Scuba Diving In The Bahamas

Scuba Diving In The Bahamas

When people are considering their dream dive locations, one of the places that is often mentioned is the Bahamas, a large archipelago of over 700 islands located just north of Cuba. So why does the Bahamas offer such a great attraction for scuba divers from all over the world, and what differentiates it from other top dive locations such as the Caribbean and the Maldives? We thought we would explore the Bahamas in more detail, and discover exactly what draws divers here from all over the world, year after year.

When examining the diving opportunities throughout the Bahamas, it is important to consider the geography of the region, to fully understand how it's location offers such pristine diving conditions throughout the year. The majority of the islands within the Bahamas are sat on a number of large plateaus called the Bahama Banks, which are themselves separated by deep ocean trenches which go down to colossal depths. Amongst these trenches, the plateaus themselves are covered in water a mere 6-12 metres deep in most places, offering warm water refuge to a large variety of marine life. These shallow plateaus, coupled with minimal sedimentary run-off, ensure that the majority of the region benefits from great levels of visibilty.

As well as the plateaus and trenches, there are also a large number of large pinnacles or seamounts throughout the region, an example of which would be the island of San Salvador, located in the South East of the Bahamas archipelago. San Salvador is in fact the exposed peak of a large undersea mountain, which plunges to extreme depths, bestowing the island itself with an almost legendary status for those fans of wall diving.

Also scattered throughout the Bahamas are a large number of Blue Holes, caused by a steady erosion of the limestone roofs of limestone caverns over millions of years. The majority of these blue holes are located in the Grand Bahamas and Cal Say Bank regions, and which undoubtedly offer some of the finest diving in the Bahamas.

There are a number of major diving areas within the Bahamas, although the more popular areas for scuba divers include the waters around Grand Bahamas and New Providence, where accessibility to the mainland US and a more developed tourist infrastructure had led to increasing numbers of scuba divers visiting these areas in recent times. For the purists, and for those who are prepared to travel that bit further in pursuit of a more unique diving experience, the islands towards the south east of the Bahamas hold rich rewards. Here, particularly around San Salvador and Conception Island can be found some of the most exhilarating scuba diving opportunities in the Bahamas. Awesome wall dives and large blue holes offer potential encounters with a wide variety of types of fish, shark and ray.

It would be impossible to look at the opportunities for scuba diving in the Bahamas without mentioning the various specialist shark dives on offer in the region, particularly the Shark Rodeo and Shark Junction specialist dives in Abacos and Grand Bahamas respectively. In particular, Shark Junction, the home of the UNEXSO's Shark Feeder program offers one of the most unique opportunities for divers to experience and encounter sharks up close. Here, the feedings take place in about 40 feet of water, giving divers the opportunities to watch the Caribbean Reef Sharks eat and cruise past at only an arms length. As well as the encounters with sharks, the UNEXSO program also offers divers the Dolphin Experience program, which allows divers the opportunity to dive with dolphins up close, undoubtedly one of the most incredible experiences on offer throughout the Bahamas.

In summary, the main attraction of the diving in the Bahamas is the extreme diversity on offer throughout the region, which allows for a wide spectrum of divers with a range of diving experiences to enjoy what is one offer. Awesome wall dives, land locked blue holes, superb coral reefs are all on offer throughout the Bahamas. This diversity of diving opportunities can also be recognised throughout the large variety of marine life to be found in the region, with opportunities to dive with sharks, manta rays, whale sharks and even pods of pilot whales, as well as the resident population of friendly Nassau Groupers.

Whilst the Bahamas has been a popular destination for scuba divers from North America for some time, it is steadily rising in popularity with scuba divers from areas such as Europe and the Far East. The excellent diving on offer, in pristine conditions, will undoubtedly ensure this trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future.