Swimsuit

10 Photos of Tyra Banks in the Bahamas to Influence Your Next Caribbean Excursion

The supermodel first appeared in the SI Swimsuit Issue 30 years ago and has landed the publication’s cover three times.

Cara O’Bleness

Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks was photographed by Laretta Houston in Great Exhuma, Bahamas.

Tyra Banks first appeared in the SI Swimsuit Issue 30 years ago after being photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in the Florida Keys. She went on to land the magazine’s cover in 1996 alongside fellow model Valeria Mazza. The duo were captured in South Africa by Iooss, and the occasion was a historic one, as Banks was the first Black woman ever to land the publication’s cover. 

Banks earned her first solo SI Swimsuit Issue cover the following year and has been featured on a total of three SI Swimsuit covers throughout her legendary time with the publication.

The 49-year-old model, entrepreneur and television personality came out of retirement for her most recent magazine cover with the brand, when she worked with Laretta Houston in Great Exuma, Bahamas. At the time, the America’s Next Top Model creator told Entertainment Tonight how “proud” she was of the feature and how she enjoyed embracing and celebrating her body as it was in that moment.

“I was about 25 pounds, 30 pounds heavier than the cover 22 years ago, and so the secret is, when you gain a little, the swimsuit goes smaller,” Banks said of the tiny yellow Andi Bagus bikini she wore for the magazine’s cover in 2019. “People think it’s the opposite.”

Below are 10 of our favorite photos Houston captured of the supermodel in the Bahamas.

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MTY5MjQzNzQzMDM1NzI5MTg1
MTY5MjQzNzQzNTcyNjY1NjMz
MTY5MjQzNzQzMzA3NDQxNDQx
MTY5MjQzNzQzMzA0MzYxMjQ5
MTY5MjQzNzQzNTc0MDQxODg5
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MTY5MjQzNzQzMDM1OTI1Nzkz

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, O’Bleness loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.

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