In August the Exuma shallows turn the color of glass lit from underneath, and the first crawfish of the new season land on the docks at George Town and Staniel Cay. Afternoons are for shade, a cold drink and the sound of boat engines easing into the harbor. This is the Exumas in high summer: hot, slow and very blue, with lobster back on the menu and the water as warm as it gets.
What is the weather like in the Exumas in August?
August in the Exumas is hot, bright and humid, with sea water as warm as the air in the shade and long days that stretch well into the evening.
| Month | Sea at the Exumas (°F) | Daylight on the 15th (hours and minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| July | 87.3 | 13 h 29 min |
| August | 87.3 | 12 h 59 min |
| September | 87.3 | 12 h 19 min |
August in Nassau brings daytime peaks near 91°F on average, alongside mild evenings and frequent rain. That is a fair picture of the heat you carry onto the islands: mornings are already warm by breakfast, midday is the hour for shade or water, and the evenings stay soft enough to eat outside without a layer.
Rain in a Bahamian summer tends to come as a short, heavy shower from a building cloud, often in the afternoon, followed by sun and steam. It rarely ruins a whole day. Plan boat outings for the morning and keep the later hours loose, and a passing squall becomes a good excuse for a long lunch on a covered deck.
The sea sits at the same warm level as in the months on either side, so the water never turns into a reason to stay out of it. Daylight lasts nearly thirteen hours, which gives you a bright morning, a long afternoon and a sunset that arrives with time left for dinner. A hat and clothes that are light and loose handle most of it.
Can you swim in the Exumas in August?
Sure thing, the water is warm enough for you to stay in as long as you want, with no gasp when you get in and no shivering under a towel afterward.
With so many small islands and cays, the Exuma shoreline varies a lot: a sheltered cove can feel very different from an open beach a short boat ride away. Day to day and shore to shore, things shift, so check the water right in front of you before stepping in, and ask the folks at your boat or hotel about the place you have in mind.
Staniel Cay is known for its marine encounters. The marina lets guests take a dip alongside nurse sharks, and that’s on them, since a hand close to those mouths may get bitten.
Pigs roam a sandy stretch at Pig Beach, which sits near Staniel Cay too, and that adds up to a beach day of a whole other sort. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, a rash guard for the long hours in the sun, and a mask if you like looking at fish.
What to do in the Exumas in August
The month belongs to the water and to the table. The new crawfish season opens on the first day of August and runs through March, so lobster is fresh and everywhere. Mornings are for boats, midday for shade and long meals, and evenings for harbor-side drinks while the heat drains from the day.
There is no big street festival to plan around. The pleasures are quieter: sailing, snacking on conch and grilled fish, and watching local kids tack across the harbor. Since 2013, the Exuma Sailing Club has taught young Exumians to sail in Elizabeth Harbour at no cost, supported by outside funding, and when the morning brings a breeze you might spot little sails scattered across the water near George Town.
Crawfish and the August table
Crawfish is the local spiny lobster, the kind with no big claws, and menus often use it interchangeably with the word lobster. In August it is the thing to order. It comes grilled, cracked, stewed in a rich brown gravy or tossed in a salad, and almost every kitchen on the islands has its own way with it.
On a sweltering day, nothing beats this salad for a light option: diced lobster, onions, sweet peppers and lime juice, offered over greens, by itself or stuffed into a sandwich. At Santanna’s, at the southern end of Little Exuma, Mr. Rolle caught and grilled lobster by the water, and that seaside stop became a destination. Pair a plate with a cold local beer or a fresh fruit punch, and let the afternoon go slowly.
Pig Beach and Staniel Cay
Staniel Cay sits in the middle of the cays and works as a base for boat days. Pig Beach nearby is a stretch of sand where the resident pigs wander down to the water, sometimes swimming out to greet arriving boats. Kids love it, and it makes a funny, memorable photo stop.
Go early, when the sun is lower and the sand is not yet scorching. The pigs are animals, so keep food and bags close and your hands to yourself. Combine the visit with a swim off the boat and a lunch back at the marina, and you have a full morning and an easy afternoon.
The Norman’s Cay plane wreck
A downed cargo plane sits in the shallows of the lagoon at Norman’s Cay, up in the northern Exumas. Should you lack a vessel of your own, a guided trip out of Staniel Cay or Nassau can ferry you to that spot. The shallows are clear and the sun overhead is bright, so midmorning light shows the fuselage well.
Bring a mask and a hat, and expect a warm, flat-bottomed lagoon where the wreck sits among small fish. It suits curious travelers who like a story with their swim, and it pairs nicely with a beach stop on the way back.
George Town and Great Exuma
George Town, on Great Exuma, is the district’s main town, with a harbor full of sailboats and a Government Building modeled on the one in Nassau. It is a place for strolling, picking up supplies and finding a seat with a view of Elizabeth Harbour.
