Being an archipelago (definition: a bunch of large-ish limestones surrounded by H2O and some sand), the Bahamas attracts a lot of people who like to look at fish, eat fish, and fish for fish.


 The aquarium at Atlantis will satisfy even the most experienced aquaphile. It bustles with jacks, loads of colorful reef fish, sawfish, and even at least one huge manta ray. They all hang out amid the stylized sunken pillars and algae-carpeted stones. If you stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass panels and gaze into the tank for long enough, you’re bound to catch the manta ray cruising into your peripheral vision like some sort of Underwater Stealth Bomber. At nighttime, the eerie Atlantean silence and shadows magnify this effect five-fold.


 Many otherwise worldly fish eaters may not be aware of a curious little concoction that Bahamians enjoy all the time, called Boil Fish. Several particulars need explaining:


1. The words “Boil Fish,” are actually a shortened version of “Boiled Fish.” Bahamians tend to lop off the past tense of many words. Don’t know why. Just the way it is, mon. I’ll leave deeper explanations up to the social phychologists.
2. Many have heard of broiling, baking, even cooking fish on the barbeque. But “boiling”? The boiling solution is actually more of a broth than water. Also included in the mix are potatoes, Bahamian hot pepper juice (bird or goat), and a healthy dose of lime.

3. Bahamians typically consume this delight at breakfast or brunch time. “Fish for breakfast?!” you ask, aghast at the boldness of this culinary suggestion.


Don’t blow a gasket. It’s good, and does wonders for the headache you may be experiencing after indulging a bit too much the night before. Also, it’s usually accompanied by Johnny Cake (a thick piece of bread), and grits, which “fill da holes.”


 For those who would rather fish for fish, you have a lot of choices. You can bottom fish for snapper or grouper in any number of places throughout the country. Or you can troll in the open ocean for dolphin, tuna, and even marlin.


Or you can fish the flats for bonefish. Andros and Exuma are excellent for bone fishing and there are several camps and guides on each island.


A group of intrepid Canadian travelers I know recently decided to go bone fishing for a couple days at Flamingo Cay, on the western side of Andros. They had never been to the island before, and I don’t think they had ever been bone fishing either.


After enjoying excellent food and drink, catching bonefish, shark, and other fish, and seeing parts of an island that you can only see from a flats boat, all reports came in “two thumbs up.”