Antisocial Tourist

Swimming with pigs in the open ocean is equal parts weird, wonderful, and (let’s be honest) a little gross — but it’s also one of the most unique experiences in the Caribbean. The famous pigs in Exuma Bahamas took social media by storm over the past few years, quickly becoming a bucket list goal for travelers around the world.

We were lucky enough to cross this off our own bucket lists during our recent trip to Exuma in the Bahamas, and we can confidently say it lives up to the hype — but there are a few things we wish we knew before going.

If visiting the swimming pigs is on your bucket list, you’re in the right place. Below you’ll find everything you need to know about where the pigs are located, how to visit them, what it’s really like in the water, plus helpful tips to plan your trip to Exuma.

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Where Are the Swimming Pigs in the Bahamas?

The famous swimming pigs are located on a small island called Big Major Cay (more commonly known as Pig Beach) in the Exuma Cays, a chain of tiny islands just off the coast of Exuma in the Bahamas.

Pig Beach isn’t accessible by car or ferry, which means you’ll need to reach it by boat (or small plane). Most visitors go as part of a guided boat tour that departs from Great Exuma.

It’s a common misconception that Pig Beach is easily reached from Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas and where many tourists stay. While some long (and often expensive) tours do operate from Nassau, Exuma is by far the closest and most convenient base for visiting the pigs.

How to Visit the Pigs in Exuma (Tours vs Doing It Yourself)

The easiest and most popular way to visit Pig Beach is by booking a guided boat tour from Exuma in the Bahamas.

Since Big Major Cay isn’t accessible by road or ferry, nearly all visitors arrive by boat as part of a half-day or full-day excursion. These tours typically include several stops around the Exuma Cays, making it possible to see multiple iconic spots in one trip.

Since swimming with the pigs is one of the most popular things to do in Exuma, there are lots of tours to choose from, and most of them include:

• Thunderball Grotto for snorkeling
• Iguana Beach
• Sandbars with crystal-clear water
• Shipwrecks
• Swimming with nurse sharks

This is one of the reasons Exuma is such a great base — you’re not just visiting the pigs, you’re getting a full island-hopping adventure in a single day, which would be impossible to do from Nassau given the time constraints.

Can You Visit Pig Beach Without a Tour?

Technically yes, but it’s not very practical for most travelers. Some experienced boaters choose to rent their own boat and navigate to Pig Beach themselves, but for first-time visitors, a guided tour is the safest and easiest option. The waters around the Exuma Cays can be tricky to navigate if you’re unfamiliar with the area, and tours already know the best routes, timing, and stops.

For most people, booking a tour is the stress-free way to go — and it often ends up being better value since you get to see so much more than just the pigs.

What It’s Really Like to Swim with the Pigs in Exuma

Arriving at Pig Beach

The pigs live freely on the island and swim out toward boats as soon as visitors arrive, creating a surprisingly interactive (and hilarious) experience. They’ve learned that tour boats usually mean food, so they waste no time paddling straight over.

If you’re on a group tour, your guide will give you apple slices to toss into the water for them to gobble up. As you’re tossing apples into the sea, the boat will continue approaching the shore until it’s shallow enough for everyone to hop out.

Interacting With the Pigs

The pigs will follow the boat (and the food) toward the shore, where the boat basically slides right onto the beach until it can’t go any further. There’s no dock or anything, so you’ll use the boat ladder and hop straight into the water, which is only a few feet deep and makes it easy to walk onto the shore and interact with the pigs up close.

In reality, this experience is less about swimming with the pigs in deep water and more about watching them swim over, then hanging out with them on the beach as they roam around freely. You can try leading the pigs into deeper water from the shore, but it’s much easier (and more enjoyable) to interact with them on dry land.

The Thing No One Talks About

The pigs go to the bathroom. A lot. And yes — it happens in the water right next to you. And to make matters worse, all the saltwater they consume causes extremely loose stools. You get where we’re going with this.

It was honestly a nonstop 💩 situation while we were there. It does disappear pretty quickly in the ocean, but it’s definitely something to be aware of before jumping in. If anything, this is another reason to head toward the shore instead of deeper water, since swimming right next to them usually means swimming in their filth.

