The Elbow Cays ()''Derrotero de las islas Antillas, de las costas Tierra-Firme, y las del Seno Mejicano'', Dirección de Hidrografía, España, Madrid, Imprenta Nacional, 1837. p. 266
/ref> are uninhabited

cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Grea ...

s in the Cay Sal Bank,

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

. It is the most Western point in the Bahamas. They are part of a reef shelf located at the northwestern end of the bank about 80 km (50 mi) off the

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n coast and 130 km (80 mi) southeast of

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. These cays are an excellent

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

spot. The Elbow Cays are the westernmost group on the reef, running southwest to northeast along the

Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait () is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys (U.S.) an ...

. The southernmost cays of this group consist of unnamed islets and rocks. Northeast of these are South Elbow Cay (the westernmost named cay of Cay Sal Bank) and North Elbow Cay, the latter sometimes known just as Elbow Cay ().NGA Navigational Chart #27087, ''Cay Sal Bank''. 3rd Edition, corrected through Mar-01. North Elbow Cay, which is the largest and highest of the cays, is marked by a disused conical stone

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

, which is high. The site is open for visitors, but the ruined tower is accessible only by boat and reaching it is extremely hazardous.

Geography

The compact cluster of islets, rocks and reefs formed by Elbow Cays, Crenula Cay, Double Headed Shot Cays, Water Cays and Marion Rock, among other unnamed features, was named by the Spanish as ''Los Roques''. These northwestern cays gave their name to the whole bank, which is known as ''Placer de los Roques'', in the Spanish language.''Derrotero de las islas Antillas, de las costas Tierra-Firme, y las del Seno Mejicano'', Dirección de Hidrografía, España, Madrid, Imprenta Nacional, 1837. p. 265
/ref>

Adjacent islands and rocks

*Crenula Cay *Double Headed Shot Cays, , a group of elongated cays that extend northeastward from the Elbow Cays, incorporating the Water Cays and all islets and reefs up to the Deadman Cays in the east.NOAA Navigational Chart #11013, ''Atlantic Coast: Straits of Florida and Approaches''. 48th Edition, corrected though Feb-12. Available as a NOAA Raster Navigational Chart at th

They are in a position on the northwest side of Cay Sal Bank where the Florida Current, in its course east and north through the Straits of Florida, usually sets close offshore at full strength. *Water Cays () (West Water Cay and East Water Cay), . Located towards the northeastern end these cays were mentioned by

Alexander Von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...

: *Marion Rock, , a submerged rock Located off the northern coast of the 'Los Roques' reef.

History

Spanish navigators visited the island, plotting it for the first time on a map in 1511 as ''Los Roques''. The island and its atoll were subsequently claimed for the

Spanish crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León ( – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in ...

. The island was under the Spanish rule for about two centuries until 1718 when the Bahamas became a

Crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. A tall stone lighthouse was built by the British on the island of North Elbow Cay in 1839 along with some small buildings.Cay Sal Bank Lighthouse: A Stately Ruin
/ref> It marked the southern entrance to the

Florida Straits The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait () is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys (U.S.) ...

from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

and was active until the 1940s. The abandoned lighthouse was briefly reactivated during the 1970s, when Bahamas police set up a post on nearby Cay Sal Island to watch for drug smugglers.

Cartography

In ancient maps and nautical charts the size of these cays was often exaggerated.

References

External links