southern diver/skin diver

SOUTHERN FLORIDA IS YOUR

GATEWAY TO BAHAMAS DIVING

The Bahamas keep getting better in so many ways. This heavenly haven for divers is so close, calm, and clear. That's why many divers use Florida as a gateway to these nearby islands.

It's just a quick flight to almost anywhere in the Bahamas and Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and even Orlando provide easy gateways for reaching some of the best diving in Florida's underwater backyard playground. From frequent scheduled commercial service to individual dive resort charters and service, it's easy to reach the Bahamas from Florida. If you want to enjoy the Bahamas by live-aboard, many excellent live-aboard operators are based out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, making it easy to drive right to your dive boat to the Bahamas.

When Christopher Columbus wrote to the King of Spain shortly after his discovery of the Bahamas, he said, "Believe me, Sire, these countries far surpass all the rest of the world in beauty and conveniency." If a reincarnated Columbus were a certified diver today, he would enjoy the Bahamas even more than he did 500 years ago.

The grass may seem greener in someone else's backyard (or body of water), but the Bahamas offer great 'foreign' diving very close to the Florida mainland. The islands feature some of the finest scuba diving in the world.

James Bond fans know the diving in the Bahamas is good, thanks to films like Thunderball, Dr. No, and Never Say Never Again. Fans of the TV series Flipper know that the show was filmed in the clear and friendly waters of the Bahamas.

As word has spread of the great diving in the Bahamas, high-quality dive operations have developed. Government aid helped fuel this growth on the smaller islands, in that tourism had already developed on New Providence and Grand Bahama. In the 1970s, many excellent operations opened throughout the Bahamas and still flourish today. Today, all of the popular dive spots have shops to support the diving desires of everyone.

These operators make it easy to explore the underwater world of the Bahamas. Many of the best dives are offshore and difficult to locate, so the experience, expertise, and efficiency of dive shops make it easy.

Dive shops in the Bahamas can lead interested divers to some of the finest diving in the world. There are shallow reefs, deep walls, and many wrecks. All of this is accompanied by varied and colorful marine life.

There are about 700 landmasses in the Bahamas, covering more than 90,000 square miles. They stretch from 50 miles off the Florida coast in the north to just above the Windward Passage, between Cuba and Haiti, in the south. In between, there's lots of great diving.

Some 30 of The Bahama Islands are permanently settled, but more than 80% of Bahamians live on New Providence or Grand Bahama. At last count, no other island has more than 1,000 inhabitants. There are hundreds of additional islands, cays, islets, and exposed rocks, providing virgin territory for underwater explorers in the southern Bahamas.

NEW PROVIDENCE AND NASSAU

Situated on the island of New Providence, Nassau is the most-known name in the Bahamas. The city is the capital of the Bahamas and its chief port of entry. It lies roughly in the middle of the Bahamas chain.

Though popularized by many movies and the Flipper TV series, diving is still relatively new on New Providence. That means there are still lots of new and unusual diving sites, all easily-found on one of the dive shop trips.

North side diving near Nassau is convenient for novices and those pressed for time. Several shops right in town offer good trips to the shallows around Athol Island, the LCT Wreck, Thunderball Reef (used for the speargun sequence in Thunderball), and the Mahoney Wreck, a steel freighter that sank in the hurricane of 1929. The Alcora Wreck is another popular site, intentionally sunk to become a great dive (intentional sinking of derelict vessels is becoming popular in the Bahamas and produces some great diving).

The South side of New Providence offers some of the best diving in the Bahamas. The Clifton Wall area features plenty of excellent diving at a variety of depths, with lots of colorful coral and fish. The Bond Wrecks include the freighter filmed in Never Say Never Again and the airplane prop created for Thunderball. Other hotspots include 20,000 Leagues, the Cessna Wreck, the Runway, and the Buoy (great for getting up close and personal with some sharks).

GRAND BAHAMA

This island features one of the grandaddys of Caribbean diving and lots of grand underwater experiences. Located just sixty miles off of Florida, east of Palm Beach, Grand Bahama is the home of the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO), a pioneering dive operator.

For more than 25 years, UNEXSO has been a leader in diving instruction, service, and sales. UNEXSO is an ideal base for exploring the underwater world of Grand Bahama. They have a large variety of daily trips, including highly-recommended outings to Theo's Wreck (a 228-foot freighter); Shark Junction (the feeding of Caribbean reef sharks); and their unforgettable dolphin programs (interaction, swims, snorkeling, and diving).

THE FAMILY ISLANDS

The Family Islands (still called the "Out Islands" by locals), feature world-famous diving in more remote settings. They offer an ideal opportunity for boaters to see another side of the Bahamas.

The ABACOS chain holds claim as the boat-building capital of the Bahamas and sailing capital of the world. Another claim is that the stunning red- and white-striped lighthouse on Elbow Cay at Hope Town is the most-photographed lighthouse in the world. Consisting of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, Abaco is the second largest Bahamas island mass.

