The Bahamas is the country famous for its swimming pigs, primarily located at Big Major Cay in the Exuma district, often called "Pig Beach". These feral pigs inhabit an uninhabited island, interacting with tourists, and are known for swimming in the crystal-clear ocean waters.
Scotoplanes. Commonly known as sea pigs, these little deep sea animals live on ocean bottoms, typically at depths of over 0.6 miles. Scotoplanes are deposit feeders, and obtain food by extracting organic particles from deep sea mud.
Some say they were left by a group of sailors, who planned to come back and cook them. Or that the pigs swam over from a shipwreck nearby. Wherever they came from, there are now about 20 pigs and piglets living the easy life, with daily visits from Bahamians and tourists.
You can swim with pigs Southeast of Nassau, where you'll find Big Major Cay in the Caribbean (also known as Pig Beach). It's an uninhabited island in the Exumas located north of Staniel Cay, and it's the only place in the world to find the famous swimming pigs and have this type of uber-weird experience.
Give the pigs space, feed them responsibly, avoid crowding them in the water, and choose tour companies that value the animals as much as the tourists.
How much does it cost to swim with the pigs on Pig Beach?
Cost Breakdown of Swimming with Pigs in Exuma
Swim with the Original Pigs: $439 (ages 7 and above), $330 (ages 2-6). Pieces of 8 Tours offers similar pricing. Boat transportation to Pig Beach, interaction with swimming pigs, often includes snorkeling or sightseeing stops.
You've likely already heard of swimming with pigs in the Bahamas. Cruisers heading to the Bahamas can go hog wild by getting in the water with swimming pigs on ship-sponsored shore excursions or independent tours on cruises with cruises with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines, among others.
Pigs exhibit same-sex mounting, particularly young males (boars) showing flexibility in sexual behavior, but this is often linked to dominance, social bonding, or lack of females rather than a fixed homosexual orientation like in some other species; researchers note pigs' sexual behaviors are complex and can shift with age, hormones, and environment, with young males sometimes mounting males and females mounting females as normal social play or dominance displays, but it's not the same as long-term "gay" behavior seen in humans or some other animals like male sheep.
Piggy Beach is on the tiny, uninhabited island of Atokos, near Ithaca, famous for its free-roaming pigs that wander down to the shore. 🌊 The pigs are cared for by locals and are used to visitors. 🚤 Reachable only by private boat or day tours. 📸 Clear Ionian waters + pigs = one of Greece's most unique beaches.
Although they're extremely common, you'll probably never see a sea pig in person. They live only in the deepest, darkest, coldest parts of the ocean, as far as four miles under the water's surface.
Is swimming with the pigs in the Bahamas worth it?
We made sure all of our clothes and shoes were had on were in separate trash bags to bring home. Although I can say I swam with pigs, I do not recommend it at all, unless you enjoy the idea of swimming in pig poop. I don't even have many photos because it was disgustingly… not to mention the price for all of it.
There were about 778.64 million pigs worldwide as of April 2022, meaning that China was home to more than half of the global pig population. Unsurprisingly, China is the leading pork producer worldwide, producing about 50 million metric tons of pork each year.
Staniel Cay Yacht Club isn't just the closest hotel to the Swimming Pigs—it's the best place to stay if you want comfort, charm, and adventure all in one place: Closest location to Pig Beach—just 10 minutes by boat. Private waterfront bungalows with stunning ocean views.
Highlights. Bahamas: Travel by boat across crystal-clear blue waters, delighting in the beautiful scenery among the Berry Islands. Berry Islands: Here's your chance to get up-close with swimming pigs to witness a controlled supervised staff feeding.
Do remember, pigs are more than just food, pigs are also friends! Pig's Paradise Antigua aims to be globally recognized as a safe, humane, family-friendly place to swim with pigs.
These pigs reside on various islands in this territory including Eleuthera, Rose Island, Abaco, and Ship Channel Cay, but the main island where you can find swimming pigs in The Bahamas is Big Major Cay.
The pigs live on Big Major Cay, one of the over 365 islands in Exuma, a district of the Bahamas. Also known as Pig Beach (for obvious reasons), the island is about 82 miles southeast of Nassau, and about 50 miles northwest of George Town. It is entirely uninhabited by humans.
Although you can visit the pigs year-round, the best time of year to vacation in the Bahamas and experience them for yourself is during the dry season. The dry season in the Bahamas usually runs from December through April.
The most exciting theory is that the original pigs were survivors of a shipwreck and managed to swim to the shore and continue their lives on the island.
Due in part to their heavy, domed shells, tortoises cannot swim. Unlike aquatic turtles, tortoises lack streamlined shells and flippers. Their thick, domed shells and column-like legs are designed for land travel, not paddling. Most tortoises will sink if placed in deep water, and accidental submersion can be fatal.
Pig Beach located on Big Major Cay (also known as Major Cay) is a beach on an uninhabited island (or cay) located in Exuma, the Bahamas. The island takes its unofficial name from the fact that it is populated by a colony of feral pigs which live on the island. It has become a tourist attraction in modern times.
