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Bahamas

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Bahamas Scuba Diving
including Abaco, Andros, Bimini, Grand Bahama Island,
Long Island, New Providence, San Salvador and Walker's Cay

An Undercurrent Insider Report on Bahamas Diving
The Consumer Newsletter for Serious Divers Since 1975

Overview of Bahamas

Easily accessible from Florida for long weekends. Diving varies substantially among islands, with pretty reefs (many are affected by algae), decent tropicals, and resorts that feed sharks. Live-aboards out of Florida take divers to spots with bigger fi sh and more dramatic seascape. Keep hurricane season, June through November, in mind; winter weather means low 70F water and sweaters in the evening; nighttime temperature is in the mid-60s, but can drop into the 50s if winter air blows off the continent.

Bahamas Seasonal Dive Planner

May through November is summer in the Bahamas. During these months, the most rain falls and temperatures average about 81°. Winter can bring surprisingly cool weather, with averages down about 70°. Northers can disrupt diving during winter months. The islands south of Nassau (such as Great Exuma, San Salvador, and Long Island) usually manage to stay a degree or two warmer. Easterly trade winds predominate for most of the year, but there is usually a lee to be found for diving.

Bahamas Feature Articles and Reader Reports

Attention!
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However
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-- these links have a Publicly available articles button you can click to see the article.

For Undercurrent Online Members Only
Instant Reader Reports - the most recent ones available online
Dive Operation Resort Name Area Reporter Full Report
Ocean Fox Emerald Princess Eleuthera Paul Lima 2008/04 Report
Gulfstream Eagle [same] [N/A] richard colman 2008/04 Report
xanadu undersea adventures [same] freeport/grand bahama steve alldread 2008/04 Report
UNEXSO Westin Our Lucaya Grand Bahama Island Rick 2008/03 Report
Aqua Cat Aqua Cat Exuma Islands Jerry Hobart 2008/03 Report
See All Instant Reader Reports on Bahamas Diving

See Instant Reader Reports On All Destinations   |   Submit a Reader Report
Articles

Land Based

Small Hope Bay Lodge, Andros Island, Bahamas diving with one big happy family, 04/08

Hawk's Nest Resort, Cat Island, Bahamas, now if they'll only get a dive operation, 9/02

Liveaboards

Sea Dragon, Exuma Cays, Bahamas, a good-value charter for dog-loving divers, 1/08

Thumbs Down: AquaCat, 10/07

Morning Star, Blackbeard's Cruises, The Bahamas, 03/07

Coral Reef II, The Bahamas; tax deductible diving for the Boston Aquarium, 10/05

MV Shear Water, The Bahamas., 8/05

Bottom Time Not Well Spent, but Sea Fever generates relative heat. 2/02

One More Bahamas Boat, the Rorqual, (see sidebar, page 7) 2/02

Reader Reports - from the Travelin' Divers' Chapbooks
Land Based 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003  
Liveaboards 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003  
Contact Information for Dive Resorts and Liveaboards Worldwide

Available to the Public
Articles

Land Based

The Truth About San Salvador's Algae, (see sidebar, p. 6), 8/01

Bahamas Rogue Downwellings, (see sidebar, p.2), 8/01

Riding Rock Inn, San Salvador, where walls are the main attraction, 6/01

Thumbs Down for Riding Rock Inn, (see sidebar, page 11), 2/00

Grand Bahama , UNEXSO, 9/97

San Salvador, Riding Rock Inn, 7/96

Nassau, Orange Hill/Nassau Scuba, 5/96

Shark Dives, 5/96

Dr. Gruber's Shark Sanctuary, 5/96

Caribe Bay Defended, 6/95

Crooked Island, 3/95

Liveaboards

Doing the Bahamas in a Box, Nekton Pilot, 3/99

Reader Reports - from the Travelin' Divers' Chapbooks
Land Based 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
Liveaboards 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
Experience Instant Reader Reports

Editor's Book Picks for Bahamas
including Abaco, Andros, Bimini, Grand Bahama Island,
Long Island, New Providence, San Salvador and Walker's Cay

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Diving CozumelDiving Cozumel, 2nd Edition ... Diving Cayman Islands ... Belize ... Bay Islands ... Bonaire ... Diving Bermuda, 2nd Edition ... British Virgin Islands ... Hawaii ... Micronesia by Speck, Garoutte, Middleton, Cancelmo, Strohofer, Lewbel, Martin, Douglass, Verdure, Rosenberg, Hanauer... No matter where you are headed, the Aqua Quest Books covering your destination are the only way to supplement Undercurrent's hardhitting critical information. Each of these books describes specific dive sites, depths and location, shore diving entries, the critters you'll see, local history and customs, places of interests. Take one as you travel or buy one after you return for the memories. Scores of excellent colorful pictures and maps supplement each of these 7x10 paperback 128 page books.


Reef Fish: Florida Caribbean Bahamas Reef Creatrue book Reef Coral book

Paul Humann ID Books by Paul Humann, Ned Deloach: The three set fish, creature and coral ID books by Paul Humann are the unparalleled sources for information on Caribbean sea life and identification. This month Paul and his partner Ned deLoach released updated and expanded editions of each, with scores of new critters, even better photos, and information unavailable anywhere else. Why, the Reef Fish Identification book, at more than 500 pages, is 20 percent larger than the previous volume, which came out in 1994. Whenever I travel to the Caribbean, I tote all three books and spend my down hours figuring out what I saw and where to look to find rare creatures. Paul's splendid Reef Creature book (420 pages), covers sponges, nudibranchs, octopus, crustaceans, Christmas tree worms and plenty more. His Coral ID book (276 pages) helps you identify all the hard and soft corals, spawning, and even the growth on top of corals, as well as algae and other plant life. Beginners may want to ID only fish, but I'd recommend that all three books be part of every diver's library. And, if you have an old set, by all means replace it. You'll be delighted at the additions and improvements. Each book normally retails for $40, but are discounted when you order here. And the boxed 3-volume set is available now at a bigger discount, $81.60 (June, 2004). You'll get the best prices Amazon.com has to offer, speedy delivery, and the knowledge that a large hunk of our profit will go to the Coral Reef Alliance, which is working to keep our reefs alive and well. All are spiral bound, 6x9


Watching Fishes book Watching Fishes: Understanding Coral Reef Fish Behavior by Roberta Wilson, James Q. Wilson. Your buddies can probably name the reef fish, but read this volume and you can explain what those critters are actually doing -- and why. This fascinating book describes why and how fish change color, how they smell and socialize, the difference between day and night behavior, even how damsels cultivate algae patches -- which is why they attach you when you fin by. Watching Fishes, Understanding Coral and Reef Fish Behavior is written for divers, not scientists, by Roberta and James Q. Wilson. They describe in lively nonfiction prose the behavior of basslets to blennies, clownfish to crinoids, damsels to drumfish. Perfect for between-dive reference. Paperback, 6x9, 274 pages.


You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.


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