James Bond locations in the Bahamas go to ruin as tourism fails to use 007

The Bahamas is James Bond’s second home. Since the Oscar-winning Thunderball more than 40 years ago, 007’s film adventures have revisited the paradise islands on no fewer than five occasions - reports The Shropshire Star.

You’d think, therefore, that tourism bosses would make a big deal about their links with Ian Fleming’s superspy. But they don’t.

In fact, classic James Bond locations in the Bahamas are being decimated faster than you can say Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Cafe Martinique, where Bond gambled and danced in Thunderball, has been bulldozed to make way for a huge new hotel development.

The Never Say Never bar at the British Colonial Hotel, where Connery had a watery encounter with Barbara Carrera, was blown away by a hurricane.

And the Straw Market, which doubled as the British secret service radio headquarters in Thunderball, has fallen victim to a tragic fire.

But there is one location which has survived the test of time remarkably well. Rock Point is better known by Bond fans as Palmyra, Largo’s shark-infested headquarters.

It’s owned by a billionaire Greek property magnate called George Mosco, who doesn’t welcome Bond fans. In fact, there’s a Rottweiler running loose behind the fenced perimeter to ensure that snap-happy tourists keep their distance.

But when I told the local film bureau I was doing a travel article for my local newspaper to promote the Bahamas, they arranged a visit for me. Half an hour I’ll never forget!

Nearly four decades may have passed, but Rock Point is instantly recognisable from Thunderball. The main pool is completely unchanged, still bordered on three sides by pastel-shaded pink buildings, and the ocean on the other.

The area where Largo and Fiona were seen clay pigeon shooting is now covered by a wooden deck, which extends right to the edge of the sea, and the striped canopy next to the pool has long gone. But apart from that, it’s the same.

“Apparently that’s the roof James Bond climbed on,” George said as we wandered through the grounds. I didn’t need telling . . . the unmistakable rutted roof is exactly as it was in the 60s.

The circular shark pool which, in the film, is made to look like an integral part of the house, is in fact a tidal overspill pool in the front garden. There never has been an underground tunnel connecting it to the main pool - that was just the wizardry of the Thunderball effects team.

It’s in a state of disrepair these days, with part of the wall having fallen victim to hurricanes and crumbled into the water.

George was clearly embarrassed about its disrepair, and didn’t want me to take a picture of it . . . but I was never going to get another chance!

So, will Rock Point ever be opened up to Bond fans?

“Not likely,” says George, who has owned it for over 20 years since buying it from the family
which allowed the Bond team in.

“It¹s my home, and I have no intention of selling it. I have three sons who will no doubt inherit it from me. It’s not a James Bond location to me, just a wonderful house in a great spot.”

It’s difficult to top a trip to Palmyra, but I came pretty close when I hooked up with Stuart Cove’s diving school on the southern tip of the island.

He’s a veteran shark wrangler from several Bond films, starting with For Your Eyes Only, and runs diving and snorkelling trips to underwater 007 sites of interest.

I snorkelled over the “Tears of Allah” boat, used in the Never Say Never Again hark chase, which is still virtually intact.

And just 100 yards away is the pipe and drape set which housed the Vulcan bomber from Thunderball. Although the plane is no longer there, you can still see the plane-shaped scaffold used to camouflage the bomber - and spot a couple of its wheels now smothered in coral.

For Bond fans, the half day snorkelling trip is £40 well spent. The boat also takes tourists out to the reef where Bahamas-born stuntman Gavin McKinney doubled for Roger Moore as he was dragged over a coral reef with Carole Bouquet in For Your Eyes Only.

Stuart Cove says: “I have the Bond films to thank for my business. I still get fans from all over the world visiting me just to see the Bond wrecks.

“In the same spot, we also built the underwater palace in For Your Eyes Only. It was a massive project, with aluminium structures filled with concrete, but sadly we had to dismantle it all when filming was complete.

“One other Bond feature you can still see in this area, though, is a couple of false boulders which we sank when we filmed the submarine escape scene from The World Is Not Enough.”

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