The Bahamas...
3,000 stunning islands, islets and cays...
Scattered in the clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean
and the Caribbean Sea.
From deep and mysterious blue holes
to towering pine forests...
It is one of North America's last great wild lands.
>> There's no place like the Bahamas in the world.
>> A hidden network of underground caverns.
>> Andros is one massive labyrinth of cave systems.
It is totally unexplored.
>> A place where wild ocean waves
collide with calm, shallow seas.
A lush oasis rich with wildlife.
>> The Bahamas has such a variety of ecosystems and species
that you don't find anywhere else.
>> The Bahamas are one of the world's
most spectacular island wonders.
(♪♪♪)
As early as 900 AD
the original inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Lucayan
settled on the islands.
They were the first people of the Americas
to encounter Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The Bahamas are believed to be the site
of Columbus's first landfall in the "New World."
He was fascinated by the shallow waters
that surround the archipelago
and called the region " baja mar ."
Spanish for shallow sea.
For centuries the Bahamas were visited
by settlers, traders, and even pirates.
To this day there are stories of treasure
hidden in the islands.
Today's visitors come to stroll along
beautiful sand beaches
and swim in some of the clearest waters
on the planet
along the world's third largest barrier reef.
>> We typically think of the Bahamas
and we just think about the beach,
and granted we have some of the most
phenomenal beaches in the world,
but we are more than beaches.
>> The Bahamas' 700 islands are spread across
more than 100,000 square miles
of the Atlantic Ocean's deep, blue waters
about 150 miles from Florida's southeast coast.
It is a land of boundless white sand beaches,
emerald seas,
and rugged limestone lairs eroded by time
and the savage waves of the Atlantic.
>> You have caves, you have blue holes,
you have reefs, and you have this experience
in 700 different islands.
It is a landscape carved from limestone.
The archipelago sits atop three giant limestone platforms
that rise abruptly from the deep.
They were once the bottom of a shallow sea.
Sediments collected on the ancient seabed
over millions of years.
Debris from corals, shellfish, algae,
and other marine life
produced a vast amount of calcium carbonate
which is the key ingredient of limestone.
These massive limestone platforms
submerged in the Atlantic create the foundation
of the Bahama Banks.
When sea levels were much lower
hundreds of feet of rock were exposed to the elements.
Now, on average, only 9-feet poke above the waves.
The Bahamian islands are like the tips of an iceberg
less than 40% of the total landmass
peeks out of the turquoise waters.
50,000 square miles of the banks
lie hidden below.
The largest of the platforms, the Great Bahama Bank
rises more than 14,000-feet from the deep sea floor.
At the surface, the waters covering the Bahama Banks
are extremely shallow.
The deepest point is just 80-feet.
Satellite images tell this story.
The bright aquamarine waters of the banks
typically 30-feet deep stand in stark contrast
to the dark blue open ocean where the sea floor plunges
more than 13,000-feet below the surface.
These two bodies of water come head to head
at the island of Eleuthera
separated by a single strip of rock
just 30-feet across.
This is Glass Window Bridge
known as "the narrowest place on earth".
The bridge links the northern and southern points of Eleuthera
and is one of the only places on the planet
where the stormy blue waters of the Atlantic
clash with the still, turquoise calm
of the Caribbean Sea.
>> You're at that intersection.
You look at it and literally a few feet to one side
you're in deep water and a few feet to the other side
you're in shallow water and you have this contrast
between very dark blues and very light blues
and it's just a very visually appealing location.
>> For centuries, this narrow strip of land
was a natural bridge.
In the 1940s
powerful hurricanes washed away the land.
Islanders built a paved road in its place.
The Bahamas border the Caribbean Hurricane Belt,
a storm-prone area in the Atlantic Ocean
that reaches from the Gulf of Mexico
to the Caribbean Sea.
Though most of the storms don't reach the Bahamas
passing hurricanes whip up wild winds.
The island of Eleuthera has no reef
to absorb the impact of passing storms.
High and powerful waves that pound the bridge
have washed vehicles and people out into the ocean.
(♪♪♪)
Two giant boulders sit high atop a cliff
just south of the Glass Window Bridge.
