Eleuthera

Only a mile wide over most of it’s 112-mile length, Eleuthera embodies an odd assortment of qualities. Quiet, isolated communities and well-developed resorts, fishing and farming, tall rock bluffs and low-lying wetlands, blue holes and caves, massive coral reefs and sweeping pink sand beaches combine to create a fascinating picture.

Eleuthera was first settled in the 1600s by Bermudians seeking religious freedom (the Greek word eleutheria means freedom). The only problem was, before they found the island itself, they found the Devil’s Backbone an extensive shallow reef line bordering the north end of the island. It ripped open the bottom of their boats leaving them to settle amongst the sharp coral heads.

Today’s visitors will have an entirely different experience with the Backbone as well as with the many other coral reefs skirting the island’s long coastline.

Forests of elkhorn corals interspersed with star and brain corals are crowned by slowly waving sea fans. Watch lobsters poke their antenna out from holes as eels wind their way through the reef. The Devil’s Backbone still holds remnants of ill-fated, unfortunate ships—anchors, boilers, plating—and even an old train awaiting your discovery and exploration.

Harbour Island

Called Briland by residents, Harbour Island rests off the northeast shoulder of Eleuthera. Only 1.5 square miles in size, Briland is accessible by water taxi or private boat only. The island is home to Dunmore Town, one of the quaintest, prettiest little communities in the country. Brightly painted homes shine in a subdued rainbow of subtle pastel hues. In the morning, the rising sun breaks the surface of the ocean, glinting red off the gleaming surface of the island’s famous pink sand beach.

Meander down the quiet, seaside lanes and admire the Victorian filigrees decorating the homes. Watch as fishermen pull their boats up onto the sloping shore. Enjoy the profusion of aromatic, flowering bushes lining the streets. Harbour Island presents a gentle, slightly reserved, but welcoming air that permits solitary wanderings or warm conversation. It’s your choice.

The Devil’s Backbone, a ridge of barely submerged coral reefs stretching across the northern edge of Harbour Island and Eleuthera, has been the final resting place for dozens of vessels over the years. Today, that same area of sorrow is a place of joy for snorkelers exploring the waters. Enjoy a sense of history mingled with an appreciation of the marine world as fish mill around ancient anchors embedded in the coral.