How safe is The Bahamas for travelers?

Crime

• There have been violent crimes and armed robberies, sometimes fatal, in residential and tourist areas of New Providence and Grand Bahama. That is Nassau and Freeport, not some distant province.
• Do not walk outside the main tourist areas and beaches, especially alone. Stay in downtown Nassau, which has regular police patrols.
• Avoid unlit areas and travel in groups after dusk.
• Take care on local buses at night away from the tourist areas.
• If you are attacked, do not resist. Robbers may have concealed weapons.
• The Family Islands, the Out Islands, have lower crime rates.

Drinks and assault

• The risk of sexual assault increases during regattas and festivals. Do not leave a drink unattended.
• There have been reports of sexual assaults on foreign nationals by jet ski operators in Nassau. That is the FCDO's own wording and it is specific for a reason.

The water

• The water sports industry is poorly regulated. Many operators are unregistered or use poor equipment, and people have been killed or seriously injured on jet skis, including killing others.
• Fatal shark attacks can happen without warning, and the Bahamian authorities warn of a particular threat around New Providence and nearby islands and cays.
• Night and dusk swimming raises the risk, even in shallow water near a resort, and paddle boards in deeper water are also exposed.
• Never go into water that has been baited. Several attacks have been linked to operators running shark encounters close to where fishermen gut fish.
• Watch for jet skis when swimming. Buoyed swimming areas are not always respected.

Driving

• Traffic drives on the left, and most cars are imported from the United States and left hand drive. That combination is the thing to be careful about, at junctions especially.
• A UK photocard licence works for up to 3 months. A paper licence means getting a photocard or a 1968 international driving permit.
• The drink drive limit matches England's but is not always enforced, so evenings and rural roads carry more risk than the law suggests.

Hurricanes

• The season runs from 1 June to 30 November. Hurricanes and the floods that follow have been deadly here.
• Know where your shelter is, keep drinking water, and know where life jackets are in case of a tidal surge.
• Residents book flights out well ahead of any evacuation order, because cancellations are the bottleneck. If a storm is named and heading this way, decide early.

Drugs

• Penalties for possession or trafficking are severe, police are vigilant, and you may well encounter drugs in bars. A substantial fine, deportation or prison is the realistic outcome.