Friday, November 10, 2017

The "Places To See & Things To Do: Part IV - The Glass Bottom Boat" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sunny with temperatures in the mid-80s and nary a wave on the ocean in the Bahamas.  Perfect day for our ride on the glass bottom boat that Just Sue had arranged a few days ago.  Carol and I along with Jere and Sue have been on the island of New Providence for a few days now and have searched for side-trips we may want to try.  Saw on the map we picked up at the airport that we could ride on a glass bottom boat so we could see the myriad of fish in the waters that surround the island.  Not long before we boarded the large boat that would be our home for the next hour or so.  About 15 minutes later the captain fired up the boat's engine and began to turn the boat around in the narrow docking area.  Looked around the upstairs platform and saw four other passengers waiting with us.  Well, one thing for sure ... we weren't going to have trouble trying to find a place to see the scenery and the fish.  Our guide for the day was Otis who began telling stories about what we were passing on our way east on the north shore of the island.  So, it's time for you to join us as we travel to a reef off the north shore and view the fish through the bottom of our boat.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Our home for the next few hours.
Passengers all ready and accounted for ...
... the other four are above us on the upper deck.

As we leave the dock we can see several cruise ships that have arrived for the day.
The city where the cruise ship terminal is located is Nassau. 
As we travel east, to our left is Paradise Island which is home to the Atlantis Resort.
Neat place that we visited on our last trip to this island. 
As we pass under the northbound Sidney Poitier bridge which takes traffic from Nassau to Paradise Island, we can see Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville which we had a terrible time finding from the land side.
Past both north and southbound bridges and head along the coast of Paradise Island.
Oprah's two places.  One is for her ... the other for her guests.
This "compound" of homes belong to Bill Gates.  He owns five homes and is now constructing 2 more along the water's edge.  
The filming of a James Bond movie took place at this location.
The stairs to the bottom of the boat.

The view is nice to the eye, but to the camera's eye, it is a bit discolored and hard to focus.
Another photo showing the  bottom which is about ten feet below the boat.
A sea biscuit is seen on the sand. 
As we come topside once again we can see the fish feeding on bread thrown in by Otis
Our Captain wishing us a safe trip home.
Enjoyable ride back for Just Sue and Jere.


Sue is serenaded by Otis singing Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay."
Carol and Otis
LDub and Otis share a smile.
One more ship entering the harbor.

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