Elbow Cays
The Elbow Cays (Spanish: Los Roques) are uninhabited cays in the Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas. 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 Cuban coast and 130 km (80 mi) southeast of Key West, Florida. These cays are an excellent scuba diving spot.
Elbow Cays
Los Roques | |
|---|---|
View of the Elbow Cays. The semi-ruined lighthouse of North Elbow Cay can be seen in the background. | |
Elbow Cays | |
| Coordinates: 23°57′N 80°27′W | |
| Country | The Bahamas |
| Region | Cay Sal Bank, Bahama Banks |
| District | Bimini |
| Population | |
| • Total | uninhabited |
| Languages | |
| • Official | English |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| Cay Sal Lighthouse | |
Old drawing of the lighthouse. Although known as 'Cay Sal Lighthouse', it was not located on Cay Sal Island | |
| Coordinates | 23°57′12.6″N 80°26′42.0″W |
| Constructed | 1839 |
| Construction | stone tower |
| Height | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | unpainted and ruined tower |
| Deactivated | 1940s |
The Elbow Cays are the westernmost group on the reef, running southwest to northeast along the Straits of Florida. 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 (Spanish: Cayo Codo).
North Elbow Cay, which is the largest and highest of the cays, is marked by a disused conical stone lighthouse, which is 17.7 metres (58 ft) high. The site is open for visitors, but the ruined tower is accessible only by boat and reaching it is extremely hazardous.