 The narrowest portion of the Old Bahama Channel is between 22° and 23° North latitude, where its width rarely exceeds .In the 1500s, Alonso Valiente was one of the discoverers of the Old Bahama Channel.The Spanish colonial trade routes in the Spanish West Indies originally favored the Old Bahama Channel, then shifted to the Straits of Florida—New Bahama Channel, as it was a safer alternative.