Must-See Bahamas Scuba Diving Sites

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

With so many dive sites to choose from, Bahamas scuba diving will be one of the memorable experiences that will remain in a person's mind forever. Surrounded with warm and clear waters, there are around 1,000 dive sites spread across the 700 islands of the Bahamas. Because these Bahamas scuba diving spots have a lot of beautiful sights and diverse creatures to show off, many dive operators earn a living by giving the tourists scuba diving lessons and tours of the many coral reefs and shipwrecks that are found in the Bahamas. Some of these operators include diving with dolphins and feeding sharks as part of their repertoire. These services are usually included in dive and accommodation packages that are offered by hotels and resorts.

Most diving packages are priced based on the number of dives per day as well as a person?s stay in a hotel or resort. For this reason, divers should make the most of their stay by picking the best Bahamas scuba diving spots the islands have to offer.

Get An Eyeful in Abacos

Being an area with a lot of wildlife sanctuaries and parks, this Bahamas scuba diving spot has an abundance of colorful corals and fishes. Green turtles, porpoises, seahorses and moray eels can also be found in the Abacos islands. Because this area has a lot of shallow reefs, divers can go snorkeling while they are decompressing.

The diverse marine wildlife is not the only attraction in Abacos. This area is quite well known to wreck divers. The USS Adirondack, a Civil War gunboat that struck a reef in 1862 is quite well-known for enthusiasts of wreck diving. Because a lot of Spanish galleons sunk in the waters near the Abacos, divers may want to profit from their trip by looking for the lost treasures that went down with these ships.

The Blue Holes of the Andros

Here in Andros Island, divers can explore the third largest barrier reef in the world -- The Andros Barrier Reef. This expanse of this huge reef reaches the abyss and is called, The Tongue of the Ocean, because of its shape. In Andros, divers can also explore the haunting and fascinating blue holes. These deep holes are actually deep fissures that were formed by water erosion before it was flooded at the end of the ice age.

This area is also known for wreck diving. Here, divers can take a look at the Potomac which sank just after World War II. Since most sunken ships end up as artificial habitats for marine life, some grouper, parrotfish and barracuda reside in this area.

Other Bahamas Dive Sites

Wreck diving enthusiasts also frequent Eleuthra where there are four wreck sites to visit. For divers who are interested in the history of the earth, Exuma is the place to visit. In Stocking Island, they can view the stomatolite reef, a living fossil that is known as the oldest evidence of life on earth. With so many places to visit, tourists should plan their tours ahead of time by listing down the places that they want to visit and marking the areas that they should prioritize during their trip.