A capsized speedboat was discovered Sunday between Florida and the Bahamas in a scene described by witnesses as ‘horrific.’


Several bodies were discovered in the water where tiger sharks were circling. Rescuers indicated one body was devoured by a shark as they watched.


Police in Puerto Rico believe the four victims may have been Haitian migrants attempting to make it to the United States.


Authorities say the speedboat may have capsized in rough waters.

Norman’s Cay is one of the islands in the northern Exuma chain. It has a slightly notorious history, however, thanks to a friendly Colombian fellow named Carlos. But we won’t get into that story now. Suffice it to say that Carlos lived in a small house on the island before he went on to the Big House. You can read about it in a book called Turning the Tide or watch the movie Blow, if you want more info.


But that’s not what this post is about.


One of the things the author talks about in Turning is the existence of large schools of Hammerhead sharks that apparently populated the waters around the island. In the book, the author actually dives with such a school, without losing life or limb. However, I’ve spoken to several residents of the island about this, and they claim never to have seen such a thing as long as they’ve been there.


But that’s not what this post is about.


Other nearby islands in the Northern Exumas include Saddleback Cay, Wax Cay, and Highbourne Cay. And, yes, all are still pronounced “Key,” thank you very much all members of the The Bassbarn forum. You know who you are. A couple friends of ours had taken the boat out earlier in the morning and managed to land nine dolphin (no, not “Flipper.” The dolphin fish.) They were engaged in a little contest with two other friends who were staying on Norman’s at the time, and who told me that they trolled through schools of tuna all morning long without so much as a hit.


But that’s not what this post is about.


With nine dolphin in a cooler, we took the boat up to Highbourne to clean them (to be completely accurate, we watched Chris clean them), see some friends who were docked at the marina, and generally have an enjoyable day round and about on the boat. The filleting table is at the end of the Highbourne Cay dock. This is also where the nurse sharks congregate to suck up the scraps of fish left over from the cleaning. This picture of said sharks was taken from the dock into the water.


But that’s not what this post is about either.


The point of this post is to encourage visitors to take some time and travel to islands other than New Providence (ie-Nassau). Get out there and see it. It’s worth it.