Andros Expedition, November 16-22 2019

Another jam-packed expedition, and the last one of 2019! We dived with sharks, rays, turtles, and more, conducted research, threw ourselves from platforms into giant blue holes, made friends with local stray dogs, cleaned beaches, listened to lectures, ate good food, and had FUN. It was truly a week we’ll never forget.

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Day 1

The first of our group met in the airport and greeted each other while we waited for everyone to arrive. Our luggage was swiftly checked in, and shortly after that, we were up in the air and on our way. The view from the plane as we were leaving Florida was of a concrete jungle, but before we knew it, we were gazing down at the tropical blues of The Bahamas.

Touchdown! On arrival to Andros, we swiftly moved through customs and hopped in our taxis for the forty-five minute journey south to the Bonefish Club, our home for the week ahead. Guests were then given a little time to settle in and get ready for an afternoon on the water. We had some lunch, Tristan gave a briefing, and guests received their eco-friendly goody bags full of items such as a bamboo toothbrush and cutlery, a stainless steel straw, a shampoo bar, and more. Everyone made sure to fill their reusable water bottles and apply their reef-safe sunscreen, also from the goody bags. With Cole, our boat captain, eager to share the many treasures of Andros with the team, started our journey, exploring the beautiful waters around this large Bahamian island.

We headed to a shallow, sandy area, and Tristan began baiting. Some of the group explored the shallows nearby while others stayed on the boat for a topside view. Within minutes, the call went out: Sharks! A Caribbean reef shark joined us and gradually became braver, coming in incredibly close. The guests in the water viewed the action from just below the surface, masks and snorkels donned. Another reef shark arrived, then a lemon shark! The sharks stayed with us for over an hour, and guests were pretty excited by the first shark encounter of the trip!

After our wonderful visit with this sharky welcoming committee, we headed back to the lodge for a hot shower and a wonderful homemade meal before calling it a night. We all wanted to be well-rested for the next day’s adventures.

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Day 2

This morning, we headed to a particular spot on the island that is known to be popular with lemon sharks. We weren’t disappointed! After anchoring among absolutely stunning mangroves, everyone geared up with wetsuits, boots, and gloves before wading out into the water. It didn’t take long to attract one lemon shark, and soon enough more, and more, and more! They gradually became bolder, swimming extremely close around the group.

We had such a range of lengths and ages, from small baby sharks of just 70cm right up to large adults of 230cm! We could barely count how many sharks we had around us, as there were well over a dozen, which made it exciting and challenging to track their locations! Guests observed the action from above or below the surface of the water, some standing to look down into the water and some in weight belts, masks, and snorkels, to get a shark’s eye view. Either perspective was amazing, so many couldn’t decide which to do!

After an incredible sharky morning, we paused for lunch before enjoying a relaxing mangrove snorkel. We had the company of many young reef fish, from baby barracudas to mangrove snappers. Mangroves are an important shelter for abundant sea life, and no matter how many times you snorkel them, there’s always something new to see.

The plan for the afternoon got the team very excited: We were going to look for hammerhead sharks! We anchored up in slightly deeper water, and Tristan began to bait. Two reef sharks joined us right away. Then, there was a sighting of a very long tail in the distance, and there is only one shark with a tail like that!

After a minute or two, the owner of the tail we’d seen appeared; we were joined by a male great hammerhead! One of the most beautiful and graceful sharks to watch, guests were absolutely delighted to have this shark stay close for a long period of time. The group stayed in the water for as long as possible, and ended the day on a massive high.

The evening was filled with talk of sharks, as we all discussed the day before Tristan gave a presentation about the sharks of Andros.

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Day 3

This morning had an earlier start, as we had a longer boat ride ahead of us and wanted to maximize our time with the silky sharks that live in the much deeper water at our destination.

As soon as Tristan hopped in the water, he spotted a couple of silky sharks. Needless to say, all of the guests were very eager join him. The water in the Tongue of the Ocean reaches down to 6,000 feet of depth, and is incredibly beautiful, with rays of sunlight beaming through the water and a couple of sharks swimming with you. It is a very special experience.

We had three individuals at one point, though for the majority of the snorkel, there were two with us. One shark was a known individual, who had been caught and fitted with a satellite tag on a previous expedition. It was great to see a familiar shark alive and well!

After we wrapped up our time with the silky sharks, we moved on to a very pretty reef for a snorkel. We then snorkelled one of Andros’ many blue holes. This was the first blue hole of the trip, and the first blue hole ever experienced by many of the guests.

Next, we opted to conduct a little research, deploying some acoustic receivers. These three receivers were carefully dropped down into deep waters at specific intervals along the island, and will detect any sharks with acoustic tags that swim within 500 meters of them. The data collected through these receivers will be very exciting to see, so the wait begins with the receivers remaining in place and untouched for the next few months. Our helpful crew on the boat assisted with the preparation of the floats and receivers as well as noting data. 

After our deployments, we spent some time setting up some equipment to attempt to catch and tag some sharks for the ongoing research efforts of Saving the Blue. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to catch any, but the group learned how the catch and tagging process works, so they would be ready to assist in the following days.

With an adrenaline-filled morning and science-filled afternoon behind us, we slowly made our way back to the lodge for some much needed Jonny bread (if you know, you know), a filling dinner, and an early night.

