Anchorage· New Providence (Nassau)· Bahamas — North

Clifton Bay / West Bay Anchorage

25° 1.6′ N · 77° 32.8′ W

A wide bay at New Providence's western tip by Clifton Heritage National Park and Jaws Beach, the favorite stop for boats going to and from the Exumas or the Berry Islands that want to skip Nassau Harbour.

Abacos Nassau & the Berry Islands

Practical

Waterway Guide position N 25°01.556' W 077°32.824'; depths 5-15 ft. Excellent holding in clear sand; bands of grass in the NE corner matter only to boats drawing 4 ft or less tucking in. Good protection NE through SE (Waterway Guide rating N-SSE); wide open W through SW. In S-N winds a swell gets in: minimal at 15 knots, uncomfortable approaching 20. Some boats ride out cold fronts close to the beach on the north side, but it is not a heavy-weather anchorage. The north half of the bay shore is private; land on the public beaches (Jaws Beach is nearby). The Clifton Heritage reef sculpture garden and Ocean Atlas are a short dinghy ride south. ActiveCaptain (West Bay, updated June 2026): approach from the south end coming from the Exumas or from the west end heading SE; at least 8 ft on the approach and 6-8 ft through the anchorage. The north side is thin sand and light grass over hard sand, so back down hard (a 2020 crew used 7:1 with a 55 lb Spade and counted 27 boats waiting out strong easterlies). Dinghy pets to the beach on the south side (park land with nature trails). Several dive-boat moorings with floating pennants lie off the coast to the south at about 25.01214, -77.55829; keep clear of the lines when following the shore. No services.

Clifton Bay / West Bay Anchorage

Practical

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