Men's Journal

ROSE ISLAND

Spear a Lobster Dinner

For decades, Bahamian locals have been turned on to the miracle called Rose Island, four miles northeast of Nassau. The place looks to be nothing more than scrub and palm, but its rockbound coast holds prominent colonies of spiny lobster, a clawless breed coveted for its fat, succulent tail.

To a novice hunter, spiny lobster appear either profoundly lazy or suicidal, often delaying their escape until the moment they catch a spear between the eyes. When I was there last fall, I spotted a three-pound trophy “crawfish” (as Bahamians call them) lounging under a chunk of brain coral within minutes of plunging into six feet of 80-degree water. He gazed up at me, seemed to yawn, then sluggishly turned away. I hauled back on my spear and struck him clean through the head. Lobster brains slithered to the ocean floor like cooked spaghetti as he came belatedly to life, legs scrambling desperately, before he finally gave up and went completely limp.

Swimming back to the skiff, I had to hang the lobster on the tip end of my spear, away from my hand, lest an unseen shark or barracuda snatch both, and then drop it into an icebox. If you’re with a couple of friends, it’s possible to spear about a dozen in a full afternoon, and that night you’ll dine on the most delicious lobster, roasted over coals and drowned in butter, that you’ve ever had the pleasure of killing. — John O’Connor

Trip Planner (click on the map at left for a larger view)

Lobster Hunting: There are no spearfishing outfitters in Nassau, but Capt. Clint Kemp of Secret Soul Fly Fishing Adventures will put you in touch with a local guide and boat for the trip to Rose Island (from $400 per half-day; 242-376-0321). You’ll need to bring your own snorkeling gear and spear (called a Hawaiian sling), which you can pick up at Lightbourne Marine in Nassau ($60; 242-393-5285).

House Hunting: The iconic Atlantis has its charms, but the best place to hang your hat is the Westwind Club, a sleepy collection of bungalows with a bar, private hammocks, and — better still — a private beach. Plus, it’s a quick taxi ride away from the docks ($150 per day; westwind1.com).