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Dive Shops:
The Abacos:
Brendal's Dive Shop Ltd. (242) 365-4411. Offers equipment rental, certified
instruction, and two trips daily. Located at The Green Turtle Club on Green
Turtle Cay.
Dive Abaco (242) 367-2787. Gear rentals and sales, resort and certification
courses, one dive trip per day. Located at the Conch Inn in Marsh Harbour.
Dive Odyssea (242) 367-3774. Equipment rentals and sales and resort and
certification courses. Located at the Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh Harbour.
Hope Town Dive Shop & Boat Rentals (242) 366-0029. Equipment rentals, boat
rentals and daily SCUBA and snorkeling trips. Located on Elbow Cay.
Man O' War Dive Shop. Equipment rentals of snorkeling and diving gear.
Located at the Man O' War Marina.
Sea Below Dive Shop (800) 432-2092 or (242) 352-5252. Equipment rentals and
sales, resort courses and certification, air fills, and two dive trips per
day. Located at Walker's Cay Hotel and Marina.
Andros:
Andros Undersea Adventures Phone: (242) 368-2795 Fax: (242) 368-2796. Equipment
rentals, resort and advanced certification courses and daily dive trips.
Located at the Fresh Creek (Lighthouse Yacht Club & Marina).
Small Hope Bay Lodge (242) 368-2014. Two dive trips per day, night and
specialty dives on request, specialty diving program for advanced divers
and resort course instruction.
Berry Islands:
Chub Cay Undersea Adventures (800) 327-8150 or (354) 462-3400 Our personal service allows you to decide the dives and dive your profile. Great
wall diving and beautiful coral reefs. Equipment rentals, certification and
resort instruction and air fills. Located at Chub Cay.
Bimini:
Bimini Undersea Adventures (242) 347-3089. Daily snorkeling trips, night
dives on Wed. and Sat., dive packages through many of the hotels, equipment
sales and rentals including kayaks, jet skis, and bicycles, as well as
drift fishing trips.
SCUBA Bimini Dive Shop (800) 848-4073. This full service dive shop offers
certified instruction, daily dive trips, snorkeling trips, night dives,
equipment rental. Located at Bimini Reef Club and Marina on South Bimini.
Cat Island:
Cat Island Sea Club (242) 354-5043 or (305) 474-4821. PADI instruction,
beginner and advanced courses and group dives. Located at Fernandez Bay
Village.
Tabaluga Diving Base (242) 342-4053. SCUBA and snorkeling trips, eqiupment
rentals and certified instruction. Located at the Greenwood Inn.
Exuma:
Exuma Fantasea (242) 336-DIVE. Equipment rental, snorkeling trips, two dives
per day, certified instruction and resort courses, dive groups are limited
to five persons, and Exuma Fantasea specializes in eco-diving, which is a
growing area in diving emphasizing learning, understanding and preservation
of the underwater ecosystem. Located across from Club Peace and Plenty.
Harbour Island and Spanish Wells:
Manuel's Dive Station. SCUBA and snorkeling equipment, compressors and
marine hardware. Located at the entrance to the Spanish Wells Beach Resort.
Romora Bay Club Dive Shop (242) 333-2323. Equipment rental and repair,
certified instruction and resort courses, underwater photography and a PADI
training facility. This dive shop can also arrange deep-sea fishing
charters, windsurfing, sailing, snorkeling, and sunfish sailing. Located at
the Romora Bay Club on Harbour Island.
South Eleuthera Divers (242) 334-2221. Shallow and wall dives, serves all
hotels, resorts, and rental cottages. Located in Rock Sound on Eleuthera.
Spanish Wells Dive Centre (242) 333-4238. Equipment rental, certification
and snorkeling trips.
Valentine's Dive Centre (242) 333-2309. Equipment rental, video and
underwater camera rentals, daily snorkeling trips, reef and wreck dives,
instruction for all levels, and the all new SCUBA Safari by request.
Individual and group charters also available. Located at Valentine's Yacht
Club and Inn.
Long Island:
Stella Maris Diving (242) 336-2106 or (800) 426-0466. Open water, advanced
and resort courses, day and night dives, adventure diving from boat or
shore, overnight cruises, treasure hunting packages and a
four-island-Christoper Columbus dive cruise.
San Salvador:
Guanahani Dive (242) 332-2694, ext 215. Equipment rental and certified
instruction.
Dive Sites:
The Abacos
Great Abaco and the windward cays provide a good variety of dive sites, from walls to wrecks. Here are some dive masters favorites.
The Tarpon Dive This coral wall drops off to 50 feet and offers a chance to swim with pet tarpons and feed a curious green moray eel.
The Barge Here you will find a World War II landing craft at about 40 feet. This wreck is inhabited with beautiful tropical fish.
The Wreck Bonita You can feed groupers by hand during this 60 foot dive to a World War II English transport.
The Wreck San Jacinto Explore this old steamship and feed the green moray eel that inhabits this ship that sank in 40 feet of water in 1865.
Hole in the Wall Don't forget your camera when you visit these caverns that offer a variety of fascinating subjects. Divers can also swim through the huge coral head at 50 feet.
Sandy Cay This is reported to be the largest stand of elkhorn coral in the world.
The Wreck of the Adirondacks Lying in 30 feet of water near the Man-O-War Cay, you will find this wreck with her cannons still exposed and well preserved.
Andros
Andros offers an endless range of diving experiences with the world's third largest barrier reef offshore.
Brad's Mountain Hords of reef fish can be seen amidst sea fans and corals of all kinds, where the majestic coral heads rise from a 60-foot bottom to form this impressive underwater peak.
Over the Wall Large fish and rays, as well as myriad coral and sponges can be seen at this dive which starts at 80 feet with a decent to 185 feet on the Tongue of the Ocean Wall, which drops off to more than 6,000 feet.
The Blue Hole With depths ranging from 40 to 100 feet, this tame blue hole is an occasional home to sharks and large rays.
The Barge which was sunk intentionally in the mid 1960's, has become a home for large grouper. It sits in 70 feet of water.
Alex and Cara Caverns Limited to experienced divers only, these dives are on the edge of the wall at a depth of 90 feet.
The Black Forest a crop of at least 30 black coral trees at 70 feet.
Bimini
Little Caverns See some of Bimini's larger reef creatures during this 65 to 80 foot dive amidst the mountainous coral formations on a white-sand bottom.
Bimini Barge If you want to see a good view of a 120-foot sunken vessel, dive this wreck which lies in 90 feet of crystal clear water, not far from the dock.
Hawksbill Reef This 50-60-foot site was chosen by the Foundation for Ocean Research for the filming of the television series "The Last Frontier". It is home to large numbers of reef fish and lobsters.
Off the Wall Peer over the abyss that drops to 2,000 feet as you drift along the Continental Shelf carried by the Gulf Stream at 130 feet.
Exuma
Exuma boasts a number of blue holes, caves, and caverns. Divers must be cavern-certified to participate in these, even though each has a safety line.
Angelfish Blue Hole Curious angels will come close enough to look right into your mask at this dive starting at 30 feet, descending to 90, and then leveling off into a network of caves, this hole is a vertical shaft 25-30 feet in diameter.
Mystery Cave Starting at an easy 15 feet and dropping to 97, this cavern network extends below Stocking Island. The intricacy and expanse of the network itself was demonstrated when divers released dye near the entrance and it surfaced four miles offshore.
Crab Cay Blue Hole Spiny lobster, grunts, snappers, and round sting rays are among the dramatic archways of this crevasse which is 30 to 40 feet wide and ranges from 30 to 90 feet in depth.
Harbour Island and Spanish Wells
The Arch-Schools of jacks, rays, and an occasional shark are found among the formations of spur and groove coral of this coral archway formed by the collapse of a cavern. This dive extends from 75 to 110 feet.
The Blow Hole This extremely safe and easy dive takes you through a network of grottoes populated by parrot fish, tarpon, and lobsters. It is easily reached from Harbour Island. Carved into the underwater base of Eleuthera by the wave action of the Atlantic Ocean is this dramatic ampitheatre cavern.
The Plateau Through acres of ridges that begin at about 40 feet and plunge to canyons at 90 feet you will find large schools of grouper.
Current Cut Sealife is virtually limitless at this fast drift dive which carries divers with the tide at upwards of 10 knots through a passage in the coast of Eleuthera. Depths range from 35 to 60 feet.
The Grotto This hollow mound of coral has been known to be the hangout of "sleeping" sharks.
Civil War Train Wreck Part of a Union train captured by the Confederacy and sold to a Cuban sugar plantation which plunged from a barge in 1865 is what you will find in just 20 feet of water. View the few remains of this locomotive which struck the Devil's Backbone on its way to Havana.
Long Island
There is no shortage of sites for snorkeling and SCUBA diving along the shores and in deeper water around Long Island.
Grouper Valley You will not want to miss this site each year in November, when large groupers amass in schools virtually acres in width. It is set among underwater mountains that extend from 40 to 80 feet below the surface.
The North Long Island Wall You will need good weather for this dive which features colonies of black coral under the ledges and deep cuts and channels. The top of the wall is at about 100 feet and drops to sandy bottoms at 130 feet.
Grouper Village Here you will find the half dozen or so tame grouper who expect to be fed, so don't forget to take along some food. Also, make sure to keep your eyes out for the 350lb jewfish who live here as well.
Barracuda Heads Pet a tame barracuda during this 20-50 foot dive which is close off-shore and criss-crossed by cuts.
Shark Reef A half hour boat ride will take you to the eight to eighteen Caribbean Reef Sharks, and some bulls, in just 30 feet of water. There is no other shark dive worldwide equal to what you will find here. Dependable and safe for viewing and photographing.
Cape Santa Maria Ship's Graveyard This ship was sunk on purpose to provide divers a wreck they could dive completely and safely. The intact MS Comberbach, a 103 foot ship, lies at 100 feet and is not far from a 45-foot pleasure cruiser that sank accidentally.
Conception Island Wall The average visibility is 150 feet and better at this dive off a beautiful leeside beach. It plunges from 45 feet to bottomless. This has been described as one of the most beautiful walls in the entire Bahamas and Caribbean. Naturally perfect in dramatic scenery and the perfect beauty of all types of sponge and soft/hard coral life.
Southampton Reef Pause to explore a large ocean freighter, almost intact, in a perfect setting for snorkeling and diving at 20 to 30 feet. This is a massive reef boasting fantastic elkhorn and staghorn coral on its tops, plunging to 90 fee along its edge. Here you will find lots of fish life.
The Rum Cay Wall Clear waters accent this plunge that starts at 40 or so feet and drops off to extreme depths. Just a half mile away lie the cannon balls, winches, and anchors of the Ocean Conqueror, a British steam-powered battleship. All in just 25 feet of water.
San Salvador
The waters of San Salvador are wonderfully clear year-round. With 100 to 200-foot visibility the norm they are abundant with sites for excellent wall diving.
Grouper Gulley Large numbers of some major denizens of the deep are found here, as the name suggests.
The Devil's Claw Seeming to have been created by the action of some giant underwater claw are the large deep gauges in this wall. They arranged side-by-side at 45 feet and continue to a plateau of 85 feet.
The Hump Perfect for night dives and guaranteed sighting of eels, starfish, anemones, and an array of shrimp is this small mound rising from the sandy bottom.
Basket Case Beginning at about 30 feet, along a vertical wall cut at one point by a deep grotto, you will find basket sponges.
The Frescaté Perfect for novice divers, this wreck at just 20 feet gives you a chance to see a 261-foot freighter which ran aground and went down in 1902.
Walker's Cay
The northernmost of the Abacos, offers diving and snorkeling with excellent visibility up to 100 feet, perfect for underwater photography. It is fringed by a barrier reef and most of the dive masters' favorite sites are within 15 minutes of the dock.
Old Wreck A pet octopus lives in the anchor winch of this wreck among the purple feather dusters, bright yellow and blue basuet starfish and seawhips.
Charlie's Canyons This shallow dive at 25 feet will find you amongst the schools of French grunts, Nassau grouper, and squirrelfish. Legend has it that ancient cannon can found here as well.
Sue's Reef at 25-30 feet, in a system of ledges and canyons, you will see sunken relics of World War II and the damsels, snappers, and grunts guarding over them.
Queen's II Here you will come face to face with pelagics, such as kingfish, amberjack, mackerel and possibly schools of dolphin at the outer edges of the Little Bahama Bank.
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