Early on an October morning in the Exumas, fishermen at the docks are sorting the first crawfish of the day, and the water behind them is the color of sea glass. The summer heat is easing, the light turns softer by late afternoon, and the cays feel unhurried. The month suits travelers who want warm water, boat days among the cays and a lobster dinner on a beach.
What is the weather like in the Exumas in October?
October is still summer-warm in the Exumas, with a sea that holds its heat and days that are noticeably shorter than a month earlier.
| Month | Sea at the Exumas (°F) | Daylight on the 15th (hours and minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| September | 87.3 | 12 h 19 min |
| October | 85.5 | 11 h 39 min |
| November | 81.4 | 11 h 02 min |
October in Nassau brings highs of roughly 87°F, a reading that hints at what the air feels like around the islands now. Mornings are the pleasant hours for walking a settlement or loading a boat. By early afternoon the sun is strong, so shade, a hat and a long lunch make sense. Showers tend to arrive as passing squalls, and a gray hour is often followed by a bright one.
October sits within the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts until the end of November, while the peak period of activity spans mid-August to mid-October. A tropical system can change a boat plan with little notice, and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation follows storms in the Atlantic.
Evenings are mild enough to eat outside, and the sun now sets early enough that dinner often happens in the last pink light. The days are shorter by a good margin than in September, so a full boat day needs a sensible start.
Can you swim in the Exumas in October?
The sea is warm enough for long, unhurried time in the water, a shade cooler than at the end of summer but still far from bracing.
The Exumas are more than 365 islands and cays, so each beach has its own character. Some stretches are sheltered on the bank side, others face open Atlantic water and can carry waves, and conditions shift from day to day and from one shore to the next. Check the water right in front of you before you step in, and watch out for currents between cays.
For snorkeling, Thunderball Grotto near Staniel Cay is the name everyone knows, and visitors there snorkel, dive and wade through the cave system. Pack a mask and snorkel in your bag, plus water shoes for rocky edges and a light rash guard for those long hours in the sun.
What to do in the Exumas in October
The great October pleasure is lobster. The crawfish season began in August and is still running, so fishermen are bringing in a fresh catch, and the word on a menu may be crawfish or lobster, since the two are used interchangeably. Order it grilled, in a stew or tossed in a cold salad with lime, and eat it somewhere with sand underfoot.
Beyond the table, October is a month for the water: boat days, snorkeling stops and slow drifts along sandbars. Between squalls, the sky over the shallows turns pale blue and the sea shows its famous range of greens. Rainy hours are best spent over a long meal.
Big Major Cay and the swimming pigs
Pig Beach is the postcard of the Exumas: a small cay where about twenty pigs and piglets wander the sand and paddle out to greet arriving boats. It lies near Staniel Cay, and the only way there is on the water, whether on your own vessel, a charter or a booked boat tour.
Go with a boat day in mind rather than a quick photo stop. The cay has three freshwater springs, which explains how the animals live there, and the beach itself is pleasant for a pause. Keep your distance from the pigs, bring a hat for the open sun and plan to move on to another cay afterward.
Thunderball Grotto
Thunderball Grotto sits in the rock just west of Staniel Cay, a cave system whose ceiling openings let the light come through. Folks snorkel, dive and wade in that spot, and yellow-tail snappers, angelfish and sergeant majors live in the water over coral that is brightly colored.
The best hours are around midday, when the sun is high and the beams reach deepest into the cave. With the sea still warm in October, the visit feels like a pleasure rather than a test of endurance. Bring your own mask, and treat the place gently, since the marine life is the whole point.
Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
Just past the pigs, a long chain of cays and bright shallows is safeguarded by the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. Established in 1958, it was the first land and sea park in the world, covers 176 square miles and is a no-take reserve where all fishing is prohibited.
What you see is the result: reefs, sandbars, sea birds and water of striking clarity. The park suits travelers who like to look rather than catch, and boaters have long treated Highbourne Cay, with its marina, as a favorite stop on the way through.
| Site | Open |
|---|---|
| Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park office | Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Sunday 9am to 12pm |
Santanna’s on Little Exuma
Santanna’s sits at Little Exuma’s southern tip, a spot by the sea that takes its name from Mrs. Rolle. Her husband’s grilled lobster made the place a destination, and it remains a classic reason to go that far south.
Go at lunch, when a plate of grilled crawfish is the natural order, and stay for the view across the water. It is a good counterpoint to a day of boats, a place to finally sit still.
A two-day itinerary for the Exumas in October
Day 1 belongs to the water. Leave in the early morning, when the air is mild and the sea is flat and glassy, and head for Big Major Cay and the pigs. Spend the morning there, then move on to Thunderball Grotto near Staniel Cay around midday, when light enters the cave most strongly.
Take lunch ashore in Staniel Cay at a casual place serving fish or lobster, and rest through the hottest part of the afternoon. Near the end of the day, a short swim or a quiet walk on a beach lets the light soften. Sunset comes relatively early in October, so plan dinner after dark at a waterside table and be off the sea before the light fails.
Day 2 turns south. Drive toward the end of Little Exuma, enjoying settlements and pastel houses on the way, and arrive at Santanna’s for a lunch of grilled lobster before the day gets hot. Afterward, drift to a quiet beach and let the afternoon go slowly.
If a squall passes, the rain card is simple. Stay at the table longer, order a second course and wait it out. Evening brings a cool breeze and, with luck, a clear sky full of stars away from town lights. A final dinner of conch or crawfish closes the trip.
Is the Exumas busy in October?
October is generally a calmer month in the Exumas than the winter weeks, when boaters and holidaymakers arrive in greater numbers.
That generally means a more relaxed feel at the docks and beaches, and rooms and restaurant tables tend to be easier to find than in the peak season. Even so, a small island has few beds, so booking a room is a habit worth keeping, a little earlier for any holiday week and later for the quiet weeks in between.
The one thing that has to be sorted early is the boat. Reaching Big Major Cay or the Staniel Cay area depends on a vessel, so line up your tour or charter first and build the days around it. If the weather turns, a flexible plan is more useful than a rigid one, since the hurricane season runs until the end of November.
The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park has an office with set hours for those who need to reach it. Beyond that, the month is relaxed, and restaurants in the settlements work at a gentler tempo, so a long lunch is rarely hurried.
What to pack for the Exumas in October
Pack for sun, spray and sudden squalls, and keep the bag light enough for small boats.
- For Thunderball Grotto and the cays’ surrounding reefs, bring a snorkel and mask.
- A rash guard and reef-safe sunscreen, because long hours on the water add up.
- A light rain jacket, since showers come as passing squalls.
- Water shoes, for rocky shorelines and sandbars.
- A hat and sunglasses, for open decks and bright midday sand.
- A dry bag, to protect phones and cameras on boat rides.
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.
October sits in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs to the end of November, so keep the plan flexible and follow storm news before a boat day. If you arrive by plane, the Bahamas Department of Immigration requires a passport that stays valid for at least six months, and passport cards will not work.
The Exumas are a spread-out chain, and most of the best sights, from the pigs to the grotto, depend on getting onto the water. Fold that into the plan from the start and the days run smoothly.
The Exumas in October vs September and November
Moving the trip a month earlier brings a warmer sea and longer days, but also the peak of the hurricane season, with more rain and more risk of disrupted boat days. September has its charms in the quiet it offers, but it asks for a looser plan.
A month later, November cools the water, shortens the days further and moves closer to the end of the storm season. Showers become fewer, and the first hint of winter activity returns to the cays. Crawfish season continues through both months, so the lobster plates do not change.
Travelers who want the warmest swimming and do not mind a flexible schedule can choose September. Those who value drier days and a gentler feel can look to November. October sits in the middle, with a still-warm sea, softer light and the storm season easing.
Is October a good time to visit the Exumas?
Yes, for travelers who like warm water, boat days and a slower pace, and who can live with a flexible plan in hurricane season.
It will suit snorkelers, lobster lovers and anyone happy to spend the day moving from cay to cay. It suits less those who need a fixed schedule or who want cooler air, since a squall can rearrange an afternoon. First thing on arrival, sort out the boat for Big Major Cay and the grotto, and keep one day loose for the weather.
What stays in memory from an October in the Exumas is a plate of grilled lobster eaten with sand on your feet, a pig swimming toward the boat and the sea turning gold as the sun drops early over the cays.
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
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Santannas Exuma (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/santannas-exuma), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Official Home Swimming Pigs (https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/official-home-swimming-pigs), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Big Major Cay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Major_Cay), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Exuma Cays Land And Sea Park (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/exuma-cays-land-and-sea-park), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas National Trust, Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (https://bnt.bs/explore/exuma/exuma-cays-land-sea-park/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Thunderball Grotto (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/thunderball-grotto), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Highbourne Cay (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/highbourne-cay), 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