If place names like Deadman's Reef, Paradise Cove and Gold Rock Beach don't put you in the mood for adventure, perhaps nothing will. Which, considering Grand Bahama's natural attractions - coral reefs, undersea gardens, secluded beaches, sapphire waters and exotic wildlife - would be something of a waste.
Oddly, most visitors to the island appear to have anything but adventure on their minds, unless lounging on a deckchair or blackjack counts. Situated just 90km east of Miami, Grand Bahama attracts about half a million sunseekers a year, most of whom stick to the resorts, restaurants, bars, and casinos in the centre of Freeport or the adjacent seaside suburb of Lucaya.
Linger in the tourist territory for some golf, gambling, lip-smacking roast conch and moonlit revelries at the beach bars, certainly, but try not to be lulled into forgetting what else is on offer.
One of the crown jewels is Lucayan National Park - 40 acres of forest, limestone caverns, and the world's second-largest underwater cave system.
Another is the island's waters, a diving and snorkelling wonderland of coral gardens, dallying dolphins and alluring blue holes in the reef.
Peterson Cay National Park, accessible only by boat, presents another opportunity to flee the madding crowds with nothing more than a picnic hamper and schools of tropical fish for company.
There's also the opportunity to reel in the big one off the eastern cays or, on the north shore, to cruise the mangrove swamps and creeks by kayak. Or, if a flutter at the casinos isn't enough of a parting thrill, perhaps an organised rendezvous with a shark?
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