About The Shot
Big Majors Cay, Exuma, Bahamas/ 2023
The world-famous swimming pigs of The Bahamas have easily become one of the biggest attractions here, especially since Instagram and social media took off. The originals live on Big Major’s Cay in Exuma, but because of their popularity, other islands have added pigs to their beaches to give visitors a similar experience. There are a lot of stories about how the first pigs got there. Some say they were left by sailors, others say they swam from a nearby boat. The version that makes the most sense to me is that they were placed on the island for farming purposes — kept off the mainland because of their smell and constant foraging. Over time, they did what mammals naturally know how to do — they swam. They started using the surrounding water to cool off and relax on the beach. Today, millions of visitors travel to The Bahamas just to see them, snap a photo, and maybe even meet a few piglets. It’s one of those experiences that feels unexpected — pigs, in crystal-clear turquoise water — but somehow, it’s become part of what makes The Bahamas so unique.