They are a testament to the raw power of the ocean.
The mighty waves of the Atlantic
flung these massive rocks ashore.
Locals say strong winds gusting off the water
pass through these rocks with a loud rumble
like the roar of a bull.
Earning these boulders their names,
The Cow and The Bull.
The rocky shoreline takes its shape
from every passing wave.
Limestone walls are sculpted by the sea
to create a network of troughs, caves and coves.
Warm and shallow pools nestle in the rock
like nature's private hot tubs.
This is Queen's Bath.
A series of emerald tidal pools
burrowed in the rugged coast
and ringed by battered limestone walls.
Heated by the sun, refreshed by ocean spray,
these soothing pools offer a cool respite.
Waves whip against the jagged rock face
and seep through the pores slowly widening
each crack and ridge.
>> Over the course of years, this erosion is continuing
as you can see the seawater smashing into the rocks
and you can see, we call it honeycomb.
It's caused by seawater actually crashing into the rock platform
and eroding it slowly.
>> Eventually, these small openings connect
and larger hollows form.
Water, swept in by ocean waves
collects in these natural basins
creating the magnificent tidal pools of Queen's Bath.
Along the rugged shoreline small caverns called notches
hide beneath limestone overhangs
worn away by the beating waves of the Atlantic.
These crevices are an ideal habitat
for marine creatures
offering protection from waves and predators.
Molluscs burrow several inches inside the rock
creating small, deep holes along the shoreline.
A process geologists call bio-erosion.
Eventually, the entire rock surface
is pitted with holes.
For thousands of years these wild waves have chiseled
the sea caves of the Bahamas
with some help from burrowing marine creatures.
The slender island of Eleuthera
stretches more than 110 miles long.
Its caverns and sea caves reveal the turbulent history
of the settlers of the Bahamas'.
The mid-17th century
was a period of religious strife in England
and in continental Europe.
The Puritans were English Protestants
who wanted to 'purify' the Church of England
from Roman-Catholic practice.
They sought a place
where they could practice their faith
free from persecution.
But they were forced out of the British colony of Bermuda
for refusing to swear allegiance to the Crown.
A group of 70 Puritans then set out for the Bahamas.
They encountered stormy waters and shipwrecked
in the northern tip of the Bahamas.
With food and supplies lost at sea
the Puritans sought shelter on an island.
They called it Eleuthera,
derived from the Greek meaning freedom.
The group known today as "The Eleutherian Adventurers"
walked inland and found their new home
and their new place of worship.
They called it Preacher's Cave.
Ringed by lush, green forest,
the grand entrance to the cave stands 50-feet tall
and once faced punishing ocean waves
that formed this grotto.
When sea levels were much higher
Preacher's Cave was just a notch
along a rocky shoreline.
The ocean eroded weaker sections of the cliff
to create the cave.
As pressure from waves built up inside
a blowhole formed in the roof of the cavern
to release the surging water through a jet spray.
Today, the tropic sun beams through this skylight
illuminating the dark corners of Preacher's Cave,
one of the most important historical sites in the Bahamas.
Preacher's cave saw 100 years of religious service.
It is believed the Eleutherian Adventurers
held a yearly service
to commemorate the day God led them
to the safety of Preacher's Cave on Eleuthera,
an island they called "the promised land."
Long before the arrival of the Puritans,
the original inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Lucayan
believed that caves were sacred places.
They saw the many caverns of the island as gateways
between life on Earth and the spirit world.
The Lucayan buried their dead in these caves
to ensure safe passage to the afterlife.
To this day centuries-old remains
of the Lucayan
are found in the remote caverns
of the Bahamas.
Caves are one of the only ecosystems on the planet
that are not dependent on the sun.
Without sunlight
there are no plants inside the cave
and the food chain hinges on a surprising source,
a continuous supply of guano, bat droppings.
Hundreds of bats roost inside these limestone caves.
They are nocturnal and spend their days
resting in the darkness.
Here, they are sheltered from hurricanes
and protected from predators.
Bats roost upside down along the towering cave ceiling,
an ideal position for take-off.
They are the only mammals on Earth capable of flying.
