The reknown Edwin’s Turtle Lake Marine Reserve, located between Governor’s Harbour and Palmetto Point in Central Eleuthera, along the main highway, reopened fully to the public on July 1st, 2026, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to once again experience the lush and vibrant beauty of one of Eleuthera’s inland blue holes – this one populated by large turtles, fish, and native bird life.
Mr. Marvin Burrows, a third-generation guardian of the Reserve, which was founded in 1954 by his grandfather, and namesake of the blue hole, the late Mr. Edwin Burrows of Governor’s Harbour, now operates and manages the refurbished facility – which was originally known as ‘Burrows Pond’.
The blue hole, described by Marvin as being approximately a quarter-mile wide and three-quarters of a mile long (roughly four acres), is surrounded by mangroves. The reserve is a saltwater lake connected to the Atlantic Oceon via a cave system, with water levels rising and falling with the Atlantic tide – described by Marvin as about five times the size of the ‘Ocean Hole’ site in Rock Sound. He said the reserve is home to cormorants, egrets, ducks, a range of other birds, various fish species, and its main attraction: turtles.
Marvin estimated the turtle population within the reserve as over 50 individuals (males and females), which have grown to exceptional sizes – up to three-quarters the size of a kayak – due to the absence of predators in the inland blue hole environment. Fish, he said, also exhibit larger-than-normal growth.
Edwin’s Turtle Lake is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-ins, said Marvin, are welcome, and online booking is available via the Edwin’s Turtle Lake Marine Reserve website (accessible through Facebook, Instagram, Tel: 242-426-1323, or QR codes on flyers). Visitors, he said can explore the blue hole via canoes (3-seaters for $75), 2-seater kayaks ($90), or 1-seater kayaks ($65). Personal paddleboards or kayaks incur an entry fee (price to be determined). Life vests and seat vests are provided, and Marvin is CPR certified. He offers guided tours or supervise experienced paddlers with binoculars.
Edwin’s Turtle Lake Marine Reserve, was so-named in 2014 when it was first reopened twelve years ago by a group of Edwin’s descendants and family members, determined to conserve the pristine site, and it was operated by Marvin’s aunt, Bessie, after she returned to Eleuthera to retire. After Bessie’s passing, a number of years later, the site laid largely dormant – with the family grieving her loss.
Marvin, who had left the island after graduating high school, shared that he returned home to assist his mother, Lily (who had also retired home in Eleuthera), and his aunt Shirley (Rev. Shirley Burrows – retired nurse, and long-serving minister), in 2020 during the pandemic. Despite working various jobs during that time, Marvin was determined to reopen the reserve, which many people, he said, still inquired about. He shared that the need to open the facility back up always tugged at him. “I would keep it clean. I would keep checking on it.”
This year, supported by a board of family members and friends, Marvin, took the plunge, resigned from his job and is now the full-time Operation Manager at Edwin’s Turtle Lake Marine Reserve. Still a work in progress, with a number of exciting updates to come, renovations are currently ongoing. The original wooden decking, said Marvin, has been resurfaced, and a floating dock has been added, as part of the completed ‘phase 1’ of renovations. The upcoming phase 2, will include the completion of a souvenir and cold drinks shop, increased inventory, additional decking space, comfort amenities like air conditioning (powered by a generator or solar panels), as well as a motored rescue boat.
When asked what was special about Edwin’s Turtle Lake in his eyes, Marvin, shared, “It’s natural. It’s nature. It’s peaceful. It relaxes the mind, it exercises the body, and it gets down deep into your soul. You know, once you’re out there, you forget about everything. The traffic, you know, whatever bothers you, you will forget. Once you come inside Edwin’s Turtle Lake Marine Reserve, you could leave all your troubles on the deck. Literally on the deck. And you can go right there, you know, just be one with nature.”
