Just a short ferry ride away from Nassau is the secluded island getaway of the Blue Lagoon Island, Bahamas. The Blue Lagoon Island has exactly what everyone daydreams about while being stuck in the office: pristine white, sandy beaches, palm tree shade, bright and clear, turquoise waters, hammocks and tropical drinks. This little island has it all when it comes to having fun and relaxing at the same time.
The best part about the Blue Lagoon Island is there is an all-natural marine park located near the beach and is also the home of the Dolphin Encounters. It’s here you can choose from a dolphin encounter, swim with dolphins tour, or even have a sea lion encounter. On the beach, there are tons of family friendly activities to chose from and let the kids run wild.
The Blue Lagoon Island is a privately owned island with the primary purpose of being a tourist attraction, primarily because of the dolphin encounters. This island also has hundreds of years of history to it too. It has been a layover island for pirates and privateers prior 19th century. These visitors would use the salt from the lagoon to help preserve their food, while also using the island as a sort of rest stop for the crew until they received permission to enter Nassau.
A wealthy Englishman named Charles King-Harmon in 1875 from the British Crown for only 35 pounds. After 11 years, Charles ended up selling it to a Bahamian for 105 pounds, in which he kept for 6 years. He ended up selling the island for 145 pounds to two Americans. The two Americans tried to cultivate vegetables and corn on the island but efforts had failed. The Americans sold the island in 1902 to Abraham Van Winkle at a loss for 135 pounds.
Van Winkle being an entrepreneur, immediately hired laborers to clean up the salt marsh, and cut a stream into the lagoon from the sea. He planted thousands of trees and plants, and later imported a zoo, complete with monkeys, peacocks, parrots, and iguanas. Van Winkle then shared this island with the public by charging guests $1 to visit, and he would bring them by his boat.
From 1919 to 1979, the island was sold to the McCutcheon family, by sight unseen, for $17,500 from the estate of Van Winkle, and called it “Treasure Island”. In 1979, the family sold it to L.A. Meister.
A lot didn’t happen for the Blue Lagoon island until 1991, when a storm that was over 2,000 km away generated swells so large, that it split the island in two.
In 1993, the Blue Lagoon Island welcomed Dolphin Encounters to its grounds to begin a marine mammal educational and commercial program. In 1995, the Dolphin Encounter received a multi-million dollar facelift, and expanded the facility, giving the dolphins a generous and award winning habitat.