Friends and Family

Small Hope Bay Honors Two Very Dear Friends

 Small Hope has been around since 1960. It was built by Dick Birch and the Birch family still owns and operates the resort. Family has always been a fundamental part of life at Small Hope. The Birch family has grown and grown since Dick first arrived on Andros. And it continues to grow to this day. This is because once you come to stay with us you are part of the family here. We are lucky to be a part of so many people’s lives. Like all families we have our share of good times and bad, but we go through these times together.

Small Hope Bay Lodge recently helped to remember and celebrate two very dear friends. 



The Laing’s have been coming to Small Hope for decades. Patrick Laing was a diver, a father and a good friend. His daughter Elizabeth has come to fulfill his final wish of being laid to rest with Small Hope in The Tongue of the Ocean. His ashes and plaque will be placed near Whip Wire Wall and we hope his spirit will roam the ocean forever. Watch Patrick's final dive here and see as he is laid to rest in the Tongue of the Ocean Memorial Dive

Jim Spencer was another good friend of ours. He and his wife Lynndale made us a part of their lives and shared many happy moments here at Small Hope throughout the years. His ashes and plaque will be laid to rest in the ocean Blue Hole, one of his favorite places in the world. His wife, children and grandchildren all came to Small Hope to celebrate his life and say goodbye.

All of us at Small Hope feel so proud and privileged to have been a part of such special moments. That these men loved Small Hope and our beautiful ocean so much that they have chosen to spend eternity with us says it all. We are moved and so thankful to have touched the lives of these families.

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Dana Harding Maxwell - Forever at Home

Dick Birch, the founder of Small Hope Bay Lodge, always said Small Hope was a way of life. SHBL becomes a home and a family for most of the people that pass through our little Lodge. Dana Maxwell, a long time guest and member of the extended Small Hope family, passed away this past November. His will specified that his remains be buried at sea by his family at Small Hope. Dana had his final wishes carried out by joining Dick Birch and other members of the Birch and Small Hope family in being released over the wall, having the Tongue of the Ocean as his final resting place.

Jeff and Mike, who had been diving with Dana for years, through his good times and bad, took Dana's ashes on their last dive, taking the biodegradable box that held Dana's ashes to 160 feet over the wall at Dana's Delight, the site named in his honor years ago, and released him into the abyss. They then placed a plaque in memorial on a ledge at 160 feet.

Dana's lifelong friends, Ernie and Judy, accompanied Dana on his final trip to the Bahamas and Ernie wrote a poem that he read at Dana's Memorial. You can hear that at the end of the video.

Dana Maxwell was a wonderful friend, a funny man who was dedicated to the Lodge and his two prized puppies. His wit and irreverent attitude embodied an eclectic and eccentric spirit that made him a favorite character at SHBL. He is loved and will be missed. Pin It Now!