8 Fun Things to do at Hoffman’s Cay.

There are plenty of fun things to do at Hoffman’s Cay, Bahamas. The famous Hoffman’s Cay Blue Hole is simply one of them. Just to name a few – swim in shallow, clear water, easy shaded hike, snorkeling, beach fire – you will not be bored there.

Before I continue, here are a few jumps to preview:

On we cruised, to our next stop at the Berry Islands – from Grand Harbor to Hoffman’s Cay Blue Hole.

Don’t forget to watch our full Episode on that amazing place in the Bahamas.

Sailing to Hoffman’s Cay Blue Hole

To reach Hoffman’s Cay Blue Hole, by boat, you would need to hug the shore very closely, right before the anchorage. It is definitely doable on a catamaran, but our friends made it just fine too, on a monohull (a small one, however).

It is scary, but that just happens to be the deeper spot, as one approaches the anchorage.

Want to see the exact spot and how we navigated it? Check out our episode on YouTube featuring this passage (chart and navigation are around min 5).

Bahamas – Hoffman’s Cay with Sharks (E13)

Sailing in shallow water has become our specialty in the Bahamas, occasionally pushing ourselves a bit beyond our comfort depth, but we did switch from a monohull to a catamaran for a reason.

Navigating between small islands requires taking into consideration the chart, currents, tides and friendly advice by fellow boaters who have been there already! It is always a good idea to meet sailors at docks and on shore and chat about your sailing plans. You can learn a tip, or two.

Things to do at Hoffman’s Cay

Hoffman’s Cay is not a large island, and there are still plenty of fun things to do. It is a very popular anchorage with cruisers, so you will never feel alone there.

Meet other sailing families

Our children have been quite clear on the subject,

“Living on a boat is only fun when there are other kids around.”

Pretty fishes and adventure hikes rank second. Anchorages with cool jumping sites are a no-brainer.

As soon as we dropped anchor, out came the binoculars:

“Quick, let’s spy on them and see if they have kids aboard!” And they certainly did, spying with their own binoculars right back on us – boatkids’ minds think alike!

There is something magical about meeting friends on the water. They all have one thing in common – crazy parents who stuck them on a boat, to travel the world! That ought to be a sufficient conversation starter.

In fact, finding other families while living on a boat is so amazing and doable, that I have an entire post dedicated to it:

Sailing and Socializing Kids – 8 Ways to Find Friends on the High Seas.

Dive the Famous Hoffman’s Cay Blue Hole

From the beach, a shaded path through short palm trees and shrubs leads up a small hill. Just 10min away and there it is – a dark blue-green bowl of water, surrounded by sharp rock – Hoffman’s Cay Blue Hole.

Just what a sink hole should look like. The path ends with some flat rocks extending right above the water – the jumping platform!

During our trip, a few brave souls remained there, gathering courage, while the rest of us proceeded down a different path, leading towards the edge of the water.

Below, the tiny, rocky beach and overhanging rocks formed something like an open cave, providing much appreciated shade and a neat spot to take pictures of those diving from above.

The kids jumped over and over again, the Captain dove a couple of times; I jumped once to earn a point towards being fun. I cherish that one, they are hard to get!

Camp Fire at the beach

There are a couple of fire pits at the beach – a sign of an all-favorite thing to do on most islands, where it is allowed.

Camp fires always gather friends and strangers around for a great evening on land.

Make sure you have s’mores.

If you happen to have star-gazing equipment, the beach has plenty of level spots and it does not rock!

Shallow and calm water for playing

The beach has fine sand, and it does not get deep for a while.

This offers a large shallow pool, for kids to swim and play in, while the adults cherish the shade ashore.

Currents are my biggest fear, in the Bahamas. Especially in narrow passages between islands.

Thankfully, Hoffman’s Cay is a very calm and protected anchorage, so jumping to swim right off the boat is not a problem.

Diving for conch

There are plenty to find, at and around Hoffman’s Cay.

Someone taught us how to clean conch, so I tried my best. We chopped the conch raw and seasoned it with lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro and veggies – it was delicious.

Conchs are a huge pain to clean, however. Make sure you use tons of salt to remove the slime from your hands and watch at least a couple YouTube videos ahead of time, if you don’t have a guide.

Snorkeling

There are lots of rocks around the beach, at Hoffman’s Blue Hole.

Snorkeling is always fun in the Bahamas and Hoffman’s Cay does not disappoint. Starfish, conch, colorful fishes and lobsters hiding in the grass and rocky spots.

Since the anchorage is calm, snorkeling right off the boat is always fun and keeps Mama less worried.

Fishing

Fishing is great, on the way to Hoffman’s Cay. You might want to try the ocean route, if looking for larger fish.

There are plenty of smaller fish around Hoffman’s Cay, in the shallow water. Just remember the rule, to avoid that nasty food poisoning:

The fish must be about the size of a dinner plate, not larger.

On our way to Hoffman’s Cay, Uncle Gene caught a Spanish mackerel and a grouper. They were both delicious, and just in time for Annunciation!

Check out those giant lobsters Joe caught – just an anchorage away!

Watching sharks

Bahamas is a favorite spot for swimming. Bahamas is a favorite site for sharks too!

Those crystal-clear waters are so inviting, it is hard to resist! If we anchor close enough to shore, the kids just swim to the beach and then back to the boat, to grab a bite, before jumping in the water again.

Our giant back yard is used for dinner hunting, hang-out spot with friends, adventures like wakeboarding, a break from school, a quick salty scrub when we get a bit sweaty and stinky.

We are in the water every day!

Once we start cleaning our fish at Hoffman’s Cay, the sharks appear within a couple of minutes.

That means sharks are nearby all the time.

Since they were there first and kind of “called it”, we need to follow some basic rules:

• Never swim after we clean fish aboard
• Swim during the hottest part of the day, when the sharks are typically not hunting for food
• Don’t swim at dawn, or dusk, when they do hunt for food.
• Avoid swimming in murky waters.
• Sharks have evolved over thousands of years to hunt and eat fish, not humans.

We have seen a few sharks around us. We are trying to be careful where and when we swim, but it is a risk we just have to accept, if we want to live on a boat.

I accept the risk and pray that everyone arrives back aboard safely, just like I did during car trips, on Rt 66, when we lived on land.

Common questions about Hoffman’s Cay

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