CRUISE OF 1939 



We had agreed to leave Andros for a place where we knew by experi- 

 ence that we would not be disappointed in the photography. We weighed 

 anchor as quickly as possible in order to pass over the rocky shoals while 

 there was daylight. We proceeded on a course directly to Lowborne 

 Cay. Beautiful moonlight added much to this night journey. After cross- 

 ing Tongue of the Ocean, south of Nassau, we passed over an area of 

 sandy bottom where the water seemed to be about twenty feet deep. 

 This place was crowded with Sting-rays; their ugly black shapes could 

 be clearly seen, by the hundreds, sliding over the bottom. I classify 

 them among the vermin of the sea. They are as nasty to me as cock- 

 roaches or bedbugs on land. 



At 2 : 00 A. M., Highborne Cay was in sight. It was necessary to pro- 

 ceed slowly, heaving the lead at frequent intervals. In another hour, 

 we found bottom near enough to cast anchor though we were still quite 

 distant from land. In the Bahamas, the wind changes direction only 

 shghtly during the spring months; consequently a windward shore re- 

 mains a windward shore for weeks. The wind blows steadily with little 

 change in velocity from day to day. A windward shore anchorage is, 

 therefore, entirely safe even though there is no other land in sight. 



We slept late next morning, then worked our way in to our old 

 anchorage, my third visit to this beautiful spot. At nine o'clock, we put 

 all of our diving and photographic equipment in the launch. Malone 

 steered to Saddle Cay, a new place to us. The gardens looked beautiful in 

 ten feet of water. Fan and Floward had their first experiences under the 

 helmet, and I made some satisfactory exposures with both motion and 

 still cameras, at about twelve and fifteen foot depths. 



We moved to another place, about twenty feet deep, chose our posi- 

 tion carefully and more motion pictures were made. On the first descent, 

 I had found a coral head which made an excellent background with 

 several varieties of fish near it. After coming back on board to re-wind 



1:45] 



