The Lee Family: Spring Break Day 5: Feeding Sharks!

I slept in until 9am, which felt great and found CK reading in the living room. The girls slept until 9:30am. It was rainy and windy the evening before and into the morning and still looked like it might rain but was dry and still warm, so it was still decent outside. We all headed to the big house where the girls and Charlie played Apples to Apples before switching gears and playing hide and seek outside around the big house. CK and I took naps and read while the girls hung out and played.

At 3:15pm the girls and I met Chip, Lisa and Charlie so we could go with them to the Hawk's Nest, which is at the far end of the island. CK wanted to sleep and relax, so he stayed behind. The girls and I weren't really sure what to expect, but they both wanted a break from swimming, so we figured going to check out the sharks could be interesting. Apparently there has been a fishing tournament going on for a few day and after the fish are cleaned, the sharks are fed the fish carcasses in the bay.

The drive to the Hawk's Nest was only about 30 minutes and before we arrived at the marina, there were a number of really nice houses, well-maintained roads and another small airport with a few planes. We had to drive across the runway to get to the marina, which was full of very big and beautiful fishing boats! It seemed so out of place for little Cat Island. Along with the fishing boats there were several yachts in the marina, as well. Chip and Lisa said they have been to the Hawk's Nest a few times and it's always empty, so they loved seeing so much activity and said it was usually so quiet and sleepy. We arrived just on time to watch the shark feeding! We headed to the dock that is on the far side of the marina that is near the mouth of the river leading to the ocean. The dock was an "L" shape and more narrow than our dock at the lake. There were probably about 10-15 people standing on the dock, so we walked to the far side of the dock so we could watch as the fish carcasses were fed to the sharks. When we arrived there were about 20 sharks of all sizes in the water below the docks! A kid who we later learned was 11 years old and about Sofia's size! He stood on the short dock across from us and used a rope to tie the fish carcass up and then threw it into the water so we could watch the sharks eat! It was insane! The sharks went crazy and tried to snatch the carcass in their teeth and swim away. Of course, the rope didn't allow that so they fought like crazy to get the food. The younger ones were actually the most aggressive. It felt a little unsettling to be standing on the narrow dock with the sharks going crazy directly below us! Of course, I kept thinking "if one of us fell in....." Yikes! I told the kids to sit down, which helped ease my mind a bit. It was so unbelievable to watch and be right there. One of the perks of going on vacations to such a place as Cat Island instead of where everyone else goes in the Bahamas. So cool (and scary).

Once the boy finished feeding several fish carcasses, he headed over to grab a cart that had a bunch of fish scraps on it. He started to walk away and I asked him if he planned to feed the sharks, but he said he brought out the scraps for others to throw in to the sharks! I told Charlie and the girls and they were all over it! Since it was so windy and a little chilly out, I ended up giving Olivia my long sleeve swim shirt to stay warm, and ended up taking off my long sleeve workout top to give to Sofia. I had a short sleeve shirt on and was a little cool, but felt fine after a minute. The girls and Charlie started throwing in fish scraps and had a great time watching the sharks go crazy! The sharks really loved all the scraps and went crazy for every piece. Of course they also got fish guts all over my tops! They sure did love feeding the sharks!

After all the fish scraps were gone, we headed over to take a look at the Hawk's Nest Restaurant, which was decorated for a celebratory dinner for all the fishing tournament folks. Lisa said she and Chip have eaten there before and the food was decent. Maybe next time we'll try it. After walking around for a bit and checking out all the beautiful fishing boats, and taking photos, we loaded up and headed back to FBV. Of course, since the girls' both had fish guts on their tops, our car ride home smelled like dead fish! I'm so glad we went with them to the Hawk's Nest. It was so worth seeing and so fun to feed the sharks and check out a new area of the island.

We got back just before dinner and CK had a great few hours of relaxation, which he really needed. So we were all happy heading into one of the best meals! Cheesy broccoli, roasted chicken and grilled fish. So delicious and I think I could eat several plates full of the FBV cheesy broccoli. So delicious! We hung out with Chip, Lisa and Charlie at our dinner tables and then down around the fire until we headed to bed around 10:30pm. We've noticed that this visit to FBV has been different primarily due to the other guests. In our past visits, most guest linger and chat after dinner either in the big house or around the fire pit. However, this visit it seems like everyone heads back to their cabanas minutes after dinner is over. It's been Chip, Lisa, Charlie and us chatting and enjoying the evenings together. We've been ending our evening by the fire, which is perfect after a great meal!

The sign by the dock