Skip to main content
x

10 Reasons Scuba Divers Love Grand Bahama

This Bahamian island offers thrilling scuba diving experiences and plenty of things to do between dives.
By Terry Ward | Published On April 20, 2018
Share This Article :

10 Reasons Scuba Divers Love Grand Bahama

grand bahama

Divers Guide

Average water temp: From 75 to 88 degrees F; What to wear: 3 mm in summer, 5 mm in winter; Average viz: From 80 to 100 feet; When to go: Year-round (hurricane season is June through November); Contact: Bahamas Aggressor, UNEXSO

Stuart Hill

1) Shark Junction

The Bahamas is known for shark diving, and the original shark encounter is this feeding dive with UNEXSO at a site called Shark Junction. Watch scores of Caribbean reef sharks swirl around you in about 40 feet of water as chain-mail-clad feeders lure the predators with snacks.

2) Fish Fry at Outriggers Smith’s Point

Calypso and soca music fill the air ­every Wednesday evening at the ­weekly ­alfresco fish fry organized by the ­Outriggers Beach Club at Smith’s Point Beach. Bring your post-dive appetite to feast on Bahamian favorites such as peas and rice, broiled lobster, baked mac-and-cheese and grilled conch.

3) Tiger Beach

For an even bigger rush, visit Tiger Beach — one of the only places in the world with dedicated tiger shark dives. You’ll be armed with a safety bar to settle in on the sandy bottom (at about 30 feet) among the striped beauties, some up to 12 feet long. Hammerheads and lemon sharks often show up for the party too.

4) Lucayan National Park

The island’s topside beauty stars during 90-minute kayaking tours with Grand Bahama Nature Tours in the stunning Lucayan National Park, home to one of the largest underwater-cave ­systems in the world. You’ll stop to explore a ­cavern that’s home to two of the island’s famous inland blue holes.

5) The Sugar Wreck

The sweet treats on this wreck include clouds of curious gobies, ­angelfish, schooling snapper, wrasse, grunts and ­parrotfish. This sailing ship grounded and sank in just 20 feet of water while ­transporting a load of sugar.

6) Port Lucaya Marketplace

Raise a cocktail or tip back a frosty Sands beer with Bahamians and tourists at the clutch of colorful restaurants and shops at Port Lucaya. There’s a local vibe here in the evenings, after the cruise-ship passengers have sailed on. Bring your best haggling skills to the straw market to purchase a handmade hat or bag.



7) Edge of the Ledge

Ogle the continental shelf where it drops off into the blue at this dive site in about 100 feet of water. While finning your way along the ledge, you might spot eagle rays, mantas and hammerheads.

8) Theo’s Wreck

The clear waters of the Bahamas makes it all the more impressive as you approach this 238-foot freighter lying in 100 feet of water. Its stern dangles dramatically out over the continental shelf, while sponges and black corals pave a thick crust across its skeleton. Hovering at the bow and peering way down to the ocean floor below is pure wonder.

9) Ben’s Cave

A dive into this otherworldly cavern — found in a Lucayan National Park blue hole — offers a view into how the Bahamas looked long before any cruise ships called in. Follow your dive guide down through the halocline to see ancient stalactites and stalagmites and fossilized shells in the cave’s trapped-in-time maw.

10) Gold Rock Beach

In an archipelago known for beautiful beaches, this sublime strip of sand across from the Lucayan caverns is near the top of the Bahamian beach heap. Stroll nature trails and boardwalks that lead to the turquoise water.