Bahamas Attractions

Just 600 feet off the north shore of Nassau, Paradise Island is celebrated for its long stretches of pearly white sand. If you feel like jogging away from the crowds at Atlantis, head to Shell Beach on the southeastern shores of the island. For a longer jaunt, take a 20-minute boat ride to Blue Lagoon Island. Wade waist-deep in the shallow waters off the beach, and you might soon be wrapped in a wet suit of tame stingrays.

Nassau's New Providence Island also has its fair share of adventure. Just ask James Bond. Favorite snorkeling sites include relics from the filming of two James Bond films. Tears of Allah is a 100-foot, steel-hulled freighter that was used to transport nuclear weapons in "Never Say Never Again." The wreck is easily visible from the surface. Nearby, the Vulcan bomber is a movie prop where Bond eluded a tiger shark in "Thunderball." To see these same sites at 80 feet below the water, without the use of a regulator and an oxygen tank, step onboard the Atlantis Submarine. The Atlantis is not some toy found in a theme park -- it's a real submarine that dives deep below the surface for a 50-minute journey around the spectacular reefs of Nassau. You won't see any huge octopi, but you will see a fair amount of fish and the occasional shark.

If you prefer to do your birdwatching from the water, grab your binoculars and give sea kayaking a chance. You can spot 18 species of birds found only in the Bahamas, according to Erica Gates of Kayak Nature Tours. Those include the Bahama Woodstar, which is a small hummingbird, and the Bahama Yellowthroat, a greenish-yellow warbler. Kayak Nature Tours' six-hour jaunt takes you to Grand Bahama's north shore and to Gold Rock Creek in 40-acre Lucayan National Park. You'll learn how to slip in and out of your boat and how to stroke in a propeller-like fashion. Then off you go, deep into a mangrove forest and wetlands. Along the way, you'll learn more about the ecology and history of the Bahamas.

Remarkably, even the Bahamas' most populated islands -- Grand Bahama and New Providence -- have their fair share of adventures away from the crowds. Snorkeling at West End is a 28-mile drive from the hustle and bustle of Freeport. Indeed, Grand Bahama is so big that much of the island remains unsettled. At the 11-acre Garden of the Groves, you'll find a small tropical paradise, complete with waterfalls, flowering shrubs and some 10,000 trees. Deep within this verdant terrain live the Red-Legged Thrush, the Nighthawk and the Longtailed Tropic Bird. Flamingo-lovers will want to flock to Rand Memorial, where a network of trails snakes through a dense forest of groves and casuarinas.

Dolphin-lovers who want to play with these amorous animals in the Bahamas will get that unique opportunity at "The Dolphin Experience." Operated by UNEXSO (Underwater Explorers Society), swimmers stand in shallow water and go eyeball-to-eyeball with these majestic creatures. The dolphins even allow themselves to be petted and, if you ask them politely, will pose with you for pictures.