Andros Island, the Sleeping Giant, by Rosi Birch

Rosi Birch spent many years here on Andros. She found it to be a wonderful oasis, full of beauty and life. Here is what she wrote about Andros Island in the 1960's, in her own words . . .

The Sleeping Giant

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A Beautiful March, on Andros Island, Bahamas!

Sometime it is just too pretty here and we have to share it . . . Check out some of the gorgeous days we have been having here.

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Coral Nursery and Algae Removal Project

At Small Hope, we have been diving the Andros Barrier Reef for over 55 years. We have been enjoying this beautiful ecosystem and sharing it with all of our sub-aquatic enthusiasts. However, due various man-made and natural changes in this environment, our reefs are suffering.

Algae, in healthy quantities, is beneficial for the marine life. However, if it is not kept in check, it can suffocate a reef and its corals. In the 1970s there was a plague that affected the long-spined sea urchins, killing off a huge portion of them. The sea urchin eat the algae off the coral and help to maintain a healthy balance. With the loss of so many urchins the algae population was not kept in check and continued to grow, covering and suffocating many corals.

Here at Small Hope, we have escaped many of the ill effects that other Caribbean islands have suffered. We still enjoy a beautiful and healthy coral reef, with lots of variety of hard and soft corals, sponges and other sea life. But that doesn't mean we can't help make it even better!

We have recently been collaboration with the Bahamas National Trust and the Nature Conservancy in an effort to grow our corals and help remove some of the excess algae. Our dive staff has assisted in the creation of a coral nursery, growing one of the hard corals native to the area, Staghorn Coral. They have been learning how to care for these juvenile corals, transplant them to other parts of the reef, and learning how to help remove algae from areas where it is overgrown.

And now we are developing a program where our guests can join us in this effort as well. Stay tuned for details of how you can help assist our beautiful reef system when you come to dive with us! Pin It Now!

So long Casaurinas! Hello Sustainability!

Teva and Rob

We at Small Hope Bay Lodge continue our march toward greater sustainability. We make a constant and continuous effort in our practices here to improve our planet and protect this beautiful, and fragile ecosystem.

One of those efforts is to remove invasive plant species, such as the Casuarina Pines (also known as Australian Pine). These trees are pretty but their root system causes excessive erosion. We have removed a significant number of these trees from our North beach already.


And we recently had a guest from Winnipeg, Canada, and a talented and professional arborist, come for another visit and train our own Teva Kurth on how to properly remove these types of trees. A big thanks and round of applause to Rob and his wife, Stacy, who, in between dives and vacation relaxation, assisted and trained in removing some awkwardly placed trees. 



We even cut (and ensured it won't grow back) our giant Casuarina by our outside patio. We'll need some ideas of what to do with its skeleton - carving? firewood? decorate with fairy lights? 

See what a difference it makes . . . 

We are also planting local shrubs and ground cover, in addition to more coconut palms, which will help retain our beach and prevent erosion. Stay tuned for more of our plans for a more sustainable resort and future . . . 

 

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The Beautiful Birds of Andros Island

Andros is a wonderful place for so many things - diving, snorkeling, eco-tourism, getting away from it all and relaxation. One of the other things we are known for is great birding. There is a great variety of birds that make Andros Island their home, or pass through it every year.

At Small Hope we even have an Audubon Society certified birding guide on staff. We lead our guests to the best local spots to enjoy the ornithological life on Andros. And sometimes we don't have to go very far. The Bahama Oriole, indigenous only to Andros, and one of the most sought after birds to see here often like to make their nests underneath the palm branches right by our dining patio or next to our guest cabins!

We had a guest this past year who took some incredible photos of the local birds and was kind enough to share them with us. Thanks Nicole!

 See our website for more information on our birding program and tours!

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