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, you can 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 where the Indians buried their dead in the days when Grand Bahama was theirs, centuries before the coming of Columbus. Crabs here have 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 trips and transports you home to your hotel by van, so you don't have to exhaust yourself in the heat cycling back. The same company offers variations on this itinerary, with more time spent on kayaking and snorkeling and less time on bicycling. All versions of the tour last about 5 hours and cost $79 (£42) for adults, half-price for children under 12. 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 (59-ft.) Defender glass-bottom boat. Any tour agent can arrange for you to go out on 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 two tours leave at 9:30 and 11:15am. The tour lasts 1 1/2 hours, costs $25 (£13) for adults and $15 (£7.95) for children 6 to 12, and is free for children 5 and under. During high season (that is, midwinter), arrange for reservations a day or two in advance, as the boat does fill up quickly.

Superior Watersports (P.O. Box F-40837, Freeport; tel. 242/373-7863; www.superiorwatersports.com) offers trips on its Bahama Mama, a two-deck, 22m (72-ft.) catamaran. Its Robinson Crusoe Beach Party is offered four times a week and costs $59 (£31) per adult and $39 (£21) for children under 12. Schedules vary with the seasons: 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 $45 (£24). (Apr-Sept, these cruises are on Tues, Thurs, and Sat night 6:30-8:30pm, and Oct-Mar the same nights, but 6-8pm.) Call for information about how to hook up with this outfitter.

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 of the boat and watch the sea life glide by. The "semisub" departs daily at 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm, and the 2-hour ride costs $39 (£21) for adults and $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 Explorers Society (UNEXSO), next to Port Lucaya, opposite the entrance to the Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya (tel. 800/992-DIVE or 242/373-1244; www.unexso.com). This "close encounter" program allows participants to observe these intelligent and 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 "sea gate" that prevents their natural predators from entering the lagoon; the dolphins later return of their own free will to the relative safety of their protected marine habitat. After a 25-minute ferryboat ride from Port Lucaya, you'll step onto a shallow wading platform and interact with the dolphins. At press time, the dolphin colony had 17 members. The experience costs $75 (£40) and is an educational, fun adventure for all ages. Children under 3 participate free, while it costs $38 (£20) for those aged 4 to 12. If you like to document your life's unusual experiences, you'll want to 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 $169 (£90). If business warrants, the dolphin dive is offered daily.

Swimming with dolphins has its supporters as well as its highly vocal critics. For an insight into the various points of view surrounding this issue, you may want to visit the Whale and Dolphins Conservation Society's website at www.wdcs.org. For more information about responsible travel in general, check out this website: the International Ecotourism Society (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 242/373-5891; www.bahamasvg.com/reeftours), offers one of the least expensive ways to go deep-sea fishing around Grand Bahama Island. Adults pay $110 (£58) if they fish, $50 (£27) if they go along only to watch. Four to six people can charter the entire 13m (43-ft.) craft for $650 (£345) per half-day or $1,250 (£663) per whole day. The 9.6m (31-ft.) boat can be chartered for $425 (£225) for a half-day and $825 (£437) 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.

Land & Sea Eco-Tours

If you're a nature lover, escape from the casinos and take one of the East End Adventures (tel. 242/373-6662; www.bahamasecotours.com) bush and sea safaris. You're taken through dense pine forests and along deserted beaches, going inland on hikes to such sites as blue holes, mangrove swamps, and underground caverns. You may even learn how to crack conch. A native lunch is served on a serene beach in Lightbourne's Cay, a remote islet in the East End. Most of the tour is laid-back, as you can snorkel in blue holes or shell hunt. These "Island Hopping Safaris" are conducted Sunday to Friday between 9:30am and 5pm; the cost is $120 (£64) for adults and $65 (£34) for kids ages 2 to 12.

Golf

Since the closing of two of the island's older courses (The Ruby and The Emerald) after the hurricane damages of the early millennium, Grand Bahama Island is not as richly accessorized with golf courses as it was before. But golf on the island recently experienced a resurgence, thanks to the improvement of the golf layouts described below. Each of them is open to the public year-round, and clubs can be rented from their respective pro shops.

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 cost $47 (£25) for 9 holes, $61 (£32) for 18. Carts are included in greens fees. Club rental costs $18 (£9.55) for 18 holes and $14 (£7.40) for 9 holes.