That said, don’t let this scare you off. The closer you stay to the shoreline, the easier it is to avoid, and it’s also easy to hop in and out of the boat away from the pigs when needed. Once you know to look out for it, it’s totally manageable — and still absolutely worth experiencing.

💣Antisocial Tourist Tip: It’s true that this water isn’t considered sanitary (for obvious reasons). Shower as quickly as you can after the tour is over — even pouring fresh water over your legs helps — and avoid swimming with the pigs if you have any open cuts or wounds.

Is Visiting the Pigs in Exuma Worth It?

Short answer: yes — but with the right expectations.

Swimming with the pigs is one of those experiences that sounds a little ridiculous at first and then somehow ends up being one of the highlights of a trip to Exuma. It’s just SO strange to combine pigs with a tropical beach, and it’s hard not to love it once you’re actually experiencing it.

That said, it’s not a cheap excursion, and it does come with a few quirks. Whether it’s worth it or not will depend on the kind of traveler you are — but for most people, the pros far outweigh the cons.

Pros

• One of the most unique wildlife experiences in the Caribbean (or maybe the world)
• The water around Pig Beach is insanely clear and beautiful
• The pigs are friendly and used to people, making the experience very interactive
• Most tours include several bucket list stops in one day (snorkeling, sandbars, iguanas, sharks, shipwrecks)
• Feels more natural and less crowded (and less controversial — which we’ll dive into later) than pig tours near Nassau

Cons

• Tours can be pricey
• Most tours use speedboats to cover longer distances, which can be a little uncomfortable at times
• The bathroom situation (now you know the truth 😅)

Our Take: If you love extra unique experiences and up-close animal encounters, visiting the pigs in Exuma is absolutely worth it. As long as you go in knowing what to expect (and what to avoid), it’s an easy yes.

What Else You’ll See on an Exuma Pig Tour

One of the best parts about visiting the pigs in Exuma is that it’s rarely just about the pigs. Most boat tours around the Exuma Cays are designed as full-day (or half-day) island-hopping adventures, with several iconic stops packed into one trip.

Here are some of the highlights you’ll likely experience alongside Pig Beach:

Thunderball Grotto

Thunderball Grotto is an underwater cave system filled with tropical fish and glowing blue water, and it’s one of the most famous snorkeling spots in the Bahamas!

You’ll swim into the grotto through a small opening (don’t worry, you’re guide will be with you!) and pop up inside a cavern where sunlight pours down through holes in the ceiling. It’s seriously surreal and feels like something out of a movie (which makes sense, since it’s been featured in James Bond films).

Iguana Beach

Iguana Beach is home to dozens of wild iguanas that roam freely along the sand. As soon as you step onto the island, you’ll see these massive, prehistoric-looking lizards sunbathing, crawling across the beach, and casually hanging out near visitors.

Most tours provide crackers to feed them, and the iguanas will eat right out of your hands! They’re surprisingly calm and make for some pretty epic photos.

Pablo Escobar’s Shipwreck

Many tours stop at a shallow shipwreck sitting in unbelievably clear turquoise water — and the sunken plane is believed to have once belonged to Pablo Escobar.

You can swim right up to the wreck, snorkel around the remains, and snap photos both from the boat and in the water. The visibility here is so incredible that you’ll usually spot the entire plane resting on the ocean floor before you even jump in.

Compass Cay Nurse Sharks

Another unforgettable stop is a shallow sandbar where nurse sharks swim calmly all around you. You’ll stand in waist-deep water as dozens of sharks glide past, sometimes brushing right by your legs.

Even though it sounds intimidating, nurse sharks are very docile, and the experience feels exciting rather than scary.

Sandbars & Hidden Beaches

Between major stops, tours pull up to stunning sandbars and quiet beaches that look straight out of a postcard. You’ll walk across bright white sand surrounded by crystal-clear water, swim in ridiculously shallow turquoise lagoons, and relax in spots that feel completely untouched. It honestly feels otherworldly at times.

