Warderick Wells - Part two - Underwater [Video included]

Our second day at Warderick Wells started with the boys heading in to the park headquarters so they could work on the park's ranger boats. The warden needed someone to do all the routine maintenance on the outboards and they didn't have anyone on staff that could do it, so Steve to the rescue! After they finished there, they were sent out to the other side of the main island to pick up some large trash piles we had spotted the previous day during our hike to Boo Boo Hill, [see Warderick Wells - Part one - Boo Boo Hill]. After about 4 hours of volunteer time, they headed back to Miss Daisy just in time for some lunch.

Sophie helping with lunch clean up

After lunch, we decided to head in to Rendezvous Beach [Trail Map] so we could check out the Davis Family Plantation Ruins. The ruins date back to the 1700's and housed a plantation settled by Loyalists, fleeing the United States. There wasn't much left, which isn't surprising, based on the age and the location atop an island that has seen many hurricanes but even so, you could still get a sense of the history. The remains are comprised of three buildings of conch shell, rock, and mortar construction, and a stone wall that runs from one side of the island to the other. This wall was used to contain livestock.We failed to bring a camera that day but here are a couple pictures, courtesy of Le rapide escargot. 

The wall used to keep in livestock.  Photo courtesy of Le rapide escargot

Davis Family ruins. Photo courtesy of Le rapide escargot

The landscape is littered with barren trees that are the main food source for the hutia that live and thrive here. Hutia, a mix of guinea pig and rat, are not shy or skittish and are easily visible all over the island. [Bahamian Hutia] Although cute, according to Cherry in the park headquarters, they are a bit of a nuisance. Once an important food source of the Indian inhabitants, they were thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1966. They are now thriving but still considered endangered. 

Cute hutia

After we returned from hiking the Davis Plantation Trail, we jumped in to cool off and decided to check out Emerald Rock from the water. After spotting a rather large barracuda off the stern, the kids decided they would stay behind. Since that is how the last know resident of Shroud Cay died, I don't blame them.

Bubba the Barracude

The reef that surrounds Emerald Rock isn't as colorful as some in the Bahamas but was a well spent afternoon. Below is a video we shot along our way.

We loved our time spent here and could have definitely spent more time enjoying all the trails and beaches in Warderick but running low on provisions drove us onward. 

Next up, Staniel Cay! Swimming pigs, shopping, and the Thunderdome Grotto!