Unlike birds bats do not launch themselves
into the air.
Instead they fall into flight.
For bats hanging upside down
is the equivalent of lying down for humans.
They are most relaxed in this position.
Bats dangle upside down by their hooked feet.
These claws are not connected to a muscle
instead, the weight of their upper body
pulls down on tendons attached to their curved feet
causing them to clasp together and lock around a cusp of rock.
(♪♪♪)
There are more than 1,000 bat species in the world
making up almost 25% of all mammals on the planet.
The caves of the Bahamas are home
to eleven different species.
(♪♪♪)
These male Buffy Flower Bats have collected
for an extravagant and rarely seen display
of rapid shaking and vigorous wing beating
designed to attract females.
(♪♪♪)
Most bats roost in groups
especially those who require extra protection.
In early summer large clusters of bats
gather in the safety of a cave to give birth.
These gatherings are called maternity roosts.
Bat pregnancies can last 6-9 weeks
depending on the species.
These Big Brown Bats huddle together
to stay warm.
This is a priority for new mothers.
Spending less energy on maintaining body heat
means saving it for something more important,
like looking after their young.
Most bats give birth to just one baby called a pup
each year.
A mother keeps her young one close,
born blind and with no fur
the pup is completely dependent on its mother
suckling on milk for nourishment
for at least four weeks
until it is old enough to leave the roost
and fly in search of food.
The bats of the Bahamas feed mostly on insects, fruits
and small vertebrates and fish.
These nocturnal creatures can find their prey
in complete darkness using echolocation,
a series of high-pitched sounds that reverberate off
the surrounding walls and objects.
Bats send 10-20 of these sounds each second.
The speeds at which the echoes travel back
determine how far away surrounding objects are
including prey.
Bats can eat as many as 1,200 mosquitoes
in just one hour.
Overnight, they devour their entire body weight
in insects.
Bats digest food very quickly producing large volumes of guano
that can pile up several feet high.
Leaves and plants washed up by rainwater
fruits dropped by bats, and guano
coat the floors of the cave
creating a sludge of organic compost,
an ideal habitat for bacteria and fungi
that underpin the entire food chain
of the cave.
Millipedes and small crustaceans
feed on these microorganisms
while larger insects such as beetles and spiders
eat the smaller creatures.
Frogs and toads residing in the nooks
and hollows of the cave come out of hiding
to feed on insects.
While other creatures go directly to the source.
A Caribbean hermit crab slowly makes its way down
to the cave floor to feast on bat guano.
The crab carefully climbs down the branch
using its left claw for balance.
The smaller right claw is an eating utensil
while a short pair of antennae enable the crab to smell
and taste the food.
Sharp eyesight and a second, longer pair of antennae
keep the hermit crab alert to potential dangers.
A spiraled shell large enough to conceal its entire body
shields the crab's soft belly from predators.
The hard left claw offers additional protection
by blocking the entrance to the shell.
Hermit crabs are not born with these protective shelters
they search for shells abandoned by marine snails
in a competitive housing market.
Hermit crabs are one of the most common crustaceans
on the planet.
There are more than 500 known species
some are smaller than a coin
others as large as a coconut.
(♪♪♪)
Tucked away, at the base of a rugged cliff
a small opening overgrown with vines
leads inside a cave
believed to have been the hide out
of one of the Caribbean's most powerful pirates.
This is Morgan's Cave.
According to local folklore
this cave was once home to Henry Morgan,
an infamous 17th century pirate.
>> Morgan's cave was his home
where he said he hid his treasures there.
Henry Morgan was actually a privateer
that resided in the Bahamas.
He was hired by the British government
to protect the islands
and also to seize any Spanish galleon ship
headed back to Spain to carry gold.
So he put one of his headquarters in Andros.
And this was because at Morgan's Bluff
you were able to see the ships going past.
So most of the Spanish ships what they would do
They would cut across the Bahamas
and head into the Atlantic.
So Morgan was able to scout out there with his guys
and attack when he needed to.
>> This is Morgan's Bluff.
A rugged cliff line boldly facing the wild waves
of the Atlantic.
