Active Pursuits

Biking

A guided bike trip is an ideal way to see parts of Grand Bahama that most visitors miss. Starting at Barbary Beach, pedal a mountain bike along the southern coast parallel to the beach. Stop for a snack, lunch, and a dip. Finally, you reach Lucayan National Park, some 19km (12 miles) away. Explore the cave in which the natives, centuries before the coming of Columbus, buried their dead. Crabs here occasionally come up through holes in the ground carrying bits of bowls once used by the Lucayans. Grand Bahama Nature Tours (also known as Kayak Nature Tours; tel. 242/373-2485; www.grandbahamanaturetours.com) runs these bike trips and transports you home to your hotel by van so you don't exhaust yourself in the heat while cycling back. The same company offers variations on this itinerary, with more time spent kayaking and snorkeling. All tours last about 5 hours and cost US$79 (£40) for adults, US$40 (£20) for children 11 and under. All equipment, sustenance, and round-trip transportation from your hotel is included.

Boat Cruises

Ocean Wonder, Port Lucaya Dock (tel. 242/373-5880), run by Reef Tours, is a gargantuan 18m Defender glass-bottom boat. Any tour agent can arrange for you to board this vessel. You'll get a panoramic view of the beautiful underwater life off the coast of Grand Bahama. Cruises depart from Port Lucaya behind the straw market on the bay side at 9:30am, 11:15am, 1:15pm, and 3:15pm, except Friday, when only the earlier two tours happen. The tour lasts 1 1/2 hours, costs US$25 (£13) for adults and US$15 (£7.50) for children 6 to 12, and is free for kids 5 and under. During high season (midwinter), arrange for reservations a day or two in advance, as the boat does fill up quickly.

Superior Watersports (Freeport; tel. 242/373-7863; www.superiorwatersports.com) offers trips on its Bahama Mama, a two-deck, 22m catamaran. Its Robinson Crusoe Beach Party is offered four times a week and costs US$59 (£30) per adult and US$39 (£20) for children 11 and under. Schedules vary with the season: from 11am to 4pm from October through March, but from noon to 5pm from April through September. There's also a shorter sunset booze cruise that goes for US$45 (£23). (Apr-Sept cruises are on Tues, Thurs, and Sat night 6:30-8:30pm, and Oct-Mar the same nights, but 6-8pm.)

For an underwater cruise, try the company's quasi-submarine, the Seaworld Explorer. The sub itself does not descend; instead, you walk down into the hull and watch the sea life glide by. It departs daily at 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm, and the 2-hour ride costs US$45 (£23) for adults and US$25 (£13) for children age 2 to 12.

The Dolphin Experience

A pod of bottle-nosed dolphins is involved in a unique dolphin-human familiarization program at Dolphin Experience, located at Underwater Explorer Society (UNEXSO), next to Port Lucaya, opposite the entrance to the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya (tel. 800/992-DIVE [3483] or 242/373-1244; www.unexso.com). This close-encounter program allows participants to observe these intelligent, friendly animals and hear an interesting talk by a member of the animal-care staff. At the world's largest dolphin facility, the conditions aren't cramped. In addition, dolphins can swim out to sea, passing through an underwater gate that prevents their natural predators from entering the lagoon; the dolphins later return of their own free will to their protected marine habitat. After a 25-minute ferryboat ride from Port Lucaya, you'll step onto a shallow wading platform to interact with the dolphins. At press time, the dolphin colony had 17 members. The experience costs US$75 (£38) and is an educational, fun adventure for all ages. Children under 3 participate free, and it costs US$50 (£25) for those aged 4 to 12. If you like to document your life's unusual experiences, bring your camera. For certified divers, UNEXSO offers a dolphin dive, wherein a school of dolphins swim out from their marine habitat in Sanctuary Bay for a closely supervised diver-to-dolphin encounter. The cost is US$169 (£85). If business warrants, the dolphin dive is offered daily.

Swimming with dolphins has its supporters as well as its highly vocal critics. For insight into the various points of view surrounding this issue, visit the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's website at www.wdcs.org. For more information about responsible travel in general, check out www.ecotourism.org.

Fishing

In the waters off Grand Bahama, you can fish for barracuda, snapper, grouper, yellowtail, wahoo, and kingfish, along with other denizens of the deep.