A bridge links Great Exuma to Little Exuma, so a day can include a harbor morning, a drive south and a lobster lunch by the water. In the heat, move between shade, sea and table, and leave the late afternoon for a quiet sit by the harbor as the boats come in.
A two-day itinerary for the Exumas in August
Day 1. Begin in George Town while the air is still gentle. Walk the waterfront, look at the Government Building and watch the boats at anchor. Have a slow breakfast, then spend the late morning browsing the shops and stands before the heat peaks.
At midday, take shade and a long lunch, ideally crawfish salad on a covered terrace. Afternoon showers are common, so a bar or café with a roof is your rain card. When the sky clears, drive south toward Little Exuma and stop at Santanna’s for grilled lobster by the sea. Sunset comes with plenty of daylight left, so linger.
Day 2. Head for Staniel Cay in the morning and go straight to Pig Beach, before the sun gets strong. Swim off the boat, then continue to the marina for a look at the nurse sharks, keeping hands well away from their mouths.
Spend midday on a tour to the plane wreck at Norman’s Cay, where the shallow lagoon is bright and the water warm. Return for a late lunch at the marina and use the afternoon to rest, since storms build then. Finish with dinner on the dock as the light turns gold. If the weather closes in, stay under a roof and wait for the next clear spell.
Is the Exumas busy in August?
August is a summer month, and the islands feel relaxed rather than crowded, with a pace set by the heat and the boats.
Families on school vacation fill some boat trips and beachside tables, especially at the best-known stops such as Pig Beach and the marinas of Staniel Cay. George Town stays calm, and many stretches of beach are yours alone. Boat trips are the thing that fills first, since they depend on a captain and a seat.
As a habit, reserve boat outings and any tour to the Norman’s Cay wreck early if your dates fall in the busier summer weeks, and leave quieter weeks more open. Rooms and tables are easier to find away from the holiday stretches, and a flexible plan lets you shift a boat day if a storm rolls through. Nothing in the available information points to a permit or a park reservation you must make for August.
What to pack for the Exumas in August
Pack for sun, salt and sudden showers, and keep it light.
- Light, breathable clothes, because the heat and humidity are constant.
- A wide-brimmed hat and reef-safe sunscreen, for long hours on the water.
- Water shoes, for sandy shallows and boat landings.
- A rain jacket that packs small, for afternoon squalls.
- A mask and snorkel, for the wreck and the clear shallows.
- A waterproof pouch, to keep your phone dry on the boat.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
August falls inside the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, with activity picking up from mid-August toward the peak in early September. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation tracks storms, and its Bahamas.com hurricane page carries updates. Keep your boat days flexible, because weather can shift an outing.
When you land, the Bahamas Department of Immigration requires that you present a passport good for six months or more plus a ticket for return or onward travel. For a visit, no Bahamian visa is required if you are a U.S. citizen.
The Exumas in August vs July and September
July looks much like August for the water, with a slightly longer day and a little less rain in Nassau. The big difference is the lobster: the season has not yet opened, so you would miss the first fresh catch. Choose July if the longest light matters more to you than the table.
September keeps the same warm sea, with shorter days and the peak of the hurricane season arriving early in the month. Many people find the islands quieter, and the crawfish season is still running. The trade-off is more weather to watch and less margin for a fixed schedule.
August suits travelers who want the lobster as soon as it opens, with the weather still manageable. Shift earlier for the longest evenings, or later if quiet matters more than certainty.
Is August a good time to visit the Exumas?
Yes, for travelers who like heat, warm water and a slow pace, and who are happy to organize days around the sea and the shade.
It suits families who want boat days and a beach with pigs, couples who want lobster on a dock at sunset, and anyone who likes to wake early and rest at noon. It is less suited to people who dislike humidity, want a packed festival calendar or need a firm schedule that no shower can move.
On arrival, settle in and do the water first: a swim, a boat to Pig Beach, a crawfish lunch. The month when lobster returns and the shallows shine is August in the Exumas, and the simplest way to love it is from a dock seat with a cold drink and all that blue distance ahead.
Sources
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 10, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BF000078073 (Nassau Airport), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BF000078073), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, crawfish season (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/its-crawfish-season), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Hurricane and storm information (https://www.bahamas.com/hurricane-storm-information), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Exuma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exuma), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Exuma travel guide (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Exuma), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, George Town, Exuma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Town,_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Exuma Sailing Club (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/exuma-sailing-club), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Protecting The Exumas (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/protecting-the-exumas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Santannas Exuma (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/santannas-exuma), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Geography of the Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Island FAQ (https://www.bahamas.com/plan-your-trip/island-faq), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Entry requirements (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Before your arrival (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/before-your-arrival/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in the Exumas: Swimming Pigs, Thunderball Grotto, Beaches and Fresh Lobster
- Where to Stay in the Exumas: George Town, Little Exuma, Staniel Cay and How to Choose
- The Exumas from Miami: Flights, Connections, Boats and Making a Day of It
- Know Before You Go to the Exumas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Sun