The most popular dive sites include: the Pillars; the Wreck of the San Jacinto (the first U.S. steamship built for ocean travel, which sank in 1865); and the Tarpon Dive (huge shiny tarpon are often at the site).

Bahamians call ANDROS "the Sleeping Giant," because it's so big, but so quiet. The same could be said of the diving. Andros is a group of islands just 25 miles from Nassau, but they are classified as one island. The best dives include: Ocean Blue Hole (an offshore pit on the ocean bottom); the Wreck of the Potomac (a shallow wreck from the busy shipping years of Prohibition); and Conch Alley (lots of queen conch, the national food of the Bahamas).

The BERRY ISLANDS are just becoming known as a dive destination. Chub Cay Wall along the Tongue of the Ocean and Mama Rhoda Rock are two of the most popular dives.

BIMINI may be very close to the Florida mainland, but it shouldn't be bypassed by divers. This Hemingway hangout, long a fishing mecca, is now becoming an "island in the stream" for divers. Two famous sites worth exploration are the Wreck of the Sapona (a shallow and easy dive on a World War I troop carrier built by Henry Ford) and the Drift Wall Dive (a more difficult drift dive fueled by the Gulf Stream).

ELEUTHERA, the "Breadbasket of the Bahamas," features one of the more unusual dives in the Caribbean. The Current Cut offers a current-driven dive in the passage between Eleuthera Sound and the sea that separates Current Island and North Eleuthera. Dive operators drop divers at one end of the cut and pick them up at the other end. There are usually three passes of the cut, making for an unusual form of "drift" diving.

Two other top dive sites on Eleuthera are The Train Wreck and Blow Hole. The train wreck features a railroad car that went down on a wooden barge in 1865 (a shallow dive great for beginners). Blow Hole is interesting because huge boulders, rather than coral, form the underwater topography.

Appropriately named, LONG ISLAND was the place Columbus first saw a version of today's hammock. Some of the many dives include: Grouper Valley (huge grouper and Jewfish); the Stella Maris Shark Reef (feeding of various sharks); and the virtually virgin wall diving off Conception Island. Exciting marine life can also be found at Barracuda Heads and Flamingo Reef.

SAN SALVADOR is known for great wall diving, often with big and friendly grouper. One of the best choices is Telephone Pole, which features a cave tunnel that comes out on a wall at 110 feet. There's a huge telephone pole lying at the opening to the cave. Budding photographers can practice their macro work on Snapshot Reef, while wreck wanderers can head for the Wreck of the Frascate, and wall watchers should try Great Cut and Devil's Claw (which is heavenly).

EXUMA features famous blue hole diving. One of the best sites is Angelfish Blue Hole, a dive ranging from 30 to 90 feet and offering colorful coral, a large variety of fish, and a cavern-like room at the end of the dive. Other popular dive sites include Crab Cay Crevasse and Pagoda Reef. Great Exuma is ideal for divers with a special interest in the environment. The protected marine park of the Bahamas National Trust Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park ensures great diving.

The Family Islands have other diving gems, including CAT ISLAND, CROOKED ISLAND, and INAGUA. Cat Island starts with the Tunnels and then expands to incredible wall dives like First Basin Wall and Third Basin Reef Wall. Crooked Island, Columbus's Fragrant Island, is still sweet to many divers. The town of Pittstown Point serves as the hub for divers, as well as the location of the oldest post office in The Bahamas. Virtually virgin diving includes bustling Grandpa Grouper and the nearby Acklins. The Great Inagua Wall is the draw to the Inagua Islands and Mayaguana region. This sheer drop-off is marked by huge coral heads that head straight down into the ocean.

TRAVEL DETAILS

The Bahamas are easily reached by scheduled commercial and resort charter service from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando. U.S. and Canadian visitors staying for eight months or less need only a valid passport, birth certificate, or other pictured identification evidencing citizenship. All others need a valid passport and some visitors may also require a visa.

Divers can visit the Bahamas anytime of year. The "summer" months (generally June to October) mean air temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s, water temperatures in the low-80s, and typically calm and clear conditions out on the reefs. The "winter" months (generally November to May) bring air temperatures in the mid-70s, water temperatures in the low-70s, and sometimes rougher conditions above and below the surface.

English is spoken throughout The Bahamas. Travelers will note a pleasant lilt, influenced by British, Irish, and/or African ancestry.

The legal tender is the Bahamian dollar (B$1), which is always equivalent in value to the U.S. dollar. Both U.S. and Bahamian dollars are accepted interchangeablely throughout the islands.

Contact The Bahamas Tourist Office at 150 E. 52nd St., 28th Floor N., New York, NY 10022, 212-758-2777 or 800-8-BAHAMAS. The Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board can be reached at 1100 Lee Wagener Blvd., Ste. 206, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315, 305-359-8099 or 800-688-4752.