Pigs of Paradise: The Story of the World-Famous Swimming Pigs

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Finally, I got a more upfront answer from one of the locals who grew up on a neighboring island. With confidence, she said: We just wanted to experience this,” says Elvin Mammadov, who interrupted a three-week trip around Florida with his friend Michael Kubiak to catch a ferry from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport, Grand Bahama, just to do the pigs. “It’s like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower.” If the weather is bad, they won’t go because of choppy seas. But, if you’re flying in, or staying on the island, they can wait until the weather passes (which is common in the Exumas). She explained that it was her love for animals that really birthed the vision for this tourist attraction as that saved several of the piglets from a farm that was being closed. The others are ones that she raised on her own farm. They were initially brought as pets, however, after gaining popularity through tourism, the Compass Cay Marina has turned the environment into a sanctuary for dozens of nurse sharks in the area.

While they have no natural predators on the island, the iguanas on Bitter Guana Cay are endangered – their biggest threat being humans. Although illegal, the iguanas are often hunted for human consumption. As instructed, we kept our distance from the iguanas as we said G’day, snapped photos, and took in the beauty of their pristine environment. With the light coming through the cave from holes above and below under the water there were varying hues of blue underwater as well. We saw pretty coral and fishEven all the way from Australia – the land of beautiful beaches – our followers said, “ How do I get there? I’m coming!” So, you want to swim with pigs in the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Bahamas? We did just that in the beautiful Exumas Islands, and this is how you can do it too! Our kids loved the experience

As business savvy locals see how effective they are at attracting tourists and generating profit. Some entrepreneurial locals are bringing pigs to create new “pig islands.” This is a huge problem, especially considering there is no oversight or accountability for the wellbeing of the pigs. Bottom line—the pigs are not living out long lives of freedom on a deserted island in the Bahamas. If you are doing the Swimming with Pigs tour with 3N’s Exuma Vacations, you will end with lunch at the Flying Pig Café located in the Embrace Resort on Staniel Cay.

Despite all these problems, Pig Beach has seen a recent surge in popularity, with tourists visiting from all around the world. While I was there, there was a group who had traveled all the way from Japan to the Bahamasfor just one day, just to see the pigs. That’s where you come in. I’m not sure why The Bahamas was never on my radar. Probably because I’m Australian and had my fair share of spectacular beaches and islands. Would it really interest me, or would I just be as blasé as one gets visiting Europe and seeing endless churches? Pirate Beach on Staniel Cay is incredible! Before going on this swimming with pigs tour on Pig Beach, Kalyra was adamant she was not swimming with the pigs as they are filthy – despite my protests that they were actually very clean animals. Compass Cay Marina has one of the rare totally protected harbors in the Exumas. It’s a haven for boats, particularly big yachts. Keep an eye out as Michael Jordan was near here only a few days before us.