Beaten by seawater and weathered by erosion
the bluff is pitted with holes and bound by jagged ridges.
It is the highest point on Andros,
the largest island of the Bahamian Archipelago.
>> Andros has a world of wildlife for you to explore.
>> Andros stretches across 104 miles
of lush vegetation, towering pine forests
and tangled mangrove swamps.
Its landmass is larger
than all of the other Bahamian islands combined.
The shallow waters of the Great Bahama Bank
stretch along the western side.
Along the eastern shore lies a 6,000-foot abyss
called the Tongue of the Ocean.
This marine trench separates the islands
of Andros and New Providence.
It is lined by the world's third largest barrier reef.
Deep below the surface of the island
lies one of the earth's final frontiers,
the dark and mysterious caves known as blue holes.
Andros is home to more than 200 blue holes.
The highest concentration in the Western Hemisphere.
>> Andros is one massive labyrinth of cave systems
and these blue holes are just portholes
to this cave system.
>> Like the rest of the Bahamas
the limestone landscape of Andros
has been eroded by water.
More than 300,000 years ago during the last ice age
sea levels dropped by as much as 400-feet
leaving the islands unprotected from the elements.
Rainwater eroded the limestone
forming hundreds of miles of underground caverns.
Falling rain absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide
and forms a weak acid.
With every drop
this acid eats away at limestone.
While draining through the rock acidic waters slowly widen pores
and pry cracks open.
>> You have these large pockets being developed
over thousands of years.
And finally
you had the top of these holes that were being formed
under the earth collapsing in.
>> As sea levels rose the caves filled up.
These deep, vertical caverns descend to depths
of more than 1,000-feet.
The Ocean's salty waters
settle at the bottom of blue holes
while freshwater collects on top.
The deepest layer contains no oxygen at all.
Geologists call this an anoxic environment.
These underwater caves
are one of the least explored places on Earth.
Diving through the Bahamas' intricate labyrinth of caves
is extremely dangerous
even for the most experienced diver.
In some blue holes
divers swim through poisonous gas
that causes dizziness, skin irritation,
and in high concentrations, even death.
More people have died cave diving
than climbing Mount Everest.
Down here there is no air, no light.
This is one of the harshest environments
on the planet.
Yet these waters teem with microorganisms
that have adapted to the extreme conditions.
Studying the life forms that thrive in this environment
gives scientists a glimpse into the Earth's past
more than 3 billion years ago when there was no oxygen
on our planet.
These studies also shed light on how life might possibly survive
on distant, oxygen-free planets.
The underwater caverns of the Bahamas
are decorated with geological ornaments
hanging from the ceiling and sprouting from the ground.
Millions of years ago when these caves were dry
rainwater seeping through the cracks
trickled down into the hollowed caverns.
The dissolved limestone carried by the water
met the air inside these caves and a mineral called calcite
was deposited along the cracks.
As water continued to drip the calcite grew in size
each drop leaving a tiny amount of mineral behind.
It takes a century
for just one quarter of an inch to grow.
But over time these beautiful formations
called stalactites
suspend from the ceilings of the caves
like an enchanted crystal forest.
Quicker drips of water rolling off the stalactites
deposit calcite on the floor creating stalagmites.
When a stalagmite and stalactite join together
they form a column.
These structures take thousands of years to grow
and can reach heights of more than 30-feet.
The depths of these underwater caves
may reveal the secrets of the past
but the surface of these blue holes
holds the key to survival for the residents
of the Bahamas.
These islands are surrounded by salt water
and receive very little rain.
In the Bahamas freshwater is hard to come by.
>> You get freshwater in two ways.
One; you can catch it in a cistern and hold it there
and then hopefully you have enough
to survive the year.
But there's also very shallow fresh water lenses.
>> A thin lens of fresh water collected during rainfall
floats on top of a dense, salt-water layer
along the surface of these blue holes.
On some islands these lenses are only a few feet deep.
This shallow layer was the only source of water
sustaining life on smaller islands
like Eleuthera
until salt water filters were developed.
>> You go to places like Andros, which are very large islands,
they can have very thick freshwater lenses.
They get lenses 50-feet thick.
