From wrecks and reefs to walls and blue holes. Spectacular diving in The Bahamas
WELCOME BAHAMAS NASSAU - 2005 EDITION
Once you’ve sampled the sun and sand, turn to the sea to experience a more daring side of paradise. The turquoise Bahamian waters are home to a complex system of mystifying blue holes, intricate coral reefs, shadowy drop offs and surreal shipwrecks.
Begin your diving holiday with what Bahama Divers’ sales manager Tony Lowe calls one of the most unusual dives in The Bahamas. "The Lost Blue Hole is definitely our main feature," says Lowe. "Divers start off exploring a shallow sand bank and then head downward into a literal hole." Located 12 miles east of New Providence, the site is a naturally occurring 100-foot wide and 200-foot deep vertical cavity in the floor of the ocean.
Lowe describes the schools of African pompano, stingrays, sharks, sergeant majors, grouper, and other reef fish swarming around the perimeter. Divers descend about 80 feet into the chasm, but never lose the sun’s rays, which cast a glow into this azure environment. The popular blue hole dive is for experienced divers and takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
On Tuesday mornings, Bahama Divers conducts a trip to the Fish Hotel, a shallow reef behind Blue Lagoon Island – a few miles from New Providence. "There are so many fish here, we say the fish check in, but forget to check out," Lowe jokes. The circular reef ranges from 10-35 feet in depth and accommodates thousands of grunts, yellow goatfish and soft corals. Sea life also abounds at Barracuda Shoals – a lively shallow reef where colourful angelfish, natural sponges and swift snappers occupy the space.
First-time divers can take some time with the instructors to get better acquainted with the underwater world while wearing a tank before heading out to intriguing wrecks. Lowe recalls catching a glimpse of a 45-foot whale shark while exploring the sunken De La Salle. "The amazing thing about it was that our boat – Dreadnaught 2 – was only 42 feet!"
Speaking of sharks…
At Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, sharks are a major attraction. On any given day at 1pm, plucky divers experiencing the Shark Feed come face to face with these formidable sea creatures. Assembling on the sand in a semicircle about 50 feet below the surface, divers await the slow descent of the Caribbean reef sharks, lured into the circle by a dive instructor carrying a full bait box.
"A lot of people sign up for the dive harbouring a few preconceived fears," says Claudia Pellarini, underwater photographer and manager of Stuart Cove’s Fin Photo. "But then they see that the sharks are more interested in the food than the spectators, and in the end, they wind up having a great time." Up to 30 sharks go for the offered bait, swirling around the kneeling divers, and creating a spectacle that Pellarini films and photographs as mementos for the captivated divers.
"Although the shark dive is very popular, sometimes we get customers who are not so adventurous. They’ve snorkelled before and thought that diving would be cool, but they aren’t ready for the shark dive," says Pellarini. For these individuals she recommends the SUB (Scenic Underwater Bubble) – a personal submarine that allows users to navigate the shallow coral reefs at a comfortable two knots. Underwater pilots explore the marine life in the waters surrounding Nari Nari or Golden Cay, where scenes from major motion pictures Splash! and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were filmed.
Stuart Cove’s also adds a new spin to the popular wall dive at the nearby Tongue of the Ocean, which begins at 35 feet and dips dramatically to depths of more than 6,000 feet. The Apollo motorized underwater scooter allows divers to increase the speed at which they explore the impressive drop-off, and go from wall-diving to what is known as "Wall-Flying."
Nassau Scuba Centre, one of the pioneers in shark and wreck dives in The Bahamas, now offers more than 40 dive sites along the Tongue of the Ocean, including 15 wrecks and more than 15 miles of wall diving. The Shark Suit Adventure Specialty allows experienced divers to become shark feeders – an unparalleled adrenaline rush. A maximum of two divers spend half a day learning to swim wearing a 25 lb stainless steel chain mail suit before advancing to feeding Caribbean reef sharks with a three foot pole spear.
"It’s the anticipated thrill that gets customers to request this dive," says dive instructor Ronell Johnson. "Most people have never had this type of experience before, and we assure them that it is quite safe." Johnson says Caribbean reef sharks are a friendly species. "They might be big in size, but they’re really like little puppies and swim away when you swim right up to them." Johnson explains that the sharks are really scavengers who feed on dead and dying organisms and thus have no interest in their human feeders.
For the less brave, Johnson recommends exploring the sites popularized by movie icon James Bond. Underwater scenes from Thunderball and Never Say Never Again, featuring the original 007, Sean Connery, were filmed in The Bahamas and are among the most requested of all wreck dives.
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