Early settlers in Port Howe lured ships on to the rocks in order to loot their cargoes. Today Port Howe is famous for its coconuts and pineapples, while the bread, cooked in Dutch or Rock wood-fuelled ovens, is said to be the Bahamas tastiest. The Greenwood Dive Centre at The Greenwood Beach Resort, Port Howe offers scuba diving and snorkelling. There are two boats taking 4-20 passengers on diving or snorkelling trips, but diving can also be done from the shore. Yachting facilities and activities are found at Hawks Nest Marina.
Local people rely on the weekly mailboat from Nassau for groceries.
There are bars but none serves food. Two miles inland is a small lake surrounded by mangrove thickets. Islanders refer to it as a blue hole and tell stories of its supernatural inhabitants. The beaches in the north are excellent. Northside Beach, reached by dirt road, stretches for 20 miles but has no facilities at all and has the ubiquitous debris.