>> Inland blue holes in Andros
provide as much as 6 million gallons
of freshwater daily.
The most plentiful are those at the center of the island
surrounded by the soaring Caribbean pines.
>> The rock land pine forest is important as well
because they are like osmosis pump
each one of those pine trees keeps the freshwater lens
close to the surface.
The lens is like a freshwater bubble
that sits in the big limestone plateau.
And if the trees' osmosis pressure's
not holding the lens in place, you remove the trees,
the water just drains away.
The pine forest by Blue Hole National Park
is the largest one of those species of pine
left in the world.
>> Caribbean pines flourish near freshwater
found only on the northern islands
of the Bahamas.
In Andros pines grow as tall as 150-feet
providing homes to a vast array of wildlife.
Caribbean pines require sunlight and open space to grow
away from coppice vegetation,
a mixture of shrubs that share the forest with these pines.
During dry seasons
natural fires set this brush ablaze
removing competition for the sunlight.
As these shading, broad-leafed plants burn down
juvenile pines receive enough light to grow.
Botanists call these Caribbean pinelands
"Fire climax communities."
Without these wild fires the pine forests of the Bahamas
would not survive.
>> The reason pines don't get destroyed during fires
is because they have a resin in it
and when it becomes overheated the resin explodes
putting out any fire that can potentially damage the pine.
>> The pine forest of Andros is a bird-watcher's paradise.
>> You're surrounded by these birds and so that's really intriguing
having that, you know, being surrounded by wildlife
and hearing this beautiful sound as you walk through.
>> Yellow-bellied bananaquits feed on pine needles...
while American kestrels hunt for insects
and small rodents in the forest.
A red-legged thrush sits up in the trees
assuming a high vantage point to find its next meal.
Turkey vultures are the most common species
in this forest.
>> Now these birds are normally known as pests
in the Bahamian society because they're everywhere.
However, they play a pivotal role
in the ecosystem.
They work as sanitation workers.
They clean the ecosystem from pine forest
to the coppice vegetation to the sides of the roads.
They help remove any debris that would be a potential hazard
to mankind.
>> From towering pine forests to lush coppice vegetation
the Bahamas bloom
with more than 1,400 species of plants.
>> The plants here have had a tremendous influence
on the people and culture of the Bahamas.
These islands were extremely isolated
for long periods of time starting with the loyalists
in the 1600s,
through the slave and plantation trade
and then into independence.
And in these islands
you didn't have access to doctors,
you didn't have access to pharmacies.
>> People took matters into their own hands
discovering medicinal uses for a diversity of plants
that grow in the Bahamas.
A practice locals call Bahamian bush medicine.
>> Bahamian bush medicine is a tradition
that was passed on by our African ancestors.
By boiling leaves and barks of certain plants
as a tea or tonic.
In that time there was no clinics,
no hospitals,
so our mothers had to be the doctors
and our fathers had to be the doctors.
Going out into the coppice and bringing in certain plants
and medicinal stuff to heal ourselves
from certain illnesses
we would catch like colds and flus,
upset stomachs and all kinds of other illness.
>> The lush, coppice forests of the Bahamas
are a living pharmacy where every plant has a purpose.
The bark and leaves of a five finger plant
when brewed as a tea
can strengthen a weakened bladder.
While plants, like Gammalamme also known as gumbo limbo
are rubbed directly on the skin to rid the body of toxins
caused by contact with poisonous shrubs.
Some locals eat the leaves of the blue flower
also known as rat tail to treat colds and flu.
>> Once you go to nature,
all your questions kind of get answered.
>> An amazing diversity of plant life
carpets the forest floor creating shaded habitat
for the island's creatures.
Roaming in the brush
is the largest land crab population
in the Bahamas.
>> Only in Andros we celebrate land crabs.
They're part of our heritage.
Androsians are known to the world
and to the Bahamas as crab catchers.
So it's a delicacy throughout the country.
>> These land crabs can get as large as one foot
from claw to claw.
They grow by shedding their hard shell
and absorbing water
before growing a new larger shell.
Land crabs migrate from the forest
toward the sea to release their eggs
in coastal environments.
