Compass Cay Bahamas is home to one of the top Bahamas swim with sharks experiences. It’s the perfect destination to come face to face with some of the most awesome predators on the planet in a fun and safe environment.
Besides swimming with nurse sharks, an Exuma day trip lets you visit many other incredible places, including Swimming Pigs Island.
Keep reading to find out more.
Compass Cay Bahamas: Go Swimming With Nurse Sharks
Swimming With Nurse Sharks: Where Can You Do It?
Many people looking to go swimming with nurse sharks are searching for a swim with sharks Nassau experience. However, for the best experience, you’ll need to leave the capital.
Exuma is a district of the country with 365 islands. One of those islands is Compass Cay Bahamas – a small island, but one abounding in natural beauty nonetheless.

Compass Cay Bahamas is small but home to stunning places like Crescent Beach.
That said, while beaches like Crescent Beach are some of the prettiest in the country, they’re not the reason why Compass Cay has become famous. What’s made the island famous are the local nurse sharks who inhabit the nearby waters!
When you visit Compass Cay on a Swimming Pigs Island tour, you can find these beautiful creatures swimming around the waters of the Compass Cay Marina.
Compass Cay Marina: What Makes It Special?
Many people have dogs and cats as pets, but few people can say they have a pet shark. However, the owner of the Compass Cay Marina does.
In the past, the shark-loving owner managed to tame a school of nurse sharks, naming them and forming a bond with them. They’ve stuck by the marina waters ever since.

The sharks at Compass Cay Bahamas even have names!
Given that they’re always there, Compass Cay Bahamas is one of the best places in the world to go swimming with nurse sharks.
Besides attracting tourists, the site has also attracted the attention of professionals. Documentaries made by channels like Discovery and Animal Planet have featured the island in their series.
Compass Cay Bahamas: How Can You Get There?
While it might not be a swim with sharks Nassau experience, Compass Cay Bahamas is nevertheless accessible.
The easiest way to visit the island is by signing up for a Swimming Pigs Island tour. These depart from places like Nassau, Georgetown, and even South Florida.
While some of these trips travel by boat, we recommend flying by plane in most cases. Doing so saves you time, lets you travel in comfort, and offers unbeatable views from the sky.
You also get to escape the crowds that plague many other Bahamas destinations. If you want a truly personal experience, you can even book a private trip.
Plus, when you sign up for a Bahamas swim with sharks experience, you also get to explore other parts of the Exumas. Swimming with nurse sharks is just the beginning!
Where will you go Swimming with Sharks at Compass Cay from?
- Exuma Tour from Nassau by Plane
- Exuma Tour from Miami by Plane
- Exuma Tour from Georgetown by Powerboat
Bahamas Swim With Sharks: Is It Safe?
While swimming with nurse sharks might sound exhilarating, many people might be wondering how safe the experience is. Luckily, when you visit Compass Cay Bahamas, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
If you’re unfamiliar with them, nurse sharks are one of the most docile shark species. In some ways, they’re more like giant catfish than sharks – they feed off of the seafloor. Most have little interest in people.
Besides being docile by nature, the nurse sharks at Compass Cay Bahamas have met and interacted with thousands of tourists. This has further conditioned them to be calm and peaceful.
Before you get in the water, the staff will give you instructions to ensure the experience remains safe. While these might seem basic, following them can be the difference between a fun experience and a not-so-great one!

The Bahamas swim with sharks experience is exhilarating yet safe.
What Other Sites Can You See?
As mentioned, one of the best things about signing up for a Bahamas swim with sharks experience to Compass Cay Bahamas is that you also get to see many other exciting nearby sites.
On an Exuma Pigs day trip, you can look forward to also seeing:
- Staniel Cay, the tropical gateway to the Exumas you fly into
- Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Island, home to the friendly Exuma Pigs
- Pipe Creek, the place to see postcard-perfect sandbars at low tide
- Bitter Guana Cay, a beautiful island home to an endangered species of iguana
- Underwater plane wreck, now a home to different species of marine life
- Thunderball Grotto, a system of underwater caves great for snorkeling and diving
Plan Your Exuma Vacation Today
An Exuma day trip lets you go swimming with nurse sharks at Compass Cay Bahamas. While the experience is unforgettable, when you sign up for a Swimming Pigs Island tour by plane, you also get to see many other sites besides the sharks, like the Exuma Pigs.
To enjoy the very best of the Exumas, sign up for a Pig island tour from Nassau, Georgetown, or Miami today!