As you cruise, guides will also point out private islands owned by celebrities and spots that have been featured in films. And most full-day tours stop for lunch on a remote cay that’s only accessible by boat — another experience you simply can’t have without being out on the water.

Where to Stay When Visiting the Pigs in Exuma?

The swimming pigs live on an uninhabited island, so you won’t be staying anywhere near Pig Beach itself. Instead, you’ll base yourself on one of the nearby islands and take a boat tour out to the pigs.

With nearly 700 islands in the Bahamas, figuring out where to stay can feel overwhelming at first. Most tourists automatically head to Nassau, since it’s home to big resorts, cruise ports, and popular attractions like Atlantis on Paradise Island. Over a million people visit Nassau each year.

But if swimming with the pigs is your main goal, Nassau is actually pretty far from them. Instead, you’ll want to stay in Exuma (which is honestly way better than Nassau anyway — sorry, Nassau).

Exuma is a chain of hundreds of small islands (called cays) known for having some of the bluest water in the world. The water here is so bright and clear it almost doesn’t look real — and to this day, it’s still the most incredible water we’ve ever seen anywhere (and we’ve been to the Maldives, just saying!).

Tourism in Exuma stays low-key compared to places like Nassau, which makes it perfect if you love uncrowded beaches, laid-back vibes, and feeling a little off the beaten path.

Where to Stay in Exuma

Several islands in Exuma are inhabited, but Great Exuma is by far the easiest and most convenient home base. You’ll fly directly into Georgetown International Airport (GGT), with regular flights from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Nassau. Great Exuma also offers the widest selection of boat tours that include the swimming pigs, making it the best place to stay for easy access.

We based ourselves on Great Exuma and stayed at Paradise Bay, which we highly recommend. It’s budget-friendly, right on the ocean, and centrally located on the island, just about 15 minutes from the airport.

It’s also possible to stay on Staniel Cay, another island in the Exuma Cays that sits closer to Pig Beach. However, Staniel Cay only has a small airstrip, which means you’ll need to take a small puddle jumper flight from Nassau or Fort Lauderdale. In our opinion, the extra time, cost, and effort isn’t worth it when Great Exuma already offers easy flights, more accommodation options, and tons of great tours.

Tips to Know Before Swimming with the Pigs

✅Feed the Pigs Only What the Guides Provide

The pigs have a very specific diet and should only eat fruits and vegetables. Most tour companies come fully prepared with food for them (usually apples or other produce), so you don’t need to bring anything yourself.

If you ever visit Pig Beach outside of a guided tour, don’t bring your own snacks — feeding them anything other than approved fruits and veggies can be harmful. It’s best to stick with what the guides provide to keep the pigs healthy.

✅Expect a Little Chaos (Especially Earlier in the Day)

The pigs can get a bit aggressive when they’re hungry — and the earlier in the day you arrive, the hungrier they tend to be. When food comes out, they often swim quickly toward boats and crowd around visitors, which can feel a little chaotic at first. To stay safe (and avoid getting nipped), toss the food into the water instead of feeding them directly from your hand.

Don’t let this scare you off, though. The pigs are generally friendly, especially the piglets, and as the day goes on and they get fed by multiple tours, they usually calm down a lot. If you’re coming from Great Exuma, you likely won’t be there until the afternoon, and by then, they’ll be much more relaxed.

✅Expect to Go Barefoot

For safety reasons, most boat tours collect all shoes before the tour begins, so you’ll likely be barefoot for the entire experience. This shocked us at first, since the boat actually felt more slippery barefoot than it did with water shoes.

✅Bring Sunscreen, a Hat, and Motion Sickness Medicine

Most pig tours run on speedboats and spend several hours out on the water. The sun is strong, and the ride can get bumpy at times. Sunscreen, a hat, and plenty of water (your guides will have water on hand too) make a huge difference in staying comfortable. And if you’re prone to motion sickness, taking something beforehand is a good idea.

✅Don’t Expect a Quiet, Relaxing Beach Day

Swimming with the pigs is fun, funny, and unforgettable — but it’s not a peaceful, secluded beach experience. It’s simply one of many stops on a guided boat tour. There will be other boats, lots of excitement when food comes out, and plenty of splashing and noise. Go into it expecting energy and chaos (in the best way), and you’ll enjoy it a lot more.