Along the shoreline a dense tangle of roots
lines the emerald waters of the Caribbean.
These are mangroves.
They act as a refuge for juvenile fish
and a shield that defends the shoreline
from tropical storms.
These twisting swamps are vital to the ecology of the Bahamas.
>> A Bahamas without mangroves
would be a very different Bahamas.
You'd lose so many species and our coastline,
which most of the Bahamas is coastal,
would change dramatically.
>> Mangroves are a buffer zone between land and water.
Their tangled, woven roots protect the shoreline
from erosion and soften the harsh waves
of passing storms.
>> They have really funky root systems.
Some people will call them the "walking trees"
because they look like they have stilts.
>> The roots of most trees are firmly planted in the ground
or entirely submerged in water.
Mangroves, grow only in the tropics
in the salty coastal waters of seas and oceans.
>> So along the coastline they have to deal with things
like salt stress and water stress in their soils.
So they have really cool characteristics,
really interesting root systems and ways to deal with dispersal
in a watery environment.
>> The roots of mangroves come up into the air
to absorb oxygen directly through their skin.
These trees are well adapted to surviving in saltwater.
The roots have tiny filters in their cells
designed to soak up water and reject the salt.
But they invariably absorb some salt,
and have to get rid of it.
Some mangroves excrete this salt through their leaves
forming little crystals
that are later rinsed away by rain.
Others channel salts into the older leaves
that become yellow eventually fall off
and decompose
creating a foundation for the food chain
of this ecosystem.
>> The mangrove leaves drop into the sea.
It then becomes a food chain for the larvae,
all the little crustaceans that live there.
The little baby fish start to live there.
>> The twisting roots of mangroves serve as a refuge
for the diverse marine life of the Bahamas.
Often referred to as nurseries
the calm and shallow waters of the mangroves
offer juvenile fish and invertebrates protection
in this tangled labyrinth of roots.
>> And that's why it's important to keep them.
You remove the mangroves and your reef is finished.
>> It is a training ground for many species
before they graduate to life on the coral reef.
A group of rare Bahamian rock iguanas
bask in the tropical sun
on the white sand beaches of Exuma Island.
(♪♪♪)
>> The way they move through the sand,
the color of them, they're just magical creatures.
>> A serrated ridge that runs along their spine
helps release excess heat
and makes the iguana appear larger
during disputes over territory.
These rock iguanas can grow as long as six feet.
Mating season begins in the spring.
Females produce two to nine eggs each year.
They use termite mounds or dig their nests in the sand
to incubate the eggs
a process that takes about 90 days.
Defensive mothers guard the burrows
until the eggs hatch.
>> At the beginning of life they eat small insects,
however, as they grow older they almost become vegetarians.
>> Adult iguanas feed on the succulent leaves,
fruits and flowers of the coastal coppice forest
to hydrate themselves in this dry Bahamian climate.
They will climb trees to retrieve food
or simply take a rest in the shade.
Rock iguanas in the Bahamas are an endangered species:
They are harvested for food and for the pet trade
and fall prey to dogs and feral cats.
These ancient creatures are now protected in the Bahamas
and it is illegal to harm or capture a rock iguana.
As the day comes to a close
iguanas retreat into the cracks and ridges of the limestone
that shapes these beautiful and diverse islands.
(♪♪♪)
From twisting mangrove nurseries...
to flooded inland caves...
the Bahamas offer a diversity of ecosystems
for the wildlife that inhabit the islands.
The blue holes of Andros offer entrance
to a mysterious, underwater world.
>> The entire limestone plateau of Andros
is one massive labyrinth of cave systems
and these blue holes are just portholes
to this cave system.
>> It is a wild land brimming with lush coppice forests
and towering pines.
>> The Bahamas is a special place if you're a nature lover
because of so much habitat both land and sea.
>> A place where jagged limestone cliffs
meet boundless white sand beaches.
>> You can find steep cliffs, fantastic caves,
mangrove ecosystems and species that are unique to the Bahamas.
>> The islands of the Bahamas are a stunning natural treasure
rising from the clear, blue waters
of the Atlantic Ocean.
(♪♪♪)