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Day 4

The day started with a beautiful sunrise as always, followed by breakfast together. After our practice research run the previous day, the guests were all determined to try and catch some sharks. Water conditions were amazing, with the ocean surface like glass. It was absolutely stunning to see, and put us all in a great mood and positive spirits for the day.

After setting our lines and checking them a few times, we hadn’t caught any sharks, but we left the lines set and persevered. It’s a good thing we did, because when we checked again, we were rewarded with three sharks, all different species: a blacknose, a bull shark, and a nurse! The group took turns helping tag and take data on each of the animals. The bull shark was particularly exciting, as it was the first one ever caught by our group in Andros. Our wonderful team also all adopted the sharks. The blacknose was adopted by Katie, the bull shark by Storm, and the nurse was adopted by Nikki.

At the blue hole, there were many southern stingrays, some buried in the sand with only their eyes showing. One had no tail! We also spotted a batfish on the seabed. These funny little fish are an unusual species that almost look like they have hands and a somewhat grumpy looking face. After enjoying the area, Tristan spent some time baiting, and some of the group on the boat managed to spot a hesitant reef shark, who wouldn’t quite commit to approaching.

After another unbelievably successful day on the water, it was time to head home. We were treated to a lecture on shark research and behavior from Tristan after a delicious dinner.

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Day 5

Day Five was adventure day! We planned to explore an area that no previous Silent Hunter expedition had gone to before, which we named The Trident! Threading through the shallow waters, Captain Cole pulled up the boat to the edge of the islands, and we immediately saw an eagle ray swim toward the boat. The group got off the boat and waded along in the shallows, ready to set up for the morning’s activities. On arrival, we baited in the water, and were soon joined by a few baby lemon sharks. It was lovely to spend time watching the small sharks in their beautiful, picturesque, natural habitat.

Next up, we headed back toward the boat via a tiny rocky island, and had a quick snorkel. Some of the group stayed on the boat to crack open a few locally sourced coconuts while admiring the scenic view. Members of the snorkel group spotted four individual green turtles, all on the seagrass at the edge of the island. Turtles are always a big hit with guests, and we are grateful to see them up close.

After an exhausting yet fun day in the sun and on the water, we headed back to the lodge for some much needed rest, a shower, and refueling.

At the lodge, we spent the evening simply hanging out with each other, like-minded shark enthusiasts, watching big lemon sharks off the dock, and discussing highlights of the trip so far. We then completed the evening learning about great hammerhead research though a lecture from Tristan. The talk included an update on some exciting data, including the movements of previously tagged sharks!

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Day 6

Everyone had expressed strong interest in conducting a beach clean, and as the day was quite windy (which would make the water a bit rough), we decided there was no time like the present!

In the space of five minutes, some of the group had picked up over 200 pieces of plastic, and in fifteen minutes, approximately 600 pieces. Everyone worked really hard to collect up microplastics as well as much larger pieces and old fishing gear. We loaded all our collected trash into Cole’s truck so it could be disposed of properly.

Next, we walked along the beach and mangroves for some more sharky fun. Tristan baited the water, and we were soon joined by a several sharks. It was really fun to watch their behavior change, as they started out quite timid, but by the end, they were swimming between us, curious and confident.

The group had all decided we’d enjoy a visit to a local restaurant for lunch, so we headed off to a different part of the island. Throughout the entire trip, everyone enjoyed chatting at mealtimes, learning about each other, and making friends.

After a filling lunch, we planned to go to a large, new blue hole, one that is accessed by land instead of by boat. This is one of the largest blue holes in Andros, and is reached by driving through a forest, which felt a little surreal!

No one was sure what the blue hole was going to be like, but we were pleasantly surprised; the water was warm and not salty! It was like swimming in a big bath. This is a popular spot with people on the island, and there is a diving/jumping platform set up for people to enjoy. We had great fun splashing around there, jumping from the platform, and exploring the area for the rest of the afternoon.

Back to the Bonefish Club we headed, enjoying seeing some more of Andros by land on the way. Our group spent another evening dining, chatting, reviewing video and photos from the day, and feeling sad that our trip was almost at an end! Our teams all grow incredibly close during these expeditions, as so it’s always hard to visualize heading home to the ‘real world’ after such an inspiring and passionate week.

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Day 7

Our final morning was spent on the water, trying to catch and tag some more sharks for Saving the Blue. The group was comfortable with the workup and tagging process, and were excited to take part in more research. We found our site, set anchor, and started baiting. Cole, with his sharp eyes, managed to spot a shark from the boat, and we dropped our equipment into the water. Shortly after, we were excited to see a shark take the bait. It was a blacktip, a new species for this trip! All buzzing to see this beauty up close, the group efficiently tagged and released the shark. With our final shark of the expedition tagged and released, we took our last trip back to the lodge.

When we returned to the lodge, everyone packed up and prepared to leave. We said ‘see you soon’ to Cole, the staff at the Bonefish Club, and other guests, and were on our way back to the airport once more. Our flight back to Fort Lauderdale had clear skies, and we watched the islands of the Bahamas underneath us as we came back to reality.

In Florida, we all said our sad goodbyes, with hopes of meeting again for further ocean adventures. Until next time…

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful guests for joining us, 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 November 2019.

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If you’d like to join us on an expedition, we still have space on our March 2020 trip, so contact us and be part of something truly special.