This past Sunday, I flew down to the Bahamas and met up with my
television crew to shoot some segments for my show.  We visited the
amazingly grand and beautiful Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.  I
was particularly interested in experiencing the world’s largest
open-air marine habitat.  There are fourteen lagoons in all, teeming
with more than 50,000 marine animals from over 200 different species.
Truly amazing!  We also learned all about Kerzner International’s Blue
Project, which was founded to research the extensive damage of the
ocean’s coral reefs and to hopefully discover methods of coral
rejuvenation.  This is a most important study as coral houses 25% of
marine life, and losing it would affect the entire planet.  On a
lighter note, I had the great pleasure of cooking a meal with Frederic
Demers, the executive sous chef at Jean George Vongerichten’s Café
Martinique.  We made a most delicious Nassau grouper with aromatic
black beans and seasonal vegetables.  The recipe will be available
later on my Web site when the segment airs on television.  In addition,
I really enjoyed visiting all the lovely and lush tropical gardens.
Please enjoy these photos from Atlantis.    

Here I am trying on the biggest hat in the straw market.

 

Susan Magrino and Michele Wiltshire - Susan does our public
relations and she works closely with Kerzner International - Michele
does all of special events at Atlantis.

Here I am with Conray Rolle, the head gardener at Atlantis - he is
very well-versed in all tropical horticulture and has planted the 171
acres that make up the Atlantis resort.

Michele took very good care of our group, which consisted of our TV
crew headed by Gary Nardilla, Kim Miller - our field producer, and
Maryann Vanderventer - our field unit manager.

The new Cove at Atlantis has acres of gardens including a water garden filled with spectacular water lilies.

Another water lily

Atlantis is a wonderful fantasy world of mythology and marine life.

Marlins cavort above rooftops.

Seahorses act as corbels.

Kim Miller - Supervising field producer, on my right and on my left,
Frankie de Joseph - second camera, and Dave Pliskin - sound engineer.

Once the gardens are planted, they take about two years to mature.

Maryann Vanderventer and Sae Oh - utility - they work very very hard

The crew looks happy - who wouldn't be in such a beautiful place?

Gary Nardilla, our director and I have made many, many field segments over the years - we've worked
together for more than 16 years

A large green turtles in one of the resort's many estuaries.

There are many manta rays in the park - the largest marine open air habitat in the world.

A very large bismarkia palm - one of my favorite palms.

A white bird of paradise - a nice change from the more common orange and blue variety. This one
actually looks more like a real bird.

We spent a good deal of time in wet suits - great protection against the sun, cold wind, the nibbling fish, and the rough coral stone.

The sun came out only briefly when we went to visit the coral reefs.

Kim hurt her leg and I rewrapped it with ace bandages. I also found her lots of aloe to rub on the wound.

Nathan Jones -- one of our divers and a serious security swimmer.

Susan looked very glamorous on the diving catamaran.

Sae Oh lugged a lot of equipment in the two days I spent at the Cove.

Liesl Menning, my assistant, was a very good sport and swam with me.

Nathan was just so handsome in his diving suit.

Liesl in the water -- it was very rough.

I had a great and vigorous swim looking a a somewhat destroyed reef.

Maryann handles the little panasonic 100A.

This is Michelle Liu - head of all marine aquarium operations.

I felt very good after my swim, which was exhausting in rough seas.

Makeup artist Vinnetta Scrivo got seasick -- poor Vinnetta.

Happy fellow, Nathan, always had a smile on his face.

On our way back to Atlantis aboard the True Blue, a 440 hp catamaran designed specifically for diving
expeditions.

Kim dolled up for dinner at Jean Georges Vongerichten's Dune Restaurant.

Ruins Lagoon, home of the giant manta rays - the only three in captivity in the western hemisphere.

Here are those marlins again - very impressive rooftop decorations.

A manta ray - 14 feet across!

I was taught by Michelle how to feed shrimp and crill to the mantas - it was very hard work.

Maryanne and Kim aboard the True Blue, on their way to learn about the Blue Project - the Kerzner
Marine Foundation's initiative to save the coral reefs.

Susan Magrino Dunning and Kevin Sharkey on the way to the coral reef.

Dave Pliskin is always wrapped up in wires and microphones.