Big Major Cay, an uninhabited cay north of Staniel Cay in the chain of islands known as the Exuma Cays is famous for one unusual thing. Pigs. Not just any regular pig mind you, but pigs that swim.
These cute little oinkers have become rather famous in the last few years as evidenced by the number of boats moored in the beautiful bay in front of what is now appropriately known as Pig Beach.
We were invited to go and swim with the piggies recently during our stay at Embrace Resort on Staniel Cay. The view of Pig Beach coming in is spectacular. No wonder the pigs enjoy living there!
We could spot a few pigs as our boat got closer, but by the time we got to the beach, there were several more making their way out of the bushes to greet us.
They were a bit bigger than we had imagined and were not shy about coming right up to us to see if we had brought them any scraps.
I mean, right up to us.
A few adorable piglets made their way out to greet us as well, but were a little more timid.
Wondering how the pigs got here in the first place, we asked our guide who said that there are quite a few (pig) tales about their arrival on Big Major Cay, but that truthfully they were simply transported over from Staniel Cay a number of years ago by their owners who had gotten tired of complaints from neighbors who were fed up with the pungent porkers.
After giving them what little we had (they also seem to like it when you pour cold water from a water bottle in their mouth!) we got in the water to watch them swim.
They seemed content to wade in the crystal blue water that looked more like a clean swimming pool than an ocean until another boat approached.
They then “hog-tailed” it out to the newcomers to see what treats they might have in store.
If you get to go to Pig Beach, be careful if you’re bringing food. We saw a guy who brought in a large bag of scraps get instantly surrounded by the large and hungry pigs and sustained a nip to the stomach when he didn’t dole it out fast enough!
Have you been to Pig Beach? Tell us about it!
Find Pig Beach on our Bahamas Map
To see more posts on the Exuma Cays and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory
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