Diving conditions
The islands of the Bahamas offer completely optimal and rarely equalled diving conditions. The archipelago's great asset in terms of diving, in addition to its exceptional underwater fauna, is the extraordinary visibility offered by the sites: up to sixty metres deep! The Gulf Stream acts as an oceanic barrier and protects the archipelago from overflows of rain and river waters flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, allowing the waters to remain crystal clear
In addition to the Gulf Stream, the Bahamas is home to underwater trenches. This provides the islands with clear water and allows sediment to settle on the ocean floor and not on the reefs. Everywhere, the waters are therefore ultra-clear to great depths. On the islands, no untimely currents, no anarchic waves: the sea is mild, the currents are infrequent and quite weak, guaranteeing really comfortable diving conditions.
The water temperature is also exceptional; it remains warm throughout the year (slightly cooler around the islands in the far north from December to March) and it is not uncommon to find water at 29°C at a depth of 30 m in summer, which makes it possible to dive with light equipment, or even without a wetsuit.
The different types of diving offered
Snorkeling, wreck dives, night dives, shark or dolphin dives, dive cruises: there is no lack of options in the Bahamas! Surface divers can discover wonders without any difficulty, armed with a simple equipment: mask, snorkel and fins. Many coral gardens are located at depths of less than 8 meters and allow a simple approach to underwater life, even for children. The life is dense and tropical fishes are numerous
As for the wrecks, they are very numerous in the Bahamian seabed, victims of the pirates of the 18th century, the stranders of the 19th century, storms, wars and accidents. As if this were not enough to keep underwater explorers happy, the government occasionally allows the scuttling of a vessel, old ship or plane, which will serve to stabilize the bottom and develop coral and underwater life; for example, the 125-year-old American warship USS Adirondack, which was intentionally sunk, lies in the waters of the Man-O-War islet. Most of the wrecks lie at a depth of less than 18 meters. Every wreck, embedded with coral, colonized by tubular and tree sponges and inhabited by hundreds of fish, offers a very special experience.
All diving centers offer night dives. Impressive, they offer divers many unique emotions. They are characterized by a narrowed field of vision and offer a different approach to the underwater world. The colors take all their intensity.
Even more spectacular is diving with sharks! The encounter with the great predators of the sea has become a specialty of the Bahamas. It can be fortuitous, but is most often organized, as the centers know perfectly well the sites frequented by the sharks. Feeding, which is often debated by environmentalists - does such human-animal interaction not risk to alter the behavior of the sharks? -It was first practiced in 1973 on four islands: New Providence, Freeport, Long Island (Stella Maris) and Andros. The conditions for observing and approaching sharks are very safe, and divers commit themselves to respecting proven rules. The most common shark is the reef shark, sometimes accompanied by lemon, hammerhead or bull sharks. The sharks gather around the boat as soon as it stops at the usual feeding site, forming approaching circles as soon as the divers enter the water. As soon as they are immersed, they lean against the coral wall and the ritual begins. The feeder, protected by a chain mail suit, immerses himself with a bucket of fish that he places in front of the divers, marking the beginning of the underwater ballet. The sharks can be fed by hand or from the end of a pole. The predators are disciplined to take turns in taking their food. More "natural", other types of dives bring sharks and divers together in the open ocean in Nassau, Grand Bahama Island, Bimini, Cat Island, Long Island and Andros.
It is also possible in the Bahamas to dive with dolphins.UNEXSO, based in Freeport/Lucaya (Grand Bahama Island), Dolphin Cay Atlantis (Paradise Island) and Dolphin Encounters in Blue Lagoon (20 minutes from Paradise Island) have developed programs for encounters with cetaceans. The classic programs consist of "simply" approaching them and swimming with them in a tank, but experienced divers or swimmers can also do it at sea with tame dolphins. Sometimes, wild dolphins join their fellow dolphins: magic guaranteed! A pod of wild spotted dolphins also accepts the presence of humans, preferably without a tank, on the White Sand Ridge along the Bahamas Bank, at the northwestern tip of the archipelago. They usually show up once a day, without being able to predict the schedule: they obviously remain masters of these meetings. In Bimini, diving centers, like the Bimini Wildquest, offer snorkeling with wild dolphins.
