What the diving is like
Seven hundred islands on the edge of two very deep channels, which is what produces the diving. The Bahama Banks are shallow, sandy and clear; the Tongue of the Ocean and the Northwest Providence Channel cut through them and drop to well over a thousand metres. Most of the diving is on or near that edge. The walls start shallow. On New Providence, Grand Bahama, Andros and Long Island a reef top at 12 to 15 metres ends at a vertical drop, and the water off the wall is exceptionally clear. Visibility of 30 metres and more is normal, and the light is what most people remember about diving here. The sharks are the other reason. Caribbean reef sharks are seen on ordinary dives across the country and are the subject of organised feeds at several operations; tiger sharks and great hammerheads are dived at Tiger Beach and off Bimini in winter, in shallow sand in a few metres of water. Oceanic whitetips are dived off Cat Island in spring. Silky sharks, nurse sharks and lemon sharks are common. Anyone diving the Bahamas should be clear in advance about which of these are baited dives and decide for themselves whether they want to be on one. Blue holes are a Bahamian speciality. They are flooded vertical caves, inland and offshore, and the offshore ones are diveable on a normal open-water qualification while the inland systems are cave diving and are not. The wild dolphins on the Little Bahama Bank are a snorkelling activity rather than a dive, done from liveaboards in the summer months.
The shape of a day
Two-tank morning boat trips from the resort islands, with the reef and the wall usually done on the same trip because they are the same site. Liveaboards work the more remote banks and the shark sites, which are too far offshore for a day boat. The shark trips are run separately and are booked as their own product.
Getting there
Nassau on New Providence and Freeport on Grand Bahama are the main entry points, both with direct flights from the United States and Europe. The outer islands are reached by domestic flight or by mail boat, and a trip to one of them costs an extra day at each end.
When to come
Year-round. April to August is calmest and warmest. Winter brings cold fronts that stop boats for a day or two at a time, but it is also when the tiger sharks and great hammerheads are dived, so the shark season and the settled season do not coincide. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Fees and what is not included
The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park charges for anchoring and mooring. There is no general national dive fee; a marine environment levy applies to arrivals and is normally included in the fare.