Dive Experience Bahamas

Bahamas diving experiences are so diverse that even if you think you have “Been there, Done that”you will probably find something new here. Nassau dive operators cater to every level of diver from the not-yet-certified to the accomplished diver with hundreds of dives completed. Divers looking for an adventure and challenge need look no further. Nassau/New Providence is an underwater wonderland. 

For the novice diver, shallow reefs abound on all sides of the island. While some reefs are simple patch reefs, many shallow reefs tend to blend into a sloping drop that abruptly plummets over the wall, making these sites ideal for a group of divers with varying levels of experience. Superb wall diving along the east side of the “tongue of the ocean” delights the more advanced divers. Nassau also has a number of shipwrecks to explore. The most available to divers being former movie sets and older, out of use, Bahamian vessels that are now artificial reefs. Several dive operators also have day long excursions to the blue holes and nearby out islands. 

For many divers, the main attraction to these waters is the opportunity to dive with sharks. In the Bahamas, shark encounters are almost a sure thing. These waters are home to more than three dozen species of shark and wildly popular shark dives are offered by several New Providence Dive Operators. Most shark dives are organized as a two tank boat trip with the first dive being on a reef. Plenty of sharks are always on hand, cruising the reef in anticipation of the upcoming free meal, but they tend to stay further away until the second dive then the food comes out. 

The Island Experience

New Providence Island has two distinctly different faces. One is the big hotel high life of Nassau and Paradise Island. The other is the quiet ambiance of the southwest corner of the island. Both are equally attractive and all sides of the island offer not only fine accommodations but also excellent dive services. It is really a question of atmosphere. 

In Nassau, Cable Beach and Paradise Island you will have immediate access to hotels, golfing, windsurfing, parasailing, international restaurants, sparkling casinos, elegant nightlife and all of the other fine diversions travelers love. The southwest coast offers quiet isolated beaches, starlit skies and the chance to experience peaceful moments after a day of activities. If you love a fantasy sense of vacation, but also want to experience the natural world, Nassau is the vacation experience you have been waiting for.

The two faces are not that separate as each is only a 20 minute ride away from the other. If you choose to stay in the heart of the action, the southern dive operators offer free, door-to-door pickup and delivery services for divers and snorkelers seeking to experience the other side of the island. 

Some Popular Dive Sites

New Providence Island

Many ships have sunk near Nassau in the past 300 years, and all the dive outfitters here know the most scenic wreck sites. Other attractions are underwater gardens of elkhorn coral and dozens of reefs brimming with underwater life. The most spectacular dive site is the Shark Wall, 16km (10 miles) off the southwest coast of New Providence; it's blessed with incredible, colorful sea life and the healthiest coral offshore. You'll even get to swim with sharks (not as bait, of course). 

Grand Bahama Island

The island is ringed with reefs, and dive sites are plentiful, including the Wall, the Caves (the deliberate and well-engineered sinking known as Theo's Wreck), and Treasure Reef. Other popular dive sites include Spit City (yes, that's right), Ben Blue Hole, and the Rose Garden (no one knows how this one got its name). 

Andros

Marine life abounds in the barrier reef off the coast of Andros, which is one of the largest in the world and a famous destination for divers. The reef plunges 167km (104 miles) to a narrow drop-off known as the Tongue of the Ocean. You can also explore mysterious blue holes, formed when subterranean caves fill with seawater, causing their ceilings to collapse and exposing clear, deep pools.

Bimini

Although Bimini is most famous for its game fishing, it boasts excellent diving, too. Five kilometers (3 miles) of offshore reefs attract millions of colorful fish. Even snorkelers can see black coral gardens, blue holes, and an odd configuration on the sea floor that is reportedly part of the lost continent of Atlantis (a fun legend, at any rate). Divers can check out the wreck of a motorized yacht, the Sapona (owned by Henry Ford), which sank in shallow waters off the coast in 1929. 

Eleuthera

In addition to lovely coral and an array of colorful fish, divers can enjoy some unique experiences here, such as the "Current Cut," an exciting underwater gully that carries you on a swiftly flowing underwater current for 10 minutes. Four wrecked ships also lie nearby, at depths of less than 12m (40 ft.), including a barge that was transporting the engine of a steam locomotive in 1865, reportedly after the American Confederacy sold it to raise cash for its war effort.