Swimming With Pigs in an uninhabited Bahamian Island

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Fringed by the purest white sands and tranquil, turquoise seas, Big Major Cay is a remote island in the Bahamas where you can find a dozen of adorable wild pigs enjoying the good life.

Frolicking on the invitingly soft sand and swimming around all day in sapphire-blue water, these charming pigs have perfectly adapted to the luxurious tropical life.

This small Caribbean island, also known as Pig Island or Pig Beach, has freshwater springs and is sheltered by a string of neighbouring islands that protect it from dangerous weather. Due to the lack of predators, these unique inhabitants seem to live in heaven in the midst of unspoilt nature!

The World’s Happiest Piggies

We have explored unspoiled reefs, shipwrecks, swam with stingrays and vibrant tropical fish, encountered sharks, sea turtles…But never in my wild imagination did I ever envision myself swimming with a group of happy pink pigs and piglets.

How they got there is still a fascinating mystery. Some say the small colony of feral pigs survived a shipwreck and doggy-paddled ashore. Another legend has it that a group of sailors dropped the pigs off on Big Major Cay to fatten up and never returned. Others claim that the pigs had escaped from a nearby islet. Whether these legends are true, these lovely oinkers have all lived happily ever after and now they rule the seas!

The famous swimming pigs were first discovered by underwater photographer Eric Cheng and captain Jim Abernathy in 2009 during a diving expedition in the Bahamas. After reading an article about their extraordinay experience swimming alongside them, I instantly fell in love with the idea of seeing these celebrities for myself.

Welcomed by The Swimming Pigs

My heart started beating so fast as we approached the dreamy island. Cuddled up nose-to-nose, the pigs were peacefully sleeping in the shade of a palmtree. Suddenly, one of them moved his pink furry ears and…

“Pick up your camera dudes, they´ve heard us coming!! ” Yelled our captain Smiley.

As soon as they heard the motor of our yatch, the pigs trotted into the bright-blue ocean and swam out to greet us expecting some goodies to eat. The pigs oinked and grunted in happiness when they smelt the tasty treats we had brought for them. Their menu consisted of some stale bread, fruit & vegetable scraps all accompained with some crackers they managed to get from our boat.

We anchored and jumped into the azure water. Swimming alonside these friendly and loving pigs has been my dream since we started planning this trip.

Playing With The Swimming Pigs

Pigs in general are extremely social animals. They love companionship and form close bonds with people and other animals. They are curious, hearty and very intelligent.

The swimming pigs loved to play. We ran around, chased each other and had so much fun laying in the golden sand together. As you can see in the picture, my new piggy friend also loved getting a massage!!