The best-kept and most-manicured course on Grand Bahama is the Lucayan Golf Course, Lucaya Beach at Our Lucaya (tel. 242/373-1333). Made over after Hurricane Jeanne of 2004, 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 $120 (£64) for 18 holes, including a mandatory shared golf cart.

Its sibling golf course, with an entirely separate clubhouse and staff, is the slightly older The 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 $90 and $140 (£48-£74), depending on the season, for 18 holes. Nonguests are charged between $110 and $160 (£58-£85) 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 the Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya's Senses Spa. The spa boasts 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 elements from The Bahamas. 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 payment of additional fees.

Horseback Riding

Pinetree Stables, North Beachway Drive, Freeport (tel. 242/373-3600 or 305/433-4809; www.pinetree-stables.com), are the best and -- with a boarded inventory of more than 50 horses -- biggest riding stables in The Bahamas, 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 $75 (£40) per person for a trail ride lasting 2 hours. No children under 8 are allowed. As a means of protecting the horses, the weight limit for riders is 200 pounds.

Sea Kayaking

If you'd like 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), who'll take you on kayak excursions through the mangroves, where you can see wildlife as you paddle along. The cost is $79 (£42) per person (children 11 and under pay half-price), with lunch included. Double kayaks are used on these jaunts, and children must be at least 3 years of age. For the same price, you can take a 30-minute trip by kayak 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 9am 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 such Grand Bahama sites as the Wall, the Caves (one of the most interesting of which is Ben's Cavern), Theo's Wreck, and Treasure Reef. Theo's Wreck is the most evocative site; it was 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 Explorers Society (UNEXSO) (tel. 800/992-DIVE or 242/373-1250; www.unexso.com), one of the premier dive outfitters in The Bahamas and the Caribbean, offers seven dive trips daily, including reef trips, shark dives, wreck dives, and night dives. Divers can even dive with 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 $85 (£45), students learn the basics in UNEXSO's training pools and dive the beautiful shallow reef with their instructor.

A nearby competitor, Reef Tours (tel. 242/373-5880; www.bahamasvacationguide.com/reeftours), offers well-recommended snorkeling tours. Lasting just under 2 hours each, they depart from Port Lucaya three times a day. Tours are priced at $35 (£19) each for adults and at $18 (£9.55) 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 $45 (£24) for adults and at $25 (£13) for children aged 6 to 12.

Tennis

The island's best tennis facilities are part of the Ace Tennis Center at the Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya resorts, Royal Palm Way (tel. 242/373-1333), where four separate tennis courts feature different playing surfaces. They include a grass court that's often favored by players from the U.K. (which rents for $100/£53 an hour), a clay surface (which rents for $50/£27 an hour), an "Ace Rebound" surface made from Nike rubber that's equivalent to the norm at the Australian Open (renting for $35/£19 an hour), and a hard decoturf (renting for $25/£13 an hour) that's similar to what's used at the U.S. Open. Advance reservations are necessary, and there is no discount of any kind for residents of the Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya. A resident pro on-site offers individual 1-hour tennis lessons for $90 (£48) each, and group tennis lessons for $50 (£27) per person.

Watersports

Ocean Motion Water Sports Ltd., Sea Horse Lane, Lucaya Beach (tel. 242/374-2425; www.oceanmotionbahamas.com), is one of the largest watersports companies on Grand Bahama. 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 $60 (£32) per person for 5 to 7 minutes in the air. Snorkeling trips cost $35 (£19; $18/£9.55 for kids under 12) for 1 1/2 hours; water-skiing, $40 (£21) per 3.2km (2-mile) pull, $60 (£32) for a 30-minute lesson; Hobie Cats, $50 (£27) for the 4.2m (14-ft.), $75 (£40) for the 4.8m (16-ft.), $20 (£11) for a lesson; windsurfing, $30 (£16) per hour, $100 (£53) for a 2-hour lesson; kayaking, $20 (£11) for a single kayak, $25 (£13) for a double; water trampoline, $20 (£11) full day, $10 (£5.30) half-day; and banana boating, $15 (£7.95) 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 rented at $65 (£34) per 30 minutes and double kayaks costing $25 (£13) per hour for two passengers. The outfitter also offers double paddle boats, holding four people, for $25 (£13) per hour. The sunset cruises -- a 2-hour sailboat ride offered every Wednesday between 5 and 7pm -- are especially popular and cost $45 (£24) per person.