BAHAMAS SCUBA DIVING & SNORKELING

Snorkeling and scuba diving are the one of the best ways to become acquainted with the stunning beauty of the Bahamian reefs and the remarkable marine life. There are only a few places around the world that have as many snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities as The Bahamas. Beneath the perfect azure waves, snorkelers and divers can explore underwater sites such as caves, shipwrecks and coral reefs.

Some of our favorite scuba diving and snorkeling spots in the Bahamas are:

NEW PROVIDENCE / PARADISE ISLAND

The waters around New Providence Island and nearby Paradise Island are easy to explore. Some of the most popular scuba diving and snorkeling spots in the area are Rose Island Reefs, the Gambier Deep Reef, Booby Rock Channel, the Goulding Reef Cays, and some easily seen, well-known underwater wrecks that lie in shallow water.

Many ships have sunk near Nassau in the past 300 years so you have an opportunity for many scenic wreck dives. Other attractions are underwater gardens of Elkhorn.The most spectacular dive site is the Shark Wall, 10 miles off the southwest coast of New Providence; it's blessed with incredible, colorful sea life and the healthiest coral offshore. You'll even get to swim with sharks.

ELEUTHERA

Eleuthera has some of greatest secluded beaches in the Bahamas where travelers can snorkel offshore in maximum privacy. Another unique feature of Eleuthera is the Current Cut. This fast moving gully can carry you on a flowing underwater current for 10 minutes. Four wrecked ships also lie nearby, at depths of less than 39 ft., including a barge that was transporting the engine of a steam locomotive in 1865.

THE EXUMAS

Exuma Cays National Land and Sea Park
A major attraction of The Bahamas, this park is the first of its kind anywhere on the planet. The 22-mile long, 8-mile wide natural preserve attracts scuba divers to its 453 sq. km (177 sq. miles) of sea gardens with spectacular reefs, flora, and fauna.
Inaugurated in 1958, it lies some 22 miles northwest of Staniel Cay and 40 miles southeast of Nassau, and is accessible only by boat.

Stocking Island
Stocking Island lies across Elizabeth Harbour in George Town, Great Exumas which is only 1 mile away. Stocking Island is a long, thin barrier island that attracts snorkelers who explore its blue holes (ocean pools of fresh water floating on heavier saltwater). The island is also ringed with undersea caves and coral gardens in stunning colors. Stocking Island also has some of the most gorgeous beaches in the Southern Bahamas.

Pagoda Reef
Pagoda Reef is not far from Georgetown. The Elkhorn coral, leaf and sheet corals here have evolved into a magnificent, pagoda-like grotto. The whole formation is populated by a great underwater family of parrotfish, sergeant majors, snappers, angels and crustaceans.