Located just east and south of Florida and composed of more than 700 islands covering 1,000 square miles of ocean, the Bahamas are an enigma - many have visited, but few appreciate their vastness, nor have a clear idea of the topographical variety of dive sites and the wide range of marine life that such a huge area can offer. From blue holes to walls, caves and shipwrecks, from shallow elkhorn coral forests to pelagics both large and small, the Bahamas offer something for everyone, both beginner and experienced divers alike.
More than 5% of the world's coral is found in the Bahamas; much of the water in the islands is less than 20 feet deep, allowing huge expanses of intricate reef systems. Walls abound; many of the tops begin from 50 to 100 feet below the surface, and plunge to many thousands of feet. The huge area covered ensures that nearly everything found in the southern Atlantic finds its way to the Bahamas - sharks of all kinds, humpback whales, several species of dolphins, whale sharks and eagle rays and arrays of smaller creatures too numerous to list. This area offering a huge selection and variety of diving experiences, matched with an exploratory journey through an island nation spanning more than 1,000 square miles of some of the clearest ocean in the world.
The Southern Bahamas in particular offer the opportunity for a liveaboard dive vessel to visit remote and rarely-visited sites. The wall diving here is spectacular, with beginning depths ranging from 50 to 100 feet, with a few shallower reefs. Large pelagics such as hammerhead sharks will charm the thrill-seekers; large coral and sponge formations and the dramatic walls offer something for critter divers and both wide-angle and macro photographers.
Please keep in mind that the areas which we visit each week can be highly dependent on weather. Though our itinerary in the Southern Bahamas is still somewhat exploratory, here are details about some of the areas:
Conception Island
Located 15 miles northeast of Long Island, Conception is an uninhabited reef-rimmed speck on the map. This Land and Sea Park has an area of only 6 square miles, and is a nesting site for endangered green turtles and seabirds - particularly the boobies, which give their name to Booby Cay just to the east.
Underwater, Conception offers drop dead gorgeous walls with a profusion of marine life and plentiful wide-angle opportunities. High profile coral heads are interspersed with sand chutes spilling over the wall; expect to see elephant ear and barrel sponges, schooling horse-eye jacks, snappers and groupers - and keep an eye out for both turtles and plentiful sharks, including hammerheads.
Dives available along the Conception wall include The Creek, Chutes and Ladders, Grouper Ledge, Missing Link, Tunnel of Love, and West Bay. Due to the sloping sandy ledge, most of the wall dives at Conception start between 60 to 70 feet but all have spectacular swim-throughs and topography. Only West bay is a shallow dive site which is in 40 ft of water.
San Salvador
Though more commonly known as the place where Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World, San Salvador is unusual in that it is an exposed peak of a sub-sea mountain. There are only 5 islands in the Bahamas with this distinction, and as a result of this, the island is entirely surrounded by walls. The western shore is a massive submerged cliff that hugs the shoreline, begins at 40-50 feet and drops off quickly to thousands of feet. The enormous depth ensures a wealth of marine life, from tiny critters to the hammerhead sharks which are spotted regularly.
Though there are between 15 -20 moored dive sites that we can choose from depending on weather and currents, some favorites include: Great Cut - A truly amazing dive with a very unusual formation - a cataclysmic event caused a 200 ft long section of the wall to split from the main wall, creating a double drop off. Passing the ridge at 40 feet leads you to a chasm which drops to 150 ft. Cross this gap to reach the second section of the wall at 80 feet, which then drops vertically into the deep. Double Caves - A spur and groove formation reef on the southern part of San Salvador. The top of the reef is at 45 feet, and at least 4 caves or tunnels appear. You can either swim up or down the tunnels, as they are like slides starting at 45 -50 feet and exiting at 85 - 115 feet. Vicky's Reef - A 40 -50 foot reef and wall dive. The wall has a underhang drop down to 110 feet; expect to see huge elephant ear sponges and wire coral. Here you can spot the rare whip coral shrimp, only normally found in Indo-Pacific waters. This is also a great spot for turtles and reef sharks. Devils Grotto - Starting at 25 feet with 3 drop offs to a maximum depth of 120 feet. There are enough swim-throughs to explore this dive site several times over and never do the same profile. Hole in the Wall - Rolling mounds of coral beginning at 45 ft, dropping off at a severe angle with 2 cuts in the wall forming a Y shape at 90 feet. South of the ridge there is a wide cut starting at 50 feet, home to a 7 foot high pillar coral. Look out for eagle rays and occasionally manta rays. La Crevasse - Very similar to Double Caves but multiplied several times over, huge crevasses over 50 ft deep. The outside wall has a near vertical face with undercuts and an abundance of sponges. Sandy Cliff - Here a spur and grove formation leads to the edge of the wall. An outstanding coral ridge at 30 -40 feet defines the dropoff to a second ledge and cave at 130 feet.
Rum Cay area
This small island is located just southwest of San Salvador. There are limitless opportunities for divers. At many sites you will find limestone foundations among the reefs which are home to a large variety of corals, gigantic sponges, schools of reef fish and much more. In addition to these shallow areas, Rum Cay also provides some great wall diving, deep reefs and wrecks.
Mayaguana
Mayaguana, the eastern most island in the Bahamas, is a surprisingly diverse, pristine and unspoiled territory. Although there is some reef structure in the 45-60 ft range, most of the life starts around 70 feet. Swim throughs and entire walls covered by huge sponge growth are home to many fish and other marine life that are in no way shy, probably because they have not been exposed to many human visitors. Curious game fish, including wahoo, approach casually and make every dive one to remember.
The large quantity and variety of fish found here is likely second to none in the Caribbean. It may not seem that way because it is spread over such a large expanse of ocean but when you begin logging your dives, you’ll realize what a treat diving in Mayaguana can be.
Samana Cay area
Little has been written about diving in this remote area. The underwater topography provides for shallow sandy areas and walls dropping to around 1,000 feet. A long shelf of coral pillars is said to be found between Plana and Samana Cays along with white sand areas where larger fish and rays congregate. You will also experience large arched areas which could be considered swim-throughs and of course the walls are covered with life and provide a perfect habitat for reef fish, turtles and other life.
