Current Cut Eleuthera Bahamas

Current Cut & Current Settlement

Was it originally spelled Currant?

Current Cut

Current Cut is a very fast and strong current in a narrow 100 yard wide cut, reaching depths up to 60 feet, between Eleuthera at Current Settlement and Current Island. This “drift dive” is popular with divers and considered by some to be one of the top dive sites in the world. The water moves at speeds up to 10 knots. Divers drift and tumble through Current Cut in about 10 minutes on average. A wet suit is recommended to avoid scrapes with coral.

Incoming tide is preferred as the waters can be quite turbid. Sea fans cover the rock bottom with many holes along the way harboring a variety of fish. If you are not familiar with diving Current Cut, you should contact a local dive shop on Eleuthera before attempting the dive -- this is not suited for casual divers.

For Landlubbers, watching the dark blue water rush through like a fast moving river between the slower moving shallow turquoise waters of the Current Cut is mesmerizing -- the colors are so clean, vibrant and alive. Whether you dive or not, “The Cut” and its surroundings are definitely worth seeing when visiting Eleuthera.  Current Cut location

Current Cut Eleuthera
Current Cut - North Eleuthera

Current Settlement

Oldest Settlement on Eleuthera

This quaint and sedate little town, over 200 years old, is located in North Eleuthera approximately 6 miles from the Lower Bogue and 10 miles from North Eleuthera Airport.  Current Settlement location

There's not much to the little town: a small grocery store called “Durham's General Store”, an old Methodist Church and a post office that also serves as the library. Along with the Bahamian multicolored homes, there are some old classic weathered gray buildings which have stood the test of time -- remarkable given how harsh the environment can be on any island. Traveling down the very narrow “Main street” to the end of Current Settlement, you get that classic feeling of being remote and being “at the end of the road.”

Northwest of downtown Current Settlement is a patch of some charming vacation homes; some available for rent. The beaches there aren't as large as some of the broader beaches on Eleuthera, but no less beautiful and enjoyable to explore.

Current Settlement Eleuthera
Current Settlement - North Eleuthera

Current Settlement - Oldest on Eleuthera

Excerpts from Everild Young's book on Eleuthera.

“The name is supposed to be derived from the dangerous passage between Eleuthera and Current Island, known also as “Hell's Gate”, but Mr. Braynan says that he thinks that it was originally spelled “Currant”.”

“They [residents of Current Island] come over to The Current proper once a week to shop, as there is no store on the island and most of the time they are cut off from the rest of the world by the savage tide rip that isolates them.”

“The people have been enterprising enough to run their own mail boat, the “Ego”, a tiny craft which serves both the island, the Current and the Upper and Lower Bogue [derivative of “Bog”] linking them with Nassau once a week. When it arrives at The Current everyone rushes down to the jetty with wheelbarrows to collect their freight, and it is astonishing to see how much the tiny craft can carry. The decks are piled high with sacks, cases and cartons of all shapes and sizes, together with lumber and a myriad odds and ends.”

Current Settlement Beach
Current Settlement Beach