Thunderball Grotto

The Thunderball grotto is so spectacular that it merits its own entry. We stopped there on the the way returning north, it is right by Staniel Cay where we can fill up with diesel and water. The James Bond movie Thunderball was filmed here (which is how it got its name) as well as Never Say Never Again.

Part of its mystique is the entrance, small, easily unnoticed, and best to be attempted at low tide. At low tide one can just swim straight in, at high tide you must dive through the opening. The current is strong and rips through here, so we planned our trip at slack low tide.

Once inside the ceiling is easily 20 feet if not more over your head, with an opening caused by erosion allowing the sunlight to light up the water and facilitate snorkeling. It is teeming with marine life, the coral has not been bleached but is brilliantly colored.

Ben, wearing only flip flops, climbed to the top outside. The ceiling was 20-25 feet above the water, the water about 15 feet deep. Perfect for jumping.

There were a group of people from China who were filming a travel show and they got so excited about him jumping that they wanted to include it as part of their footage. A couple of them spoke very limited English, but enough to tell us what they were doing and to direct Ben. They set up various go-pro cameras above and in the water and had him do it over and over again trying to get the right angle. They would see him perched up top and yell, “Wait, Wait!” And then “one, two, three!” and he would jump. He must have made that jump 8 times ( and loved every one of them).

Benjamin bet Kim a dollar she wouldn’t do it, so not to be showed up she took the plunge. She bruised her tailbone and couldn’t sit down for a week. But she had her pride intact and to her it was worth it.

Aislin and I had more sense and stayed down in the water snorkeling and exploring.

Fabulous!