Overcoming Fears

When she arrived at Small Hope Bay Lodge, Kacey wasn't even sure she was going to be able to snorkel, much less scuba dive. She had never been into the water deeper than her waist but she overcame her fears and did a snorkeling lesson around our dock. At the end of the lesson, she was hooked and signed up for the resort course Discover Scuba Diving lesson the next afternoon. Before the end of the week, Kacey (along with her boyfriend Warren) had completed three open water dives!

Pin It Now!

Spontaneous Entertainment

The tradition of spontaneous entertainment continues in our 50th year here at Small Hope Bay Lodge. Georgia took many of the guests back in time by playing songs by Jimi Hendrix, the Who and other classic rockers. Here's a video of her musical stylings:


Our resident musician, Ashley, has left Small Hope Bay Lodge to pursue his music career in Nassau. We wish him all the best and look forward to seeing him become a big success! Pin It Now!

Christmas Cheer At Small Hope Bay Lodge

The lights are hung and the Andros Pine Christmas tree has been put up and is being decorated throughout the week as guests make the ornaments. The smells coming from the kitchen are enticing and delicious as Renauldo and the rest of the chefs begin preparing for our Christmas feast!

We are so grateful for all of our new and old friends that are here to celebrate the holidays with us!

Here is a video of the guests enjoying cocktail hour, Christmas music and homemade hummus and tapas that Renauldo whipped up for us last night!

Pin It Now!

Doc Atwell and His Boys

Grant Atwell has made it a practice to show the students of Myersdale High School more of the world than they would see in their small town. He's selects a few kids every year and takes them somewhere in the world to learn how to dive. We were lucky enough at Small Hope to host Doc and his boys twice this year -- once over the summer and once at Thanksgiving. Dusty, Dan and Tanner learned how to dive with Divemaster Loren and they spent some time playing ping pong, hanging out and enjoying the warm Bahamian sun.

Pin It Now!

Fred Calhoun - The Middle Years

The second installment of Fred Calhoun's interview about his memories of Small Hope Bay Lodge.

Pin It Now!

Hunting the Gray Ghosts

Bonefish are considered one of the most elusive sport fish in the world. The gray ghosts of saltwater flats, these fish don't come to the fishermen; they have to be stalked and found using an "active hunting" method. Whether fly fishing or spin casting, the hunt, fight and capture of a bonefish is a thrill that no fisherman should go without.

Small Hope Bay Lodge offers casting lessons, full and half days of fishing on the Andros flats with a fishing program that will satisfy novice and experienced fishermen alike. Our experienced Bahamian fishing guides will take you wherever you need to go to land your fish, from Joulters Cay up north to the South Bight and everywhere else in between.

There is even plenty of fishing to be done around the property of Small Hope. Schools of bones will wander into our bay during certain points of the tide and Davis Creek is always a good place to spot the fish also.

Here is a video of one of Small Hope's long time guests, Chris, as he goes out with our house guide, Jeff Cartwright, for a flyfishing casting lesson and some spin casting.

Pin It Now!

Fishing and Snorkeling for Couples

Peter and Carol have been coming to Small Hope Bay Lodge for years because they can do both of their favorite activities -- great snorkeling and fantastic bonefishing -- all in one place. Carol surprised Peter for his birthday with a trip to wander the Andros flats and she got her fill of Bahamas snorkeling while he was at it!

Thanks for sharing your special day with us!

Pin It Now!

Gregg Bemis Dives Small Hope

Gregg Bemis, diver and owner of the Lusitania wreck, and his lovely wife, Lisa, came to dive with us for a week in November. While Gregg was out on the boat, doing wall dives (his favorite was the Elevator Shaft!) and the Blue Hole, Lisa stayed on shore painting beautiful watercolors that she donated to the Lodge and staff. She even had Divemaster Dennis sit for a portrait.

The staff had a wonderful week with the Bemis' and we hope to see them soon!

Pin It Now!

Thanksgiving at Small Hope Bay Lodge

It looks like it took us two weeks to recover from our food coma from the fantastic Thanksgiving feast we had here at Small Hope.

Thanksgiving Day dawned beautiful and clear and there was excitement in the air for two things -- the Second Annual Underwater Turkey Bowl and for DINNER! Renauldo and Michelle were working diligently on our feast, which included a number of desserts that they wouldn't reveal until dinner time.

Our holiday feasts happen four times a year; Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Easter. Thanksgiving always sets the precedent so guests and staff alike were eager to see what the chefs cooked up.

Reading about it is not always as fun so Divemaster Amanda put this video together for our loyal readers.

Here is the video of the Turkey Bowl. We were pleased to have returning players, Norm and Conor, who helped make the game as a successful as ever!

Pin It Now!