Finally, there are several operators of one-week cruises from the Bahamas. The boats, with a capacity of about 20 passengers, criss-cross the Bahamian waters, stopping at various islands. For more information, contact Blackbeard's Cruises, Aqua Cat or Cat Ppalu Cruises at www.allstarliveaboards.com, or Aggressor Bahamas(www.aggressor.com/destination/Bahamas).
Learn to dive
In order to fully and immediately enjoy the spectacle of the underwater world, we advise beginners to take their first lessons, both theoretical and practical, before departure. However, all diving centers offer initiations for novices with about two hours of theoretical training and first dives in the pool or even in the sea in shallow waters. After this first initiation, you will discover diving on a shallow reef. A diving certificate can be delivered to you after 3 to 5 days of practice. As for the children, they can start from 8 years old and dive under the supervision of an adult.
There are three ways to learn to dive. The first: the training course at the hotel. This is a short initiation of about 2 hours which is not a diploma, and includes a theoretical course, a session in the pool and a dive on a shallow reef. It is often referred to as an "introduction to scuba diving". The second option is the certification course. This "holiday certificate" is a sandwich course that alternates with the hotel introduction. In addition to the first step, you will have to answer a questionnaire, dive in the open sea and pass a final test. This certificate is obtained in 3 to 5 days. Finally, you can opt for the theoretical training approved in the Bahamas: this accelerated formula in 2 days is in between the two previous ones.
Diving centers
In the Bahamas, Yankee proximity requires, and with all due respect to French divers who prefer the French Federation (FFESSM), it is the American Federation PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), the first international diving organization, which is de rigueur in all diving schools. The centers of the archipelago belong to the BDA (Bahamas Diving Association), whose members are affiliated to international federations and respect international regulations and safety standards. They take care of all divers, from novices to the most experienced, from the youngest (8 years old minimum) to the oldest. It is always preferable to book, whatever the type of diving practiced. For any further information, please contact the Bahamas Diving Association, which groups together most of the dive centres on the islands.
All the centres offer equipment for rent and for sale. Be careful, however, the prices charged on site are very high and the choice remains relatively limited. It is therefore better to leave with your own equipment. The Bahamian waters are warm all year round, so only very deep dives require wetsuits.
Safety and basic rules
Whatever type of diving you do, dive centres will require a medical certificate of fitness to dive issued by a specialist doctor. If you haven't thought about getting it before you leave, the centres have contact details of doctors who can issue this certificate, but you will lose half a day. All diving boats are equipped with VHF radio, oxygen therapy kit and first aid equipment. There is a decompression chamber in Nassau and one in San Salvador. Aerial evacuations are provided for in case of need from all the islands. All diving centers are equipped with oxygen and first aid equipment.
Among the basic precautions to be respected: do not dive 24 hours before taking a long-haul flight; an afternoon and a night are enough for an inter-island flight. Similarly, do not dive on an empty stomach or sick, and do not force the descent in case of earache. In case of shortness of breath, stop all movement, regain your composure, recover a normal breathing rhythm and stop diving. If you feel cold, stop diving and warm up. Finally, the depth can make the head turn; narcosis can begin as early as 30 m (100 ft) deep. In this case, go back up a few meters and wait for the symptoms to disappear.
Finally, divers must respect the underwater environment and follow the rules imposed by the instructors. Do not touch fish or corals and do not bring anything to the surface: the absence of any of the components of the environment can compromise the fragile balance of the marine world. Beware of fins, knees and cameras, which can hit the coral: breaking a tiny piece can wipe out decades of development. Finally, avoid diving and swimming with shiny jewellery that could be mistaken for sardines by larger fish.
