Currently, desalinated ocean water is the primary source of drinking water, providing 90% of the potable water on the island, supplemented by groundwater (Water Sewerage Corporation, 2022b).
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Small island water supplies typically originate from groundwater, surface water where available, desalination of ocean water, or rainwater harvesting in limited amounts (Holding and Allen, 2016).
Of these, desalination and atmospheric water generation have held the most promise. Over the past decade, 68 new desalination plants have been built across the region, with a capacity of 782,000 cubic meters of purified water per day (Caribbean Desalination Association).
Ocean water is clear due to the shallow sandy plateau of the Bahamas. Ocean depths are only 10 — 30m with white sand bottom for miles around the islands. Crystal clear.
The water is clear due to the absence of plankton and suspended particles. Plankton is the base of the food web in all oceans and, because there is little plankton in the tropics, tropical ocean water is nearly sterile in comparison with the fertile waters of the temperate oceans.
The Bahamas has been unable to meet the demands of the 11 million gallons of groundwater since the mid-1970s. This led to the emergence of barging water from North Andros due to strict rationing. Rising sea levels are expected over the next several decades.
In fact, over the banks, the water depth is often less than 10 meters (33 feet), but the surrounding basin plunges to depths as low as 4,000 meters (13,100 feet). MODIS is not the only satellite to capture beautiful images of the Bahamas.
The higher cost of living in the Bahamas are due to the fact that most goods need to be imported, and all of these items are taxed, when they arrive and clear customs. Unlike the US, there is no income tax in the Bahamas.
The Weddell Sea has been claimed by scientists to have the clearest waters of any ocean in the world. Described by a historian as “the most wretched and dismal region on earth”, due to the flash freezes that caught Shackleton's ship, its clarity is only belied by the sheer depth of the ocean below.
Cruise ships make their own drinking water. It's unsurprising since they're constantly surrounded by sea water – they use either steam evaporation or reverse osmosis processes to desalinate the water before minerals and chlorine are added. It's the same as a home filtration system, only significantly larger.
All drinking water is either distilled from seawater or loaded onboard while the ship is in port. Royal Caribbean adheres to Vessel Sanitation Program standards published by the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS).