Andros Expedition, January 5-11th 2020

We’re just back from a very successful expedition to Andros! We saw and swam with an abundance of sharks, from lemons in the sandy flats, blacktips in an ocean blue hole, silky sharks and an oarfish (!!!) in the depths of the tongue of the ocean, and a whole lot more! Our week breakdown is below, enjoy the adventure!

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Day 1

The team met at the Tropic Ocean Airways base at 8:00AM ready for our flight to Andros Island, The Bahamas. This trip was truly multi-national with guests traveling from the UK, Canada, US and of course world record holder William Winram who flew in from Switzerland to help lead the expedition. Spirits were high with talk of freedive and shark encounters, the two go hand in hand. There is nothing quite like being face to face with a shark, whilst on one breath! 

After loading up bait, bags, fins and some Swiss chocolate courteous of William, we boarded our charter plane ready for our direct flight to Andros. It is by far the largest Island of the Bahamas archipelago, with spectacular views of vast, unaltered healthy tropical habitats; from sand flats to seagrass, mangroves, coral reefs, and lastly deep drop-offs to the pelagic realm. Excitement was building and after a short immigration visit for international arrivals, we hopped into two local taxis on route to our accommodations for the week.

On arrival at the Andros Island Bonefish Club we met Maryann, the lodge manager, who showed guests to their rooms, followed by Cole, our boat captain. We met for a quick lunch to discuss safety, first aid and the plan for the afternoon. Many guests had made long haul international flights to join us, so the first afternoon was all about getting to know each other, testing equipment and a first easy-going snorkel in the shallows.

The visibility was incredible with colorful soft corals and sea fans waving in the current, along with healthy staghorn coral and various species of reef fishes. Healthy coral can be a rarity these days but there are plenty of vibrant reefs in Andros. After an enjoyable dip it was back to the lodge. We returned to the dock just in time for our first Andros sunset! A warm, locally caught fish dinner was waiting for us, a long with some delicious jonny bread – yum!

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Day 2

An early rise on day two of our expedition and the wind had started to pick up! Looking at the forecast for the rest of the week this was likely our only opportunity to get out into the blue water of the pelagics. A unanimous decision was made to brave the rough seas and head out to our silky shark location. When the conditions are rough everything becomes more difficult, from getting fins and a mask on, to giving instructions and especially getting in and out of the boat. Guests entered the water in pairs, and both William and Tristan stayed in throughout to take photos and ensure everyone was safe and at ease snorkeling with 1000m (~3000ft) of water below them! It takes your breath away that first moment you look down and see nothing but the deep endless blue.

We were excited to be greeted by three-four small silky sharks that displayed their usual inquisitive, bold nature. So many sharks are shy, often out of sight with no interest in inspecting snorkelers, particularly without food in the water, but these little sharks are fearless, born into a vast, desert-like world they need to explore to survive. Watching the reactions of guests and hearing high-pitched giggles confirmed our team were enjoying the close encounters, too!

However, nothing could have prepared us for what happened next! Out of the deep, appeared a very odd-shaped, flat, elongated, eel-like animal that moved vertically undulating its dorsal fin in the water column, probably close to 12ft in length! Its scales shimmered and reflected the sun, it was tough to make out but a few of the team swam down to get a closer look; as you do when you see an unknown 12ft animal in 1000m of water! On inspection it was clearly a fish, but what? Possibly its strangest feature was two-foot-long structures that protruded from its head. It seemed like it could move these independently. After a final shimmer of its body it dropped quickly to the depths and disappeared. At the surface everyone was buzzing! What on earth was this deepsea creature? Tristan shouted oarfish, which is an extremely rare, pelagic lampriform fish that can grow to lengths of up 8m (30ft) and is the longest bony fish alive! Both Will and Tristan could not remember meeting anyone who had ever seen one let along swam with one…an absolutely extraordinary experience!  

After a bumpy but incredibly memorable morning, we had lunch at the lodge and listened to William give a talk on duck dive technique. We all could not wait to put this theory into practice, a more efficient duck dive reduces energy expenditure and noise, resulting in increased breath hold and chances of getting closer to sharks and sea life.

Next up was a trip to a famous ocean blue hole. We arrived to a crevice type hole surrounded by fish and corals, and as we approached a turtle swam out! Our team have visited this on many occasions but never been able to determine its depth. After a few practice and exploratory dives, William soon reached the bottom, 85ft/26 meters! We’d always wondered how deep this spot was, now we know! Everyone enjoyed diving this eery hole and a second smaller one with some very healthy looking staghorn coral.

After a long day on the water we headed back to the lodge for showers and the evening was rounded off with a tasty dinner, accompanied by fresh salad and a lemon shark viewing off the dock. Our favorite lemon shark ‘Eclipse’ made an appearance, she’s identifiable by her incredibly dark coloration, bold nature and size.

