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Thunderball Grotto West

Location: Staniel Cay
Lat / Lon: N 24° 10.551' / W 076° 26.890'
Description:
This area has depths 10-15+ feet that become shallow 3-6 feet all around. There's room for quite a few boats to anchor. Wind protection is good except from the west which is completely exposed. Do not anchor here with any westerly wind component. There is a significant current that runs through the anchorage, and you may find yourself beam to the wind. It was fairly comfortable with winds from the N and NE 15+ knots. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club dinghy dock and Thunderball Grotto are both very close and the main reason to use this anchorage. Pig Beach is just north and west around Big Majors. Cell service is excellent for Aliv and BTC. There may be WiFi available with an extender.

Holding:

3.50

Very good in deep sand mixed with some grassy areas

Wind Protection:

3.00

Current Flow:

2.50

Wake Protection:

2.00

Scenic Beauty:

3.00

Ease of Shopping:

3.50

Shore Access:

5.00

Excellent. Only a couple hundred yards to SCYC.

Pet Friendly:

4.50

Cell Service:

3.00

WiFi:

2.50

Review for Thunderball Grotto West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

3

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

2

Wake Protection:

1

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

3

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

2

WiFi:

2

This is an update to our 2022 review. We spent two nights here in 2023. The current rips through the anchorage and we, and the other boats, were all spinning in circles. For the first time ever, our anchor chain actually wrapped around the anchor and formed a knotted mess. Here's a photo of what our anchor track looked like in 2 days.
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0tyedZ1mL7Y8p99W68P96X7mbSxiVYfJaYhpEANsjWWEgodvdWYZFW7mkji8qf1ftl/
That being said, this anchorage is close to Staniel Cay Yacht Club, the dinghy beach, and Thunderball grotto.
Here's some photos from the grotto:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02d1sg3myetZj5DA7afEar4CJ6hqpyQbneF1qfWXx69mMRMv27nxP8gaCc41PYmsR9l/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bahamlandsea/permalink/2437088863139621/
Aliv and BTC are present. Reception is good but networks are often slow due to the large numbers of boats and residents. Peak hours may become unstable.
Three Grocery Stores are close by, including the Pink Store, the Blue Store and Isles, which is by the airport. Between the three you can provision pretty well. The Pink Store has wonderful fresh locally baked bread many days.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Thunderball Grotto West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 16, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

4

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

4

Cell Service:

4

WiFi:

3

This is a super convenient anchorage for visiting Staniel Cay, the Pigs, and Thunderball Grotto. We anchored to the East and North of the marker in area indicated as 1.2 to 1.4 meters on Explorer charts. We found depths to be deeper than charted, but they do fall off. Proceed with caution. There's lots of sandy areas to choose from. There's also a good amount of sea grass. Water is clear so look for a good sandy spot. Dinghy docking beach at SCYC is just to the west of the anchorage. Some swell with E-NE.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer