are very happy together + in the water + spearing!!

From left to right: Andrew, Jeremy, Dallas, John & Shawn. Two Olympic swimmers in here (Jeremy for the Bahamas and Shawn for the USA). FUN STUFF!!

Jeremy's wife, Heather and son, Mason (far left below) came down for some fun in the sun too! Some of these photos on here are Heather's. She's a photographer in Birmingham, AL for Sprouts... she does really great work if you need nice, modern photos of you and your family. 

Photo courtesy of Heather K.

Above is the three cousins! Mason, on the left, and our two, Joss & Emit! First time these guys have spent more than a couple hours with each other. Joss and Emit definitely had fun showing their little cousin around the island. And we had fun taking advantage of our talented sister-in-law for a little family photo shoot :) 

Photo courtesy of Heather K.

We've broken out the skis and inter-tube a lot recently for some boating fun. Joss did this with Dallas for the first time the other day! 

Photo courtesy of Heather K.

He's 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for my noisy narration... I was excited!

Lots of time spent snorkeling some of the pretty reefs...these are right inside Elizabeth Harbor (the harbor between Stocking Island and Great Exuma (where Georgetown is). 

Turtle grass that makes you wonder, "what is out there looking at me?"

This will show you how the 'Knowles Boys' get down under the water! Dallas has a couple spearing buddies that live here on the island, but his brother is definitely his favorite partner in situations like this. They did this little tag-team thing a few times. 

Needless to say, they had a good time :) 

Playing with a conch (below) under water... you can see his eyes checking me out! No worries Mr. Conch... you are safe and sound inside the harbor :) 

We also had a visit from Dallas' parents this last weekend and took them out for a spin in the Sea Pearls and boat too. 

Emit helping Daddy sail!

Below left to right: Joss in corner with the cool shades on, Andy (Dallas' dad), Nancy (Dallas' mom), and Lyall (Pastor & friend).

This is how momma rides in the sailboat :) 

And finally... my summer challenge to myself is to learn to slalom ski (for longer than a split second). Immediately following this shot I had a nice little wipe-out :) 

Stay tuned for a new little blog feature that we'll be starting soon. Hopefully you'll enjoy Exploring Exuma as much as we will!! :)

ACA Kayak Adventure

 Last month we had the pleasure of running our first American Canoe Association (ACA) Kayak Adventure. We also had our first ever intern with Out-Island Explorers, Michael (below). The trip had a great mix of folks. We had guests from New Jersey, Oklahoma, Ohio/Israel, Virginia and Hawaii. 

 They had perfectly calm water the week of their trip. However, they also had some scorching summer heat too. 

 Travis, below, was our ACA Rep for this trip. What a great guy to have out there on the water!

 Each time we have a guided trip we try to spear or reel in fresh fish for dinner at least one night on the water. After you catch the fish... you must clean the fish. This usually is a sight you'll see after cleaning a couple fish off the beach...

 A pretty decent size Lemon Shark. He apparently wasn't too intimidated by Dallas and the group as they stuck their heads in the water to see him through their masks because he came right up toward them. When my feet are safely planted are dry land I can enjoy these kind of moments, personally. When you're out in the water (usually after spearing for a bit at the same spot) and see one of these in the water with you... it is easy to feel a bit panicked. They are amazing creatures for sure!

 This group enjoyed a moonlight paddle (which was also a first for our guided trips). Partly to escape the swarm of mosquitoes that tried to eat everyone at sunset, but also because of the beautifully full moon and clear sky. 

 This particular night made me a bit jealous that I wasn't out there on the water enjoying the paddle with them. 

 The group from left to right: Travis, Donna, Carla, Corey, Ed, Michael & Dafna!

 The summer months in the Bahamas typically brings more afternoon showers and thunderstorms than the rest of the year. You can see a water spout in the shot below from one of the storms.  

 My little guys (Joss & Emit) and I drove the powerboat out to the group (about a 50 minute drive one way) to take them some cold drinks and give them a break from paddling to hit up a couple snorkel spots on their last full day out on the water. Everyone seemed pretty exhausted when we got there, but hopefully they were still having a good time. 

 The final morning of the trip they were somewhat stranded in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm that surrounded them. They found a slight gap in the storm and managed to paddle the final mile and a half back to their mainland. It was an adventure to say the least, and everyone made it back safely. As with most of our trips and groups that head out, they were all very excited to have a fresh water shower, air conditioning and a soft bed to sleep in that final night at the local hotel. 

Hope you guys enjoyed your Out-Island adventure with us!