CAT ISLAND
Cat Island is midway down the Bahamas archipelago, 130 miles southeast of Nassau and northeast of Long Island. It is 48 miles long and has been described as one of the most beautiful islands of the Bahamas, with the highest point of land in the whole chain at Mount Alvernia at 206 feet. On top of Mount Alvernia is the Hermitage, a monastery built by an Anglican priest who converted to Roman Catholicism, Father Jerome (John Hawes). The 2000 or so inhabitants of Cat Island revere his memory.
The island may have received its present name from a contemporary of the infamous pirate Edward “Blackbeard” Tech called Arthur Catt, who used the island as a base for his piratical raids. However, the name may also have come from the fact that large numbers of feral cats were left on the island when the Spaniards abandoned their settlements here in the 1600s. Cat Island was convenient for Spanish ships as a staging post between the Old and New World, and ships would stop off for fresh water and supplies before continuing on their way.
Due to the shape of the island, the settlers are spaced far apart, often making a long taxi ride necessary to get anywhere. Most of the existing resorts are in the south of the island, with further large tracts of southern and central land being sold by property developers to private investors for holiday homes. Though it is one of the least populated islands in the Bahamas, the facilities are gradually improving with the influx of new investment.
DIVING
The entire west coast is unavailable due to shallow sandbanks, while the east coast is very rugged and exposed to Atlantic storm fronts. This is one of the least dived areas in the Bahamas, with the majority of diving done along the south coast in Cutlass Bay between Columbus Point in the east and Devil’s Point to the west. Here the reef wall starts at only 50 feet and plummets down with gulleys, canyons, chimneys and swim troughs. This is virgin territory at its best.
Dear Dive Center Owners, Resorts Owners & Visitors,
Thank you for visiting this web site.
We are depending on feed back from all of you. We are especially looking for “famous dive sites” descriptions. Have a look at http://www.scubalinksbahamas.com/Islands-Grand-Bahama.html and click on any of the “favorite dive sites” to get an idea of our format. Any submissions will be given full credit with links to your web site / email. If you have any photos from the dive sites we would love to publish them as well.
All the best,
Ray Lightbourne
Scuba Links Bahamas
