Bahamas Diving

Bahamas diving is made best in the world by its healthy, abundant coral reef. With more coral than even the Great Barrier Reef itself, Bahamas waters offer pristine waters, awesome visibility, and even superb wreck diving. Vacationers make Bahamas diving their first choice year after year, for scuba, snokeling, and even freediving. As you might guess, with such an abundant coral system and plentitude of marine life that lives on and around it, there are dive boats in just about every town in the Bahamas. That means wherever you stay, wherever your resort may be, there's a dive boat nearby ready to take you out on the water.

The shallows are great for snorkeling, which anybody can enjoy no matter what their skill level. The waters are warm which snorkelers and divers alike will appreciate. The Gulf Stream pulses through the area, close by the islands, bringing large pelagic fish into view, making for exciting Bahamas diving. So add it all up: turquiose waters, great vis, tons of coral, plus benefits of the Gulf Stream and what do you have? Best diving in the world, is what you get. No wonder so many people consider the Bahamas the Dive Capital of the world.

With such a large expanse of coral reef and over 700 islands in the Bahamas, how do you choose a starting off point, a destination, and a dive boat? Narrow it down, research the dive spots, and see what diving charters are available from your resort or from nearby. Because the cruise ships dock in Nassau and Freeport, the islands of New Providence and Grand Bahama are the busiest. Generally, the outer islands, or Out Islands as they're called here, offer better diving. Here are the Out Islands:

Andros
Abacos
the Biminis
Berry Islands
Acklins/Crooked Island
Cat Island
Eleuthera
the Exumas
Inagua
Long Island
Mayaguana
San Salvador

Most of the islands that have resorts will also have dive boats. Beginners can get certified for a day and try Bahamas diving. Equipment rentals are also offered by many of the dive boats. Some of the larger boats are live-aboard dive charters boats. You go out to sea with a group and stay all night! That means diving as much as you can handle. There are even charters for people who just want to go snorkeling. Then on the other end of the spectrum we have drive trips for expert divers, out to the famous Blue Hole.

Cruise ship passengers are the only divers who can visit Coco Cay these days, since the island was bought by a cruise ship company. There's a great shallow airplane wreck there, perfect for snorkelers. For independent travelers, Bimini is a good destination for some Bahamas diving. This is where you'll find the famous Sapona, which is really a snorkel spot since it stands out of the water, in only about 20 feet depth. Tuna Alley is immensely popular. Tuna from the Gulf Stream give it its name. Explore walls, caverns and crevices at 100 feet. It's a reef system near North Cat Cay with an average depth of 50 feet, which puts it at the intermediate skill lever for scuba divers.