North of Black Point, Exuma, Bahamas 24 06.629′ 76 N 24.648′ W Depth 0-15ft.
The village of Black Point is always a stop for us on our way up and down the Exuma Islands. The harbor and town are nice and the reef is located a short dinghy ride around Dothan Point, the northern point of the harbor. It is marked on the charts as submerged rocks and you will see the dark spots in the water soon after you round the point. Since these heads are near the channel for Dothan Cut, the current can be strong at times but you may find less current near to shore and there is a sheltered spot just on the north side of the point that has a few rocks too. Best visibility and current conditions will be 1-2 hours before high tide and during slack tide.
The reef consists of several patch heads of varying sizes scattered over the bottom. These shallow patch heads benefit from water exchange between the ocean and banks running through Dothan Cut, which is just to the east.
Dark patches in the water are coral heads. Anchor the dinghy in the sand between the heads. Make sure your anchor or line won’t drag onto the coral. The rock wall on shore is a good place to snorkel too. Photo is looking east toward the cut.A surface view of the coral heads at Black Point. A large parrotfish is swimming in the center of the photo.Lobed Star Coral (Orbicella annularis ) makes up most of the basic reef structure here. It is easy to identify, even from snorkeling on the surface, by its lobed growth form.Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) often grows in large round balls. This one is about 2.5 ft in diameter. This coral has small, round indented corallites.Grooved Brain Coral (Diplora labyrinthifomis) is also often spherical in form. This one is growing on a rock with some Mustard Hill Coral (Porites astreoides) festooned with Christmas Tree Worms (Spirobranchus giganteus).Boulder Brain Coral (Colopophyllia natans) grows in a dome-shaped or encrusting form. This is a large head, probably about 5ft long.
Coral heads are rarely made up of just one species of coral. Smaller coral species, gorgonians, algae, and sponges are also members of the reef. Hermatypic (reef-building) coral creates the massive underlying rock of the reef. As parts of it die, the exposed coral skeleton is rapidly colonized by other organisms, sometimes other corals. These organisms spend the first part of their lives as larvae, drifting and swimming about in the plankton, waiting for an opportunity to attach to something and develop into an adult.
From the water surface, this head is dominated by a large Black Ball Sponge (Ircinia strobilina) that covers nearly half of the left side. The black pits in the sponge are the oscula (water outflow openings). In the left top corner is a lavender rope sponge . Finger Coral (Porites sp.) is in the center surrounded by some orange and red encrusting and rope sponges and some Mustard Hill Coral (brown in color, not the usual bright yellow). To the left of the Finger Coral are a few sprigs of Branching Fire Coral (Millepora alcicornis).A bottom view of the coral head above. The large Black Ball Sponge is on the left and in the center is an orange Octopus Sponge (Ectyoplasia ferox), other multicolored sponges and small coral colonies cover the rest of the rock. Once a sponge or coral claims space it uses toxic chemicals to prevent other organisms from growing over it or larvae from settling on it. It may also use its chemicals to damage its neighbors to claim further space to grow.In this picture a Lobed Star Coral is in the center, a Massive Starlet Coral is to the right, a Great Star coral is below and a Mountainous Star Coral (Orbicella faveolata) is on the left.Gorgonians (sea whips, rods and sea fans) thrive here along with the stony corals and sponges.Among the many colorful sponges you will see is the Branchlet Sponge (Aplysina insularis).A bright orange rope sponge with a darker orange Octopus Sponge (Ectyoplasia ferox) above and a Pitted Sponge (Verongula rigida) in the top left and right corners.
The jumble of coral and sponges and other life provides habitat for other reef fish and invertebrates.
A large Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) will come out while you are observing from the surface but will disappear into the coral when you dive down and approach. Also seen here is a Parrotfish and a few small French Grunts.Probably the most numerous fish you will see are the French Grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum) . They school around the coral and gorgonians. The fish in the background on the left with the vertical stripes is a Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus), a member of the snapper family.A Lionfish (Pterois volitans) comes out from under the rocks to hunt juvenile grunts. They were introduced from the Pacific Ocean about 20 or so years ago.This Grey Angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus) has nearly transitioned from the striped juvenile color to the adult color. Dark red sponge, purple sea fans, some pitted sponges and several small coral colonies make up this small head.Be on the lookout for the Rock Beauty (Holacanthus tricolor). This one is a juvenile about 3 inches long.Small coral heads with holes and caves make perfect dens for the Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus).Spotfin Butterfly Fish (Chaetodon ocellatus) are often seen in pairs.The Tiger Grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) doesn’t expose itself for long. It doesn’t realize I have only a camera, not a spear.
Inlets and channels are good places to see larger fish. They often swim from the inlet channel into the shallows here at Black Point.
Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) are inhabitants of just about any type of reef. They are curious and will come and look you over. That can be unnerving but they are generally not aggressive unless you are spearing fish or lobster. This one was hovering directly over a Mountainous Star Coral head. Its behavior indicated that it was at a cleaning station. A couple of Bluehead Wrasses are attending the Barracuda and the arrow points to a small Sharknose Goby who is the resident cleaner on this coral head.The Sharknose Goby (Elacatinus evelynae) is a cleaner fish. A large fish comes up to the station and waits in a relaxed pose signaling to the goby and other fish nearby to come and clean parasites off the larger fish’s skin, mouth and gills.The goby is on the Barracuda’s head.It even enters the mouth in no danger. The Barracuda expands its gills so that the goby can get in there and clean them.I also often see Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) here. Most of the time they are just swimming through but this one rested on the bottom for the whole 2 hours I was there snorkeling. It was about 6 ft long and has a Sharksucker fish (Echeneis naucrates) on its head. The Sharksucker is upside down since the sucker, by which it attaches to the shark, is on the top of its head. Most of the time sharksuckers ride on the bottom or side of the shark waiting to grab pieces of a meal the shark is eating.This Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari) has a wingspan of easily 6 ft across. This one has an unusually long tail and is followed by 2 Sharksuckers. I have had small sharksuckers attach to my leg. They are not harmful but it feels kind of scratchy.Spotted Eagle Rays are not aggressive but they have venomous barbs are at the base of the tail. Watch all stingrays from a safe distance. They have a nervous reflex that brings the barbs up if the ray is touched on the back.
There is always something new to see here. Dive down and take a closer look among the gorgonians and in holes in the rock.
This is the first time I had ever seen a Flamingo Tongue snail (Cyphoma gibbosum) laying eggs. The eggs are the small speckles inside the clear capsules under the snail. The snail’s head is at the top of the photo. You can see the two tentacles and the excurrent siphon.This colorful Dark Mantis Shrimp (Neogonodactylus curacaoensis) was wary of my camera but not frightened enough to stay in its hole.I usually see the Cherubfish (Centropyge argi) in deeper places, particularly in the middle of the inlet channels, however I saw several here in 2017.I spotted this Polka-Dot Hermit Crab (Phimochirus operculatus) in a small depression in the rock.The arrow points to a matted appearing place in the branches of a gorgonian. Dive down and take a look.It’s a sleeping Giant Basket Star (Astrophyton muricatum). Thousands of branching arms hold the basket star onto the gorgonian during the day. At night it unfolds and the arms turn into a 2-3 ft diameter net for capturing food.
So whether you are looking from the surface down or sticking your head in the rocks, there is something for everyone at Black Point.
