"Andros Island - No tourists, just sand... " a Andros Island Travel Page by E_R_I_C

I flew to Andros Island in a US Navy cargo plane - something like a C-3, but I can't recall what it actually was. From Jacksonville, it was a pretty long flight, especially since I had to be strapped into a little chair that was less comfortable than an old lawn chair... you know, the kind with the nylon mesh straps. Oh, and of course there was no air conditioning. But who am I to complain?

Anyway, the island is inhabited mostly by locals and the Navy base. That's about it. There are no commercial hotels or big businesses there of any sort. I rented a snorkel, mask and fins and spent part of a day swimming around a manmade barrier reef, accompanied by some barracudas that were interested in me. That was the highlight. That, and spending an evening at the local beach bar that was straight out of a Jimmy Buffett song.

The island is actually the largest of the Bahaman islands. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it is too low-lying to accommodate any big resorts and they are restricted from building there. I was sent down there to write a story for the Navy about an aviation training school that is conducted there (and probably still is today). The sad thing is, I don't think I kept a copy of the story or even any of the photos I took. Maybe I'll run across some. I know I have them packed away somewhere.

But overall, it was a very awesome experience. The beach was EMPTY and there were no tourists on the island AT ALL. The bad thing is that there was nobody with me to share the adventure. Oh, and it would have been nice to have a few good restaurants. :-)