Ocean Cay is an island in the Bahamas located in the district of Bimini. It is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Bimini proper. Ocean Cay is an artificial island which was built by dredging in the late 1960s by Dillingham Construction of Hawaii and was used to mine white oolitic aragonite sand for diverse industrial purposes. The cay has been redeveloped as a private island called Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve for MSC Cruises.
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History
Ocean Cay is an island that was man-made and created originally for mining aragonite sand. The total size of the island is 42 hectares and the original owners also had dredged the area to allow for deep vessels to dock for the exportation of the sand.
Restoration
When Dillingham Construction abandoned the island, the cay fell into a state of decay. In 2015, the executive chairman of MSC Cruise line, Pierfrancesco Vago, signed a 100-year lease agreement with the Bahamian government to redevelop the island into a new resort for the cruise line. The cruise line planned to spend $200 million on the project.
The restoration would involve removing all of the abandoned mining facilities and infrastructure. A three-part documentary film series entitled Building Paradise Island by director James Redgate documented the cleanup of the island, the conservation leading to marine reserve status, and the building of a new resort from the ground up.
Beaches
The island has eight beaches, including Lighthouse Bay, North Beach, South Beach, Bimini Beach, areas near the lagoon, and a beach reserved for employees. Each beach has at least one lifeguard on duty when the beach is open.