2020: February 15-21 (6 places left) | February 22-28 (1 room left) | November 14-20 (8 places left)

From: £2,480pp

a swimming holiday in the bahamas

This trip is the ultimate, exclusive ‘get-away-from-it-all' treat for any open water swimmer. We have designed this trip carefully to ensure we provide you with the perfect combination of activity and relaxation. Based at New Heights villa on the pristine, remote island of Great Guana Cay, expect magnificent food, panoramic ocean views, and unbeatable swimming in one of the largest coral reefs in the Northern Hemisphere. New Heights SwimQuest

ABOUT GREAT GUANA CAY

The Abaco Islands are a group of islands and barrier cays in the northern Bahamas, east of southern Florida. Great Guana Cay is a remote, unspoilt island at the centre of the Abaco Islands. With just 150 inhabitants, it is a real escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The island is long and narrow, 7 miles (11 km) long, and situated about 8 miles from Marsh Harbour International Airport.

IS THIS FOR ME?

During the week, we will complete two swims a day, aside from Wednesday when we will have an afternoon at leisure to rest and recover. Swims will be a mixture of island-to-island crossings and stunning reef and coastal swims. You should be comfortable swimming in open water, however if you wish to swim shorter distances than our itinerary suggests, it’s fine to hop back on board once you’ve had enough. Ideally you should have some open water experience and be able to swim at least one kilometre in the sea. If you’re unsure, please don’t hesitate to contact the office for a chat. This trip is ideal for anyone looking for a luxurious week away, with a combination of swimming, wonderful food and time to relax. Throughout the week, you are more than welcome to swim both or just complete one swim a day – it is your holiday. Each swim will be escorted by a main boat and an additional tender that will have ample room for anyone wishing to watch or simply soak up some sun.

AT A GLANCE

Places available from £2,480pp
This trip is ideal for anyone looking for a luxurious swim vacation, with a combination of swimming, wonderful food and time to relax.
This trip runs from Saturday – Friday
Non-swimmers are welcome to join the trip and can be on the boat if they wish. A 10% discount is offered to non-swimmers.
Max group size 12
Water temperature is between 22^oC and 24^oC, in February and 24^oC and 27^oC in November
Everything is included except transport to and from Great Guana Cay, dinner on one evening, and lunch on two days, plus any additional items or activities you wish to participate in
You will need to fly to Marsh Harbour International airport (flights from Europe usually between £650-£1000)

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

Six night’s accommodation at New Heights (various room options are available, please see accommodation tab)
Housekeeping service
All meals (from dinner on Saturday evening, to breakfast on Friday morning) excluding dinner on one evening, when we will take you to Firefly restaurant on Elbow Cay, and lunch on two of the trip days, to enable you to make the most of Hopetown and Green Turtle Cay visits
A return sunset speedboat ride to Elbow Cay
A beach bonfire on the final evening
A full guided swimming itinerary, based on two swims a day
Qualified SwimQuest guide/s
Two safety boats
A local ocean and area guide
Optional stroke video analysis and one-to-one swim coaching sessions
A 10L SwimQuest dry bag and a SwimQuest swim cap
VAT

The only costs that are not covered are your travel to and from Great Guana Cay, any alcohol purchases, dinner at Firefly, and lunch on two days (Elbow Cay and Green Turtle Cay), wetsuit hire (please bring your own wetsuit if you would like to swim in one) and any additional items or activities you wish to participate in outside of the tour schedule (e.g. massages, merchandise). Please note, it is also customary to leave a tip for the local staff (our house manager and our boat pilot).

New Heights Bahamas from Ryan Culligan on Vimeo.

about new heights

New Heights is a spectacular, modern, three-level residence, just steps from the beach, accommodating a maximum of 12 SwimQuest guests. It features a private pool, a shared dock and tennis court and a private gazebo on the beach. New Heights offers 360-degree ocean views from almost all rooms, and countless outdoor living spaces. The main dining area sits under a large veranda with sunset views. The dining deck wraps around to a furnished patio that joins the forty-foot long saltwater pool, and the third floor loggia covers one third of the main house - the perfect spot for watching the sunset, reflecting on your swims and lounging in front of the bar.

There are three types of room available to you:

Deluxe sole use bedrooms £2,980pp

Treat yourself to a spacious single room opening up onto a private balcony with stunning views of the water. With high ceilings, French doors and screens, open the doors to the cool, coastal breeze, and listen to the waves crash against the shore. You will be allocated your own, private bathroom and your own, private balcony.

Deluxe double / TWIN use bedrooms £2,880pp

Ideal for couples or two friends, these rooms are spacious double or twin rooms opening up onto a private balcony with stunning views of the water. With high ceilings, French doors and screens, open the doors to the cool, coastal breeze, and listen to the waves crash against the shore.

sole use room (adjoined to guide apartment)£2,480pp

This studio room is suitable for a solo traveller, and contains a double bed and a small kitchenette. Your room is adjoined to the guide’s room via a corridor, and you will need to share a bathroom with your SwimQuest guide.

THE ITINERARY

N.B. Please note, this is a rough guide to the week. We will adapt the week carefully for each individual and the prevailing weather. All swim activities are planned with safety as the paramount concern. Swim distances are adaptable and because of our extensive boat and safety cover we can deal with a mixture of abilities on this tour.

SATURDAY

A SwimQuest representative will meet you at Great Guana Cay Harbour and take you to New Heights. You can settle into your room, and meet your fellow guests and guides for an evening meal on the terrace and your safety briefing. Please note - the last ferry leaves Marsh Harbour at 5.45pm, so we will start the tour officially when the last guests arrive (around 7pm).

SUNDAY

On Sunday morning, we will complete a coastal swim (1-2km) along Great Guana Cay’s sheltered coastline. This will be an easy swim so that the guides can get an idea of everyone’s swimming ability and (if you wish) film you swimming above and below the water so that we can provide coaching advice later on in the evening. In the afternoon, we will venture south towards Scotland Cay, swimming up Scotland Cay’s sandy coastline (2-3km) and finishing in the stunning turquoise lagoon. Keep an eye our for the beautiful Eagle Rays!

MONDAY

Its an early start for breakfast before we hop in the boat and travel to Fowls Cays National Prk to swim around and along this biologically rich stretch of coral reef (3km). Keep your eyes out for turtles, rays and schools of tropical fish. In the afternoon, we will continue with an island-to-island swim, from Fowl Cays to Scotland Cay (1.5km).

TUESDAY

In the morning, we will head north to visit No Name Cay. This morning’s swim will be coastal swim along the beautiful sheltered shoreline of No Name Cay. Don’t be surprised if you bump into some unlikely locals at the end of your swim! We will then head to Green Turtle Cay where you will have the opportunity to buy lunch and look around. In the afternoon we will complete a circumnavigation of Crab Cay. The sea of Abaco has a large population of bottlenose dolphins, so keep your eyes peeled on the way to our swim spots!

WEDNESDAY

This morning we will head to a reef north of Great Guana Cay to swim along shallow reefs and admire the abundance of colourful marine life. In the afternoon, we will head back to New Heights for a few hours of relaxation before dinner. A local masseuse is available for you to book should you wish.

THURSDAY

Today will be a big day, with lots of swimming! After breakfast, we head down to Elbow Cay to complete our longest swim yet along the beautiful coastline (4-5km). Keep an eye out for turtles, reef sharks and rays. You will then have the opportunity to buy lunch in HopeTown and look around the lighthouse. In the afternoon we will complete our final relaxing reef swim before our farewell beach bonfire and dinner.

FRIDAY

Wake up, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, before the guides drive you down to your departure ferry. Checkout is at 10.30am.

TRAVEL & TIMINGS

This trip officially begins on Saturday evening with a welcome and dinner, once all guests arrive at New Heights. The trip finishes on Friday morning, usually after a leisurely breakfast.

As a small islet to the east of Great Abaco, Great Guana Cay does not have its own airport or even air strip. This island is home to only about 150 residents, and we visit to escape from the rest of the world for a week! You'll have to take a few extra steps in order to get away from it all, but in the end you'll find it to be worth the effort.

FLY TO MARSH HARBOUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

We advise booking flights through to Marsh Harbour International Airport (MHH). Frequent domestic and international services are available. We advise searching flight options via a flight engine such as www.skyscanner.net to find the cheapest fare. For European guests, it is often cost effective to fly from Europe via the US and then into the Bahamas.

GETTING TO GREAT GUANA CAY

Great Guana Cay is a small island without an air strip, so when you get to Marsh Harbour you will need to take a taxi (we can organise for the lovely Rensior to pick you up and drop you at the ferry for $20) and then a 20 minute ferry trip on an Albury’s Ferry to reach us. Albury's Ferries (www.alburysferry.com) operate five times a day and the fare from Marsh Harbour to Great Guana Cay costs $19. The last ferry is at 5.45pm, so you should plan your flight arrival accordingly.

CHECK OUT

Check out from New Heights is at 10.30am on Friday morning.

WHAT TO PACK

In addition to your everyday

clothing and personal travel items, we would also recommend packing:

At least two swimming costumes
A wetsuit should you wish to wear one
Two pairs of swim goggles
Swim ear plugs if you are used to wearing them
A beach / swim towel (the villa provides room towels)
Sandals, aqua shoes or flip flops which you would be happy to get wet if necessary
Warm clothes for evenings
Suncream, sunhat and sunglasses
Insect repellent
Comfortable sportswear (optional - running / stretching / yoga)

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

Non-residents of the Bahamas require a full passport to enter the country, which should be valid for at least six months beyond the expected length of stay. Citizens of most countries, including all E.U. member states, U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not require a visa to enter the Bahamas, however, if travelling via the U.S., you may need to obtain a visa or an ESTA. For further information, please visit www.bahamas.gov.bs. Please note that visa regulations are subject to change and we advise that you check your own visa requirements prior to travel.

VACCINATIONS

There are currently no essential vaccination requirements for Bahamas, however we advise you to check this information eight weeks before you travel. It is also advisable to check that you have up to date tetanus and polio. UK health authorities have classified the Bahamas as having a risk of Zika virus transmission. For more information and advice, visit the website of the National Travel Health Network and Centre website. Cases of Chikungunya virus have been confirmed in the Bahamas. You should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Use insect repellent and try to cover up at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are present.

INSURANCE

As a SwimQuest guest, you are required to have in place travel insurance that covers you for all activities you will be taking part in during your trip. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fully covered for these activities.

Whatever travel policy you decide on, you will need to bring a copy of your current Certificate of Insurance to the safety briefing at the start of your SwimQuest holiday. Your swim Guides will need to take a note of your insurer, policy number and the number to call in case of an emergency claim.

If you are looking for a travel insurance policy, we love worldnomads.com because they make choosing the right policy as painless as possible.

Worldnomads.com do not offer cover over 65s, however if you are over 65 and looking for insurance, please feel free to contact us and we can put you in touch with alternative providers.

SwimQuest Swimming Holidays

Open water swimming holidays

BAHAMAS