Scuba Diving....

PLANNING YOUR FIRST DIVE
VACATION TO THE BAHAMAS

The Bahamas keep getting better in so many ways. This heavenly haven for divers is so close, convenient, calm, and clear that planning your first dive vacation to The Bahamas is easier than ever.

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 U.S. mainland. The islands feature some of the finest scuba diving in the world, as well as lots of varied options when it comes to dive operators, accommodations choices, and topside time.

James Bond buffs know the diving in The Bahamas is good, thanks to films like Thunderball, Dr. No, and Never Say Never Again. And 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 Island. In the 1970s, many excellent operations opened throughout The Bahamas and still flourish today, while other more recently opened dive operators have added to the mix. Today, all of the popular dive spots have shops to support the diving desires of everyone.

There are about 700 landmasses in The Bahamas, covering more than 100,000 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.

NEW PROVIDENCE AND NASSAU

Situated on the island of New Providence, Nassau is the most-known name in The Bahamas. The bustling and historic 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 compared to much of the Caribbean to the south. That means there are still lots of unique 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 Barge, Thunderball Reef (used for the speargun sequence in Thunderball), and the Mahoney Wreck, a dive site with wreck remains that date back to the 1800s. 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 ISLAND

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 world-class diving.

The island offers many highly-recommended outings, including: Theo's Wreck (a 230-foot freighter); Shark Junction (the feeding of Caribbean reef sharks); and unforgettable dolphin programs (interaction, swims, snorkeling, and diving).

THE OUT ISLANDS

The “Out Islands” feature world-famous diving in more remote settings. They offer an ideal opportunity for divers 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. 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 Reef.

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, with the world's 3rd largest barrier reef just off the eastern shore. The best dive sites include: Ocean Blue Hole (a unique cave-like opening in the side of the Andros wall), Edge of the Wall (great coral formations, look for grouper, eagle ryas and turtles) and Brad's Mountain (lots of Atlantic Spadefish, Bermuda Chub, grunts, jacks, various tropicals and schooling fish).

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, long a fishing mecca, is now also hot with 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. Two other top dive sites on Eleuthera are The Train Wreck and Blow Hole.

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.

SAN SALVADOR is known for world-class 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 Frasgate 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 Out Islands have other diving gems, including CAT ISLAND, CROOKED ISLAND, and INAGUA.

There are simply too many islands from which to choose for a first-time Bahamas dive vacation. That’s why so many divers keep coming back after that first visit!