Andros in May: Sea Temperatures, Reef and Blue Holes, and a Two-Day Plan

By May, the mangrove creeks of Andros hold the heat of the day long after noon, and the smell of salt, wet marl and frying onions drifts across the settlements at dinnertime. Pickup trucks idle outside small bars, boats rock at their docks, and the afternoon sky builds towers of cloud over the pine yards. This is the month to come for the water: warm, bright, and quiet on the largest island in the Bahamas.

A flat coast on Andros in spring · Illustration

What is the weather like in Andros in May?

May is hot and sunny on Andros, with a sea that has finished its spring warm-up and days that stretch well into the evening.

Month	Sea at Andros (°F)	Daylight on the 15th (hours and minutes)
April	78.5	12 h 48 min
May	81.7	13 h 24 min
June	84.7	13 h 42 min

In Nassau, afternoons in May climb into the upper 80s while nights stay in the low 70s, and showers come on only a few days. On Andros you can expect the same pattern of strong morning sun, a hazy, heavy middle of the day, and the odd squall that rolls through in the afternoon, soaks the road and moves on within the hour. Sunshine usually returns before dinner.

The sea is the real reward. It is warm enough that a morning on the water needs no wetsuit for most people, and the long days leave room for a swim before breakfast and a boat ride once the light softens.

Evenings stay mild enough for a porch table and a cold drink with only a light shirt on. May also arrives just before the Atlantic hurricane season opens on June 1, so the month itself sits right at the edge of it.

Dress for sun first and rain second: thin cotton, a hat with a brim, and something quick-drying for the passing showers. The light is strongest from late morning, flattening the colors of the flats, and turns gold and low in the last hours before dark, which is the time photographers wait for along the creeks.

Can you swim in Andros in May?

Yes, the sea in May is warm enough for a long, unhurried float, and it will feel noticeably softer than it did a month earlier.

Andros faces the open Atlantic on its eastern side, where the reef runs parallel to the shore, and the shallow, protected side behind the reef is where much of the snorkeling happens. Visitors to the reef come for scuba diving and snorkeling, and May’s clear, bright days suit looking down into the water. Beyond the reef the bottom falls into very deep ocean, a reminder that the east coast is a working edge of the Atlantic, not a lake.

Day to day and shore to shore, the water can be different, so a beach that seems glassy one morning may be choppy the next, and a shift in wind can bring in a swell. Children and nervous swimmers do best taking their cue from what they see at the water’s edge on the day. Bring a mask, a snorkel, a rash guard and a lot of sunscreen, because a back turned to the sun while you float is easy to overlook.

What to do in Andros in May

Andros is a place for slow days outdoors, and May’s long light suits all of them: creeks at sunrise, reef in the clear hours of the day, a late supper by the water. The island is spread over so much mangrove, pine and marl that you travel between settlements rather than visiting a single town, and each stop has its own pace. Nothing here is organized around a May festival, so the month is about the landscape and the table.

Snorkeling and diving along the reef

The reef off the east coast is the reason many people come at all. It rivals the best in the world for size, and it is a place for scuba divers and snorkelers alike. Coral heads, sea fans and schools of reef fish fill the shallow side, and the drop-off on the ocean side is where divers go for the sense of hanging over deep blue.

May brings warm water and a high sun that lights the bottom well, which makes the middle of the morning a pleasant time to be in the water. Pair a reef outing with a quiet afternoon ashore, since the sun and salt tire you more than you expect. Bring a rash guard and a hat for the boat ride out.

Blue holes and the pine forest

Andros has more than 50 recorded blue holes, and Blue Holes National Park protects a large block of the island’s interior. These are deep circular pools in the limestone, ringed by pine, palmetto and low scrub, and they look almost black against the green. Standing at the edge in the quiet is a very different experience from the reef.

May is a good month for it because the days are long and the heat is something you meet in shade. Expect birdsong, insects, and the smell of resin in the pines. The park is a place for looking and walking, so wear closed shoes, bring water, and use repellent against mosquitoes, which are part of the landscape.

Andros Town, batik and the creek

Andros Town, around Fresh Creek in the middle of the island, is where you find the craft side of Andros. Batik fabric printed in bright patterns is made here and sold in shirts and sarongs, and the creek itself is lined with boats and low houses. A walk to the water and a seat in the shade is a fair way to spend a hot afternoon.

The mood is local and unhurried: fishermen mending gear, children cooling off, music from a doorway. Look for a plate of conch salad prepared on the spot with lime, onion and pepper, or crab and rice, a classic of the island.

What you eat and drink

Food in May is simple and built around the sea. Cracked conch and fritters come with hot sauce, fish is grilled or steamed with onions and peppers, and boiled fish with johnnycake is a breakfast people travel for. Peas and rice come with almost everything.

For dessert, guava duff arrives with a warm rum sauce, and Sky Juice, coconut water and gin and sweet milk, is the drink of the hot afternoon. Settlement bars and small restaurants serve what the boats brought in, so the menu changes with the catch.

A two-day itinerary for Andros in May

Day 1 is for the water. Start at first light, when the sun is already warm and the creeks are quiet, and spend the morning on the reef side with a mask and snorkel. By midday the sun is strong and the water is at its clearest, so take a long lunch of grilled fish or cracked conch at a settlement restaurant and stay in the shade through the hottest hours.

In the afternoon, go to Andros Town and walk by Fresh Creek, browse the batik, and sit with a cold drink. Sunset comes late in May, so dinner can be unhurried, with a table near the water and a plate of crab and rice. If a squall sweeps in, the batik shops and a long indoor lunch are your cover.

Day 2 is for the interior. Go to Blue Holes National Park in the cooler morning, walk among the pines, and look into the dark water. Wear closed shoes and carry water, since the shade is patchy and the insects are active near standing water.

After a lunch of boiled fish or conch salad, give the afternoon to rest and a final swim, then watch the light turn gold. If it rains, a slow meal, a card game on a porch and stories with whoever is behind the bar fill the hours well. End with guava duff and a last Sky Juice.

Is Andros busy in May?

No, May on Andros is quiet, as the island’s size and scattered settlements keep people spread thin along the coast.

There are no large festival crowds to plan around, and the reef, creeks and pine forest are not places where a line forms. Most of the people you meet are anglers, divers and travelers who came for the water, and a settlement dinner is more likely to be a table of locals than a crowd of visitors.

Small lodges and guesthouses are the usual choice, and because they hold few rooms, it makes sense to settle your bed and any boat day before you fly rather than counting on finding one on arrival. Do the same for the holiday weeks and let the quieter ones wait a little longer. Nassau lies across the Tongue of the Ocean, and the contrast with its busy cruise days is striking.

May’s quiet means unhurried restaurants and empty stretches of coast. The calm is not total: if you want a particular fishing guide or dive outing for a specific day, ask early, because small operations have only so many boats.

What to pack for Andros in May

Pack for sun, salt water and the odd shower, and keep everything light enough to dry overnight.

A rash guard and reef-friendly sunscreen, for long hours floating face-down over the reef.
A mask and snorkel that fit well, since you will use them more than anything else.
Closed shoes for the pine trails near the blue holes.
Insect repellent for evenings and the forest.
A light rain shell for sudden afternoon squalls.
A wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses against the strong May light.

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.

May comes just ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, so it is worth keeping an eye on the forecast if you plan a late-May trip with June in sight. Across the Tongue of the Ocean, Andros lies west of Nassau, and because the island stretches far, build your plans around how far apart the settlements are and give each day to one area instead of the entire island. Small places run at island pace, and a day with a squall in it can slow everything down.

Andros in May vs April and June

Moving a month earlier gives you a cooler sea and drier days. April is a shade less steamy and the afternoon showers are fewer, but the water takes more of a pause before you want to stay in for long. April trips suit people who prefer a gentler heat and mostly plan to be on land.

A month later, June brings the warmest water and the longest days, along with more frequent rain and the opening of the hurricane season. Afternoons are more likely to turn stormy, and the humidity is heavy. Divers and snorkelers who value water like bathwater will like it, while those who dislike wet afternoons will not.

May sits between the two, with a warm sea, a long day and moderate rain, which is why it suits most people who come for the reef and the creeks. Choose April for comfort on land, June for the warmest water, and May if you want a balance of both.

Is May a good time to visit Andros?

Yes, May is a very good month for travelers who want the water and the quiet, and who are happy with heat and the occasional shower.

Divers, snorkelers, anglers and anyone drawn to wild country will find it rewarding, and the long daylight leaves room for the reef in the morning and the creek in the evening. It is less suited to people who want nightlife, organized entertainment or a polished resort scene, or who dislike humid afternoons.

On arrival, get in the water first. Settle your base, put on a mask and look at the reef while the sea is warm and the days are long. Then follow the pace of the island, with a late lunch, a swim and a table by the creek. May on Andros is the month when the sea, the light and the silence all line up.

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
Wikipedia, Andros, Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andros,_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Fresh Creek (Andros Town) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Creek), checked October 10, 2026
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), travel blog, Andros nature (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/the-wild-side-of-andros), checked October 10, 2026
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Andros Barrier Reef (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/andros-barrier-reef), checked October 10, 2026
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Blue Holes National Park (https://www.bahamas.com/natural-wonders/blue-holes-national-park), 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
NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026