Reef Tours, Ltd., Port Lucaya Dock (tel. 242/373-5880 or 373-5891; www.bahamasvg.com/reeftours), offers one of the least expensive ways to go deep-sea fishing around Grand Bahama. Adults pay US$110 (£55) if they fish, US$50 (£25) if they go along only to watch. Four to six people can charter the entire 13m craft for US$650 (£325) per half-day or US$1,250 (£625) per whole day. The 9.6m boat can be chartered for US$440 (£220) for a half-day and US$825 (£413) for a full day. Departures for the 4-hour half-day excursions are daily at 8:30am and 1pm, while the 8-hour full-day excursions leave daily at 8:30am. Bait, tackle, and ice are included in the cost.

Golf

Since two of the island's older courses, the Ruby and the Emerald, closed after the hurricane damages of the early millennium, Grand Bahama is not as richly accessorized with golf courses as it used to be. But golf on the island recently experienced a resurgence, thanks to the improvements to the courses described below. They're open to the public year-round; their pro shops can rent you clubs.

Fortune Hills Golf & Country Club, Richmond Park, Lucaya (tel. 242/373-2222), was originally intended to be an 18-hole course, but the back 9 were never completed. You can replay the front 9 for 18 holes and a total of 6,916 yards from the blue tees. Par is 72. Greens fees are US$36 (£18) for 9 holes, US$48 (£24) for 18; carts are included. Club rental costs US$20 (£10) for 18 holes and US$16 (£8) for 9 holes.

The island's best-kept and most-manicured course is Lucayan Golf Course, Lucaya Beach at Our Lucaya (tel. 242/373-1333). Made over after 2004's Hurricane Jeanne, this beautiful course is a traditional golf layout with rows of pine trees separating the fairways. Greens are fast, with a couple of par-5s more than 500 yards long, totaling 6,824 yards from the blue tees and 6,488 from the whites. Par is 72. Greens fees are US$120 (£60) for 18 holes, including a mandatory shared golf cart.

Its sibling golf course, with an entirely separate clubhouse and staff, is the slightly older Reef Course, Royal Palm Way, at Our Lucaya (tel. 242/373-1333). Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., who called it "a bit like a Scottish course but a lot warmer," the course boasts 6,920 yards of links-style playing grounds. It features a wide-open layout without rows of trees to separate its fairways and lots of water traps -- you'll find water on 13 of the 18 holes and various types of long grass swaying in the trade winds. Play requires patience and precise shot-making to avoid the numerous lakes.

At either of the above-mentioned golf courses, guests at either the Westin or Sheraton hotels, with which the courses are associated, pay between US$90 and US$120 (£45-£60), depending on the season, for 18 holes. Nonguests are charged between US$110 and US$160 (£55-£80) for 18 holes. Rates include use of an electric-powered golf cart.

The Ultimate in Relaxation

The ideal place to relieve the stresses of everyday life can be found at Our Lucaya's Senses Spa, boasting an exercise facility with health checks, personal trainers, and yoga classes. A cafe serves fresh, natural food and elixirs. During one of their signature treatments, the Total Senses Massage, two massage therapists work in sync to relieve your tension. Throughout the Salt Glo body polish treatment, a therapist buffs away dead skin cells and polishes your body with natural, locally derived elements. Note that residents of either the Westin or the Sheraton can use the health and exercise facilities without charge, but spa, health, massage, and beauty treatments must be scheduled in advance and require additional payment.

Horseback Riding

Pinetree Stables, North Beachway Drive, Freeport (tel. 242/373-3600 or 305/433-4809; www.pinetree-stables.com), has the country's best and -- with a boarded inventory of more than 50 horses -- biggest riding stables, superior to rivals on New Providence Island (Nassau). Pinetree offers trail rides to the beach Tuesday through Sunday year-round at 9 and 11:30am. The cost is US$85 (£43) per person for a trail ride lasting 2 hours. No children under 8 are allowed. The weight limit for riders is 200 pounds.

Sea Kayaking

To explore the waters off the island's north shore, call Grand Bahama Nature Tours (tel. 866/440-4542 or 242/373-2485; www.grandbahamanaturetours.com) and go on kayak excursions through the mangroves, where you can see wildlife as you paddle along. The cost is US$79 (£40) per person (children 11 and under pay US$40/£20), with lunch included. Double kayaks are used on these jaunts, and children must be at least 3 years old. For the same price, you can take a 30-minute kayak trip to an offshore island, with 1 1/2 hours of snorkeling included along with lunch. Call ahead for reservations for either of these tours. A van will pick you up at your hotel between 9 and 10am and deliver you back at the end of the tour, usually sometime between 3 and 4pm. A popular variation on this tour, which operates during the same hours and at the same prices, includes more time devoted to snorkeling above a series of shallow offshore reefs and slightly less time allocated to kayaking.

