The Bahamas chain contains some 700 atolls and cays in the western Atlantic Ocean. It's easily accessible from Florida and excellent for long weekends, with pretty reefs, decent tropicals, and resorts that feed sharks.... Winter weather from December to March means mid-70s, cooler water -- heavy wetsuit water -- and sweaters in the evening; average nighttime temperature is in the mid-60s, but can drop into the 50s if winter air blows off the continent. . . .Nassau is full of big restaurants and expensive restaurants. Out-island resorts are small and personal.... Of the islands with land-based resorts (primarily Abaco, Andros, Bimini, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Great Exuma, Grand Bahama/Freeport, Long Island, New Providence/Nