Home to the second-largest coral reef in the Western Hemisphere, The Bahamas boasts spectacular blue holes, walls, caves, coral reefs and shipwrecks, making it a top destination for novice and experienced divers alike.
But while just about any Bahamian dive site is sure to impress a first-time visitor who is unaccustomed to the clear turquoise waters and brilliant reefs of The Bahamas, dive instructors lucky enough to have experienced just about every known site say not all dive sites are equal.
Corey Outten, a dive instructor for the past four years at Divers Haven didn't have to think twice when asked about his favourite site.
Pristine reefs
Barracuda Shoals is a relatively shallow reef at 40 ft, just off the south side of Rose Island, a few miles from New Providence. Despite its beauty, Outten says Barracuda Shoals is not a busy site.
"That's what I really love about it. It's not that popular, so the reefs are pristine and alive with an abundance of grouper, sergeant majors, snapper and even moray eels," he says.
Pushed to select his second-favourite dive site, Outten names the wall near the Bahama Mama wreck off the south end of New Providence. Another site ideal for divers, regardless of their experience level, this wall starts at 40 ft and slopes down gradually. Outten says that although the site is excellent for beginners the clarity of the water, the majestic corals, schooling fish and abundance of Caribbean reef sharks make it a treat for even the most experienced divers.
Awe-inspiring walls are found throughout The Bahamas. Some end at the sand bottom 60 to 100 ft down. Others seem to drop away forever. Each wall offers a unique experience with profile, shape, size and colours varying immensely.
Sharks have right of way
For Adam Collins, an instructor at Nassau Scuba Centre, the site that gets his vote requires a certain degree of diving experience.
Hole in the Head is found along a wall about nine miles south of Coral Harbour. The wall itself drops down 110 ft, but it's actually an arch-shaped coral creation that makes this site different from any other.
"The opening is about six by six and runs 10 feet long. You can see light at the end, so it's not like plunging into a train tunnel," he jokes, "but what's really wild is that the area is usually teeming with sharks. You often bump into them halfway through, but if you're smart, they always get right of way."
After teaching diving for two years and diving for pleasure for more than nine, Collins says he's become a bit tired of the more popular sites, saying that, while they are definitely spectacular for first-time visitors, they've lost their appeal for him.
There is one popular site that the adventure seeker still finds exciting - the Arena. At about 70 ft, this is the site where Nassau Scuba Centre launched its shark feeding programme more than 15 years ago. It was moved when the shark population exploded into the hundreds. Today, the number of Caribbean reef sharks at the Arena has dwindled to fewer than 100, but Collins says they always startle first-time visitors when they surface and surround the boat.
"We've never had any incidents, so when we get out there and someone says ?we're going in there?' we break the ice by telling them that sharks are man eaters, so the ladies are safe," he jokes
Adrenaline rush
With 30 years of diving under his belt, David Eads, operations manager at Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas has seen and done just about every type of dive. He, too, enjoys the exhilaration of a shark dive. His favourite shark sites are the Arena and the Runway, which lies about a mile from South Ocean.
"It's still an adrenaline rush every time I get out there. There's something amazing about being able to observe these creatures up close and personal in their natural habitat," he says.
The shark dive begins with a brief educational session on the background and behaviour of Caribbean reef sharks. After the session divers take the plunge to observe between 20 and 40 sharks cruise in for an afternoon meal offered by trained feeders.
Mysterious blue hole
Bahama Divers co-owner Leroy Lowe's favourite dive site is not for beginners. After spending more than 30 years diving the most spectacular sites The Bahamas has to offer, Lowe rates a mysterious blue hole, just 11 miles off the eastern end of New Providence, as his favourite.
"The first time you go into a blue hole, it's a little weird, but when you get down there and look up and see the sunlight streaming down through this perfect circle, you realize why it's so special," he says.
Blue holes occur throughout The Bahamas, but this one has unique features that draw divers back again and again. The entrance to the blue hole, which is surrounded by powdery white sand banks, is about 35 feet below the surface and is about 100 ft in diameter.
The blue hole itself reaches depths of 200 ft, but you don't have to dive that deep to experience some amazing natural features. Lowe likens the interior of the hole itself to a 360-degree wall dive, and says that at about 35 ft down (total 70 ft depth) is a 20 ft indented ledge where divers often stop to pose for a one-of-a-kind photograph.
Bahama Divers offers blue hole dives three times a week and always includes a lead instructor and backup safety diver.
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