Snorkeling & Scuba Diving

Serious divers are attracted to Grand Bahama sites like the Wall, the Caves (one of the most interesting of which is Ben's Cavern), Treasure Reef, and the most evocative of all, Theo's Wreck, a freighter that was deliberately sunk off Freeport to attract marine life. Today it teems with everything from horse-eyed jacks to moray eels. Other top locales include Spit City, Ben Blue Hole, Pygmy Caves, Gold Rock, Silver Point Reef, and the Rose Garden.

Underwater Explorer Society (UNEXSO) (tel. 800/992-DIVE [992-3483] or 242/373-1250; www.unexso.com), one of the premier dive outfitters in the Caribbean, offers seven dive trips daily, including reef trips, shark dives, wreck dives, and night dives. Divers can even meet dolphins in the open ocean here -- a rare experience offered by very few facilities in the world.

A popular 3-hour learn-to-dive course, the Mini-B Pool and Reef Adventure, is offered daily. Over UNEXSO's 30-year history, more than 50,000 people have successfully completed either this course or its similar predecessors. For US$85 (£43), students learn the basics in UNEXSO's training pools and dive the beautiful shallow reef with an instructor.

A nearby competitor, Reef Tours (tel. 242/373-5880; www.bahamasvacationguide.com/reeftours), offers highly recommended snorkeling tours. Lasting just less than 2 hours each, they depart from Port Lucaya thrice daily. Tours are priced at US$45 (£23) for adults and US$25 (£13) for children aged 6 to 12, with all equipment included. A variation on that program is a 3-hour sail-and-snorkel-tour. Departing daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm, it's priced at US$45 (£23) for adults and at US$25 (£13) for children aged 6 to 12.

Tennis

The island's best tennis facilities are part of the Ace Tennis Center at Our Lucaya (tel. 242/350-5294), where four tennis courts feature different playing surfaces. They include a grass court (US$100/£50 per hour) that's often favored by players from the U.K., a clay surface (US$50/£25 per hour), a surface made from Nike rubber that's equivalent to the norm at the Australian Open (US$35/£18 per hour), and a hard deco-turf (US$25/£13 per hour) that's similar to what U.S. Open players compete on. Advance reservations are necessary, and there is no discount of any kind for resort guests. A resident pro offers individual 1-hour tennis lessons for US$90 (£45) per person, or US$130 (£65) for a couple.

Watersports

Ocean Motion Water Sports Ltd., Sea Horse Lane, Lucaya Beach (tel. 242/374-2425; www.oceanmotionbahamas.com), is one of the island's largest watersports companies. It offers a wide variety of activities daily from 9am to 5pm, weather permitting, including snorkeling, parasailing, Hobie Cats, banana boats, water-skiing, jet skis, windsurfing, and other activities. Parasailing, for example, costs US$70 (£35) per person for 5 to 7 minutes in the air. Snorkeling trips cost US$35 (£18; US$18/£9 for kids under 12) for 1 1/2 hours; water-skiing, US$40 (£20) per 3.2km (2-mile) pull, US$60 (£30) for a 30-minute lesson; Hobie Cats, US$50 (£25) for the 4.2m, US$75 (£38) for the 4.8m, US$20 (£10) for a lesson; windsurfing, US$30 (£15) per hour, US$100 (£50) for a 2-hour lesson; kayaking, US$20 (£10) for a single kayak, US$25 (£13) for a double; water trampoline, US$20 (£10) full day, US$10 (£5) half-day; and banana boating, US$15 (£7.50) per person for a 3.2km (2-mile) ride along a white-sandy beach. Call for reservations, especially for windsurfing.

Lucaya Watersports, Taíno Beach (tel. 242/373-6375), also offers options for fun in the surf, including WaveRunners for US$60 (£30) per 30 minutes and double kayaks costing US$20 (£10) per hour for two passengers. The outfitter also offers paddle boats that hold four people, for US$20 (£10) per hour. The sunset cruises -- a 2-hour sailboat ride offered every Wednesday between 5 and 7pm -- are especially popular and cost US$45 (£23) per person.