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Day 3

Up early for another day of adventure! Each day, guests have the choice of a freshly-made breakfast eggs (scrambled, fried, or an omelet) to-order at no extra cost, cereals, toast, fresh fruit, yogurt, and more. On filling our tummies and gathering our array of equipment, we left the dock in search of sharks, hammerheads to be specific!

Typically, the winter months are the best time of year to see great hammerhead sharks. With this in mind, we started off early to catch our preferred tide, and with unexpected, kind conditions we readied ourselves and waited in the hopes of an odd-headed visitor! The tide took a while to change but once it did lots of healthy looking mesopredators started to join us, from barracudas to groupers and mackerel. It was not long before our first reef sharks arrived, these sharks are always fun to encounter with their brash nature.

The team enjoyed lots of passes from interested reef sharks! We were even treated to a sharpnose shark fly by. This is a much smaller coastal species, reaching 1-1.2m (3-4 ft) maximum length, they are skinny with a sprinkling of white spots along their sides. They are usually very skittish and make quick darts in to explore, probably a good idea if you’re a larger shark’s favorite snack!

Before a hammerhead turns up, there always seem to be a few seconds before they do, when you feel their presence. Its hard to explain the feeling, it’s like you can sense you are being watched from afar but can’t see anything. All the other fish and sharks seem to be on edge too. Do they flee and risk being chased down, or stay still and just wait it out? Hammerhead, shouted Will, the reef sharks parted and a magnificent 3 meter (10 ft) great hammerhead came into view. She was extremely clean looking with no scars or noticeable notches on her fins. She made a few cautious passes but stayed on the periphery and close to the substrate. It surprises most of our guests when they witness the caution and control a lot of the sharks show when arriving to a clearly great smelling food source. Now and again we have one that is visibly hungry and motivated to feed, but often, even some of the biggest sharks methodically circle the boat, just on the edge of our visibility.

Next up was silky sharks at the buoy! This time the conditions were calmer, and we enjoyed eight silky sharks buzzing around us at the surface, for most of the afternoon. The energetic nature of juvenile silky sharks is contagious and enthralling to observe. The team enjoyed a few hours with these pelagic sharks before heading back to the lodge.

An exhausted team cleaned up and readied themselves for another incredible meal. All meals are three courses and homemade with traditional, warm Bahamian Jonny bread, being a popular hit! As with all the evenings during our trip, they soon sunk away with the team exchanging imagery from the day, drinking the odd Kalik beer, and heading to bed for an early night as we prepared our bodies for another adventurous and jam-packed day in some twelve hours time.

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Day 4

Today the wind started to blow so we headed for a large, salt water blue hole known for its shark action. The water was a little murky but with a great scent trail moving across the hole it did not take long for a couple of bullet-shaped blacktip sharks to appear. This species is the archetypal shark, triangular shaped fins, fast, powerful, agile with a metallic sheen that flashes in the water as they speed past you! The team all enjoyed watching these stunning little predators dart about the seagrass and silt.

On the way back to the lodge we were greeted by a bottlenose dolphin that was cruising the flats. We encounter dolphins on most of our trips, sometimes a long way from the reef, feeding on fish buried in the sand. This one played in our bow wash for a few minutes but seemed to be more interested in hunting than socializing! So we said our goodbyes and moved on.

After a brief stop-off at the lodge to heat up with a cup of tea and well-deserved sandwich break, we took a short truck journey to a local green hole. We admit it doesn’t sound too inviting, however it’s a very pretty little saltwater space with perfect swimming conditions, a max depth of 6 meters (20ft) with green visibility (hence the creative name ‘Green hole’!). For the next two hours everyone practiced duck dives under the supervision and keen eye of Will, who did the most hilarious example of how not to do a duck dive followed by the perfect most efficient and silent one. It’s revealing to see how much energy you can waste at the start of a dive; with proper technique you can improve your breath hold immeasurably. Everyone enjoyed the calm water session with the sun shining and miniature mosquito fish circling our masks.

On returning to the lodge Tristan gave a talk on the ‘Sharks of Andros’. He spoke about everything from the baby lemon sharks that use the mangroves, to the highly mobile great hammerheads and pelagic sharks of the Tongue of the Ocean. There were lots of great questions and discussion throughout which continued during an early evening visit to the local conch shack, Boston’s. Queen conch are a seafood specialty in The Bahamas, and Androsians take great pride in ensuring that their local populations remain healthy and sustainable.

Following a delicious appetizer, the team enjoyed a fish dinner at the lodge before retiring to bed for a well-earnt rest.

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Day 5

After enjoying the shallow water duck dive practice in the green hole yesterday, the plan today was to combine that with a freedive to test everyone’s breathhold at depth. Andros Island is famous for its inland blue holes with some 100+ scattered throughout the island. A national park was established in 2002 protecting 40,000 acres in northern Andros with trails to various holes and platforms for viewing and diving. The inland holes are the perfect practice ground with no current, great surface conditions and fresh water.

Will set up a traditional freediving safety float with line and weight to ~25meters (80ft). Using this setup allowed guests to dive down the line to any depth they felt comfortable at, with Will swimming alongside for safety. Tristan and Andre took photos of everyone practicing, attempting to keep up with the guests in the process!

The water was a little murky so once below 15ft, people at the surface could not see you – spooky but surprisingly exhilarating. Will split the group into two based on experience and worked with each for an hour. Some of the guests surprised themselves, Leila managed close to a 2-minute breathhold at 5 meters (15 ft), something she had never even come close to. While Andy enjoyed pushing his limits to 25 meters with Will by his side.

After two hours in the blue hole stomachs started to rumble and so we made our way to a local restaurant for food overlooking the tongue of the ocean. There’s never a dull moment with Will at the table, not only is he an incredibly talented waterman, he is a gifted storyteller. Guests were in stitches throughout our trip with his infamous impressions, and edge of the seat experiences under water with sharks, pushing himself to the limit.   

On return to the lodge Tristan gave a talk about his work on the Critically Endangered great hammerhead shark. He spoke of the importance of collaboration, and when he first started working with this species his partnership with Will was critical. Tracking devices were deployed while freediving (avoiding stress of capture) and many were placed over a short period of time. Indeed, one individual that Will tagged in 2013 traveled 1200 miles into the high seas and another made regular trips to Carolina during the summer months! Link to paper - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2017.00003/full

For the rest of the evening we watched the creek lemon sharks swim their usual circuits pass the dock, and then headed to bed for another well earnt rest!

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Day 6

This morning saw us visit one of Tristan’s favorite beach and mangrove fringed inlets. The site always brings excitement as Critically Endangered Smalltooth sawfish have been sighted on several occasions. The last being in November when the team at Saving the Blue managed to capture and equip a subadult male with acoustic tag. The team were told to be on high alert incase of a special encounter!

After a short trek along the beach and wading through knee deep water, we entered a very pretty creek that twisted and turned back to a mangrove-fringed lake. The current was pumping but everyone enjoyed a snorkel in the mangroves, it’s surprising the diversity of life that can be seen amongst the roots and adjacent seagrass beds. From pilchards to snapper, sea urchins and colorful sponges. Tristan setup on the corner of the creek placing some fish bait in the water to see if he could attract some local lemon sharks. After 15 minutes or so we had a great scent trail and a small visitor, excited by the tasty fish smell stirring around our feet! Within minutes we had a few more, all between 1-1.3 meters (3-4ft) in length. Adam managed to capture some stunning images using his drone while Andre perfected the split shot and Vanessa, Leila, Jon and Tiff laughed throughout! On our return to the truck we collected trash along the beach, with the high winds much had been swept on shore.

Next up was continued freedive practice at a famous blue hole named after one the greatest waterman and ocean explorers, Jacques Cousteau. Will and Andre setup the float system and the team began practicing in this very secluded blue hole.

The visibility was great, up to 10 meters (30ft), and the edges of the hole were bizarre, with strange algal formations inhabited with a variety of mosquito fish. It was great fun taking photos along the edge of the hole and the team enjoyed pushing themselves and each other further, under Wills instruction and guidance. Nothing like having a former world record holder as your safety diver to fill you with confidence!

We left Cousteau’s Blue Hole late afternoon and traveled back to the lodge with a pitstop at Captain Cole’s newly refurbished bar. Andy ordered hotdogs for everyone, and after having little to eat for most the morning, these were a very welcome snack!

Our last evening at the lodge was filled with stories and laughter from the past week in Andros, it’s amazing how quickly our groups bond over shared experiences, and fun.

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Day 7

The final morning gave the opportunity for reflection and breathhold exercises with Will. We were each told to find a chair, relax, take a few full breaths, and then hold our breath. Most made it to a minute, or two! Will then spent the next 45 mins taking us through a series of exercises with the aim of stretching and relaxing muscles linked to breathing. He follows this exercises routine daily and has seen a huge improvement in his lung capacity over the years which has then positively impacted his breathhold and thus capacity to freedive. It was the perfect way to end our freedive experience with time to reflect on the lessons learnt throughout the week, and some final tips from the best in business. After having completed the exercises, Will then asked us to relax on our chairs once more, for a final hold. Everyone almost doubled their breathhold!

To finish the week Tristan took to the stage and talked about research techniques, describing some of the methods he uses to explore shark behavior. The balance of shark and freedive discussions and experiences kept everyone entertained and informed throughout the week. However, there was no avoiding the inevitable, it was time to say goodbye.

After packing our things, a short taxi ride north and our flight home we parted ways physically, but not mentally. Long term friendships were made, and Andros was the perfect setting to establish, or mature them.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful guests for joining us and for contributing to the images seen on this blog, the incredible Andros Island Bonefish Club for their hospitality, the hardworking and ever professional Cole from PFO Charters for his top class boating and captaining skills, and everyone that made this trip as awesome as it was, an entirely unforgettable January 2020!

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If you’d like to join us on an expedition, we still have space on some of our 2021 expedition, contact us and be part of something truly special.