The Bahamas by Kayak

There are few places as cool to kayak as the Bahamas. The Exuma chain, with around 350 islands and cays spread along about 100 miles, are emerald jewels set in a sea of a hundred shades of blue and green. And in their lee, the sea bed stretches for 100 miles at just 15 or 20 feet deep - that's the baja- (shallow) - mar (sea) of the original Spanish. It is spectacularly beautiful. There are dangers though, with currents and winds, as 15 feet drains through the cuts into the 6000 foot depths of the Atlantic. Cross-currents can reach eight or nine knots, with standing waves and lashing winds. 

James Henderson kayaked in the Exumas on behalf of the Financial Times' magazine How to Spend it. You can read his story Kayaking the Bahamas here...