How to Choose the Right Tour to Swim with the Pigs in Exuma

Not all “swimming with the pigs” tours are the same, and this is where a lot of travelers accidentally end up with a completely different experience than they were expecting.

The biggest thing to know is that many tours advertised as “Nassau swimming pigs” are actually visiting a different pig beach that was created specifically for tourists staying in Nassau or Paradise Island. Pigs were intentionally placed there to make the experience more accessible to cruise passengers and resort guests.

While those tours can still be fun, they’re much more crowded and come with more ethical gray areas since the pigs were brought in solely for tourism.

The original and most famous pig beach is in Exuma, where the pigs were already living on the island long before it became a popular attraction. That’s a big reason the Exuma experience feels more natural, less crowded, and more like a true island adventure.

So when choosing a tour, the first step is making sure it departs from the island you’re actually staying on (which we hope is Great Exuma) — and that it takes you to Pig Beach in the Exuma Cays (not the Nassau version).

Tour Options:

If you’re staying in Nassau (or Paradise Island), you’ll either need to:

• book a tour that uses a puddle jumper since it’s so far by boat
• book a boat tour anyway and accept the roughly 2-hour nonstop speedboat ride each way
• or take a separate flight to Exuma and book a boat tour from there

If you’re staying on Great Exuma, we recommend the following tours, which all include the swimming pigs:

👉Aquaquest Escapes “Ultimate-Day-Away” Tour
👉Robert’s Island Adventures Exuma Island and Cays Tour
👉Exuma Water Sports 007 Staniel Cay Swimming Pigs Tour

FAQs About Swimming with the Pigs in Exuma

Are the pigs safe to swim with?

Yes — for the most part, the pigs are used to people and are generally friendly. That said, they can get a little aggressive when food comes out (especially earlier in the day), which is why it’s best to toss food into the water instead of feeding them directly from your hand.

Where did the pigs in Exuma come from?

It’s wild, but no one knows the exact origin story! There are plenty of popular theories, though. Some say pirates left the pigs on the island years ago with plans to return and never did. Others believe the pigs are survivors of a nearby shipwreck. Over time, the pigs adapted to island life and learned to swim out to boats for food. Today, they’re protected and cared for as part of the local ecosystem and tourism industry.

Can you visit Pig Beach without a tour?

Technically, yes — but it’s not very practical. Pig Beach sits on a remote, uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays, so you’ll need access to a boat to get there. Most visitors go as part of a guided tour since it’s the easiest (and safest) way to reach the pigs and explore the surrounding islands. Unless you’re renting a private boat or charter, a tour is by far the best option.

How long is the boat ride from Exuma to the pigs?

From Great Exuma, most tours take about 30 to 60 minutes to reach Pig Beach, depending on sea conditions and the exact marina you depart from. Since Exuma sits right in the middle of the Exuma Cays, the ride is much shorter (and more enjoyable) than tours coming from Nassau.

What island are the pigs actually on?

The pigs live on Big Major Cay, which is most commonly referred to as Pig Beach. It’s a small, uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays, surrounded by shallow turquoise water and calm beaches.

Is visiting the pigs in Exuma better than visiting from Nassau?

In our opinion — yes. Tours from Nassau typically visit a different pig beach that was created specifically for tourism and tends to be much more crowded. Visiting the pigs in Exuma takes you to the original Pig Beach, where the experience feels more natural, less hectic, and includes many other incredible stops like Thunderball Grotto, Iguana Beach, sandbars, and more.

Final Thoughts: Swimming With the Pigs

If swimming with the pigs is on your bucket list, don’t hesitate to book the trip! It’s absolutely worth the journey. Just go in with the right expectations. It’s weird, unforgettable, and unlike anything else in the Caribbean — and definitely something you’ll be talking about long after your trip to Exuma.

Thank you for reading our post! We hope it helps you plan the perfect trip! Check out our other guides here and follow us on Instagram (@AntisocialTourist) or on Facebook to see our latest adventures!