Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 27, 1994 TAG: 9403030002
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: F8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHARON NICHOLAS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In the meantime, the conchs' more fortunate friends are still living the good life, as Sebastian the Crab explained in song in his ``Under the Sea'' number from Disney Films' ``The Little Mermaid.'' In an island accent, backed up by a calypso band, he convinces us all that:
``Darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me.''
And darling, that's not only true for sea life. On Nassau's island of New Providence and a few of the surrounding islands in the Bahamas' string of 700, visitors of all ages, regardless of swimming, snorkeling or scuba ability, experience the calm and fascinating life, under the sea.
Coral world
On the island of Silver Cay, just across the bridge from Nassau, is Coral World, a marine park showing off hundreds of species of fish and underwater plants in an array of sea life exhibits. The rarest is under a 100-foot white tower resembling a Jetsons'-era lighthouse, built about 100 feet out in the lagoon. Twenty feet down a spiral staircase is the underwater observatory, a large circular chamber with 24 windows to the sea. Perhaps it's just imagination, but a crab out there appears to have a microphone:
``Just look at de world around you, right here on de ocean floor.
``Such wonderful things around you. What more is you lookin' for?''
What more, indeed? Natural light filters down from the surface of the ocean. Sea fans and anemones sway with the currents. Corals accent the decor. Schools of yellowtail snapper and barracuda study you. Lobsters clamber by. f\ ti``We got no troubles, life is de bubbles, under the sea.'' o Short of producing the bubbles that rise from scuba gear, this may be as close as many get to experiencing the pace and the peace of life, under the sea.
Above the waves, Coral World holds a lot more in store.
In the shark tank, Caribbean species exhibit their size and power either through the wall-sized viewing windows or from the open water above. Nearby Shark Shallows educates with even more up-close thrills. But even these menacing predators gain the crowds' affection when a baby shark appears, swimming within inches of mom.
Outside, trails meander through tropical gardens, past flamingos (the national bird), and alongside specialty pools. Around the marine encounter pool, squeals of delight never stop as tots reach in and bring out a ``neat'' starfish, a ``weird'' anemone, or a ``creepy'' sea cucumber.
The 100-foot long Turtle Pool swells with giant, endangered hawksbill, green and loggerhead turtles.
A little farther down the path, Bahamian, Caribbean and South American species of sting rays glide gracefully through their pool. These prehistoric life forms surface to be stroked by the humans alongside the rock walls. ``Even de sturgeon and de ray, dey get de urge to start to play.'' (A yellow, diamond-shaped sign along the path does caution - ``Crab Crossing.'')
Just behind and ``underneath'' the centerpiece waterfall, the cool, peaceful Reef Encounter showcases what Coral World describes as the world's largest manmade reef. Stresses float away here in this circular room, lined with viewing windows presenting a peek into the lives of hundreds of engaging sea creatures.
At the end of another tropical path is the Marine Gardens building, dark inside except for the violet light emanating from 24 in-wall aquariums glowing with psychedelic scenes. No illusions, though. Here live some of the rarest, most mesmerizing life forms - enchanting sea horses, unnerving long-spined sea urchins, offbeat sponges, surreptitious eels and corals more brilliant than neon signs.
If you simply can't stay dry any longer, snorkeling equipment is, of course, readily available.
Underwater sports
The sea invites snorkeling and scuba diving all around Coral World's Silver Cay, Nassau's New Providence and the surrounding Bahama Islands. Here, the Atlantic Ocean decided to fool people into thinking it was the Caribbean. It succeeded. Soft, cream-colored sand meets turquoise surf tamed by coral reefs. Day trips from Nassau are a popular option to enjoy the personalities of the various islands.
\ Blue Lagoon Island
Salt Cay, a private island renamed Blue Lagoon, is 40 minutes by boat from Nassau.
When it was Salt Cay, back in the days of Spanish galleons and Blackbeard, this island was a strategically located source of that all-important preservative for perishables on long sea voyages. The level of activity validated this as the site of the Bahamas' first customs office. Today, all that remains from the days of pirates and explorers is a 40-foot salt marker, a stone tower used to send smoke signals to passing captains.
Uninhabited, the island now hosts excursion boatloads of visitors each day. Roomy beaches framed in palm trees deliver quiet and privacy, and even more secluded stretches of sand are just a short walk on the beach away. In the lagoon, couples tranquilly propel paddleboats while the majority of day trippers nap in hammocks, swinging gently in the shade of palms.
In the center of the island at the barbecue and bar, Bahamians and more energetic tourists dance to an entrancing goombay band (the Bahamas' version of calypso).
Perhaps, though, the most brilliant sights and performances here, just as elsewhere around Nassau, are under the sea. Bobbing snorkels signal most centers of marine activity. Shhhh, listen ... is that an echo of the steel drums from the middle of the island, or is it coming from below the surface ... ``What do dey got, a lot of sand? We got a hot crustacean band.''
Well, the irrepressible Sebastian does an unparalleled job of revealing the spirit of sea life around the world, while the irresistible rhythms of goombay reveal the spirit of Bahamian life. They both come alive on New Providence, Silver Cay and Blue Lagoon islands. Just as we imagined when we put that conch shell up to our ear.
Sharon Nicholas is a free-lance travel writer and photographer from Parker, Colo.
by CNB