Diving the Bahamas Out Islands

There are more than 700 islands in the Bahamas. But unless you have an expedition dive boat and a trust fund for support, you won’t be visiting them all. Some are remote and uninhabited. Others don’t have the infrastructure needed to support diving activities.

That said there are a number of islands that have first-class dive resorts and plenty of underwater attractions to offer. These are the out islands, the less-visited destinations away from the cruise ship and casino meccas of Nassau and Freeport. Here are five such destinations that are favorites within diving circles.

Sitting less than 50 miles from Miami, Bimini is the gateway to the Bahamas. Private boats, ferries, seaplanes and regular air service bring divers and fishermen to these Islands in the Stream, where the shallow waters of the Bahama Banks meet the deep blue flow of the Gulf Stream. This convergence provides divers with a wide range of underwater experiences. Shallow water favorites include the wreck of the Sapona, the fishy crevices of Turtle Rocks and the much-publicized formations of the Bimini Road. A short boat ride away, mid-depth reefs teem with life, and just a bit farther to the west, slopes turn to walls that start deep and go much deeper.

A favorite with divers is the area known as Tuna Alley, so named for the giant bluefin tuna that use to cross these shoals during their annual migration to the Gulf of Mexico. The “Alley” is huge white sand valley running parallel to the drop-off into the Florida Straits. On the side of the Alley facing the shallows of the Grand Bahama Banks, the Alley (along with its very close neighbor Victory Reef) features a numerous collection of 15 to 20 foot deep winding ravines and archways dropping down from the top of slope all the way to the valley floor at a depth 90 feet. Even without the tuna’s, the Alley is still a regular hangout to an assortment of other predators from large schools of jacks, snappers, and grunts, to reef sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays and groupers.

Recently Bimini has added another claim to fame. During the winter season all the way into early spring, divers have the unique opportunity to swim with large great hammerhead sharks as they are baited in by dive operators in Bimini for their customers’ pleasure.

It’s the largest island in the Bahamas, and one of the wildest. Andros is a land of low-lying pine forests and winding tidal creeks, and beneath it all, the limestone substrate is riddled with hidden chambers that fill with rainwater, and cavern mouths where currents ebb and flow with the tides. These are the blue holes, and while they can be found on a number of islands across the Bahamas, Andros has the most, and some of the most spectacular. Many blue holes are the entrance to massive underground chambers that are the playground of cave divers. Open water divers can enjoy these sites, as they offer a glimpse into the underworld, and holes that have tidal flow often attract large schools of fish and promote coral growth around their entrances. Andros has more to offer than holes in the ground. The island’s east coast is flanked by hundreds of square miles of shallow reefs and coral heads, providing hours of relaxing submersions in bright coral gardens, and shark dives on the adjacent sand flats. A mile to the east, the sea floor drops away to depths of more than a mile along the edge of the Tongue of the Ocean. Dives along this boundary line adds the chance for passing encounters with pelagic species that cruise the edge of the wall.

The Exuma chain is a collection of more than 360 small islands that stretches 120 miles north-to-south through the central Bahamas. There’s deep water to the east, and large sand flats to the west. In between are the protected sites of the Exumas Land and Sea Park. This is the setting for relaxing shallow to mid-depth excursion onto reefs festooned with a variety of both hard and soft coral and populated by all the usual suspects such as moray eels, lobster, nurse sharks, queen angels, parrotfish and grouper. There are a smattering of wrecks to explore, and outcroppings that hold shoals of jacks, grunts and snapper. For a bit more excitement, divers can enter the hidden caverns of Thunderball Grotto, which was featured in the classic James Bond film of the same name, and more recently showcased Jessica Alba in a scene from Into the Blue. The dive sites of the northern Exumas are a favorite with liveaboards departing from the Port of Nassau. Farther to the south, the shores of Great Exuma are a starting point for day trips to local reefs, some of which are shallow and sheltered, and others which provide a chance for flight-like drift dives over fields of coral and giant sponges. For variety, there are also trips to the Great Exuma Wall, and trips to blue holes and caverns such as Mystery Cave, which is the entrance to a passageway that runs from shore to shore beneath Stocking Island.

South of the Exumas, and a 45-minute connecting flight from New Providence, Long Island delivers a grab-bag of diving variety. Offshore from the island’s northwest point is a large shoal that stretches westward to Great Exuma Island, with sandbanks and reefs that range from depths of 30 to 90 feet. These waters are sheltered from prevailing easterly swells and encompass a number of shallow to-mid depth reefs were coral heads cascade down to the top of a wall.

This is the site of the region’s signature shipwreck, the 110-foot-long freighter Cornerbach, which now holds a rich carpet of soft corals. Not far away in 30 feet of water, the amphitheater-like shoal known as Shark Reef is the site of the Bahamas original and longest-running Caribbean reef shark encounters. Another landmark attraction is Dean’s Blue Hole. This 250-foot circular sinkhole is set within a sheltering cove, with undercut walls that drop to depths of more than 660 feet. Long Island is also the jumping off point for day trips to uninhabited Conception Island, where clear water showcases vertical walls that begin at depths of 40 feet.

Divers always find steep, tall underwater walls to be a wow factor. And the Bahamas Out Island with the largest dose of this wow is San Salvador. Low-lying, undeveloped and home to fewer than 1,000 people, it is not a destination casual vacationers would choose. Things change when you slip below the water to discover miles of vertical walls that begin in depths as shallow as 40 feet. The scope of these cliff faces is made evident by water that is among the clearest in the Caribbean. And because most dive sites are found on the sheltered side of the island, seas are usually calm. These conditions allow divers of all abilities to enjoy the sites.

Those who stay above the wall will come face to face with the island’s gregarious Nassau groupers, which hover over groves of staghorn and elkhorn coral and glide through the creases and crevices of the upper reef. Divers who drop over the edge can choose their depth as they glide along wall faces perforated by overhangs and swim-through clefts. San Salvador is also known for hammerhead shark sightings, and there’s always the chance of a sighting when diving the edge of deep water.

We represent a number of the Bahamas‘ top dive operators and resorts and we can arrange all the details of a dive vacation. In addition, for a limited time this spring, divers can save on their travel and stay with a $250 credit that is applied to airfare or ferry travel. The promotion runs through May 14, for travel through the end of October, and applies to double-occupancy bookings of four nights or more at qualifying resorts. To learn more about the credits and other details of an Out Island dive adventure, give us a call at 800-330-6611 or send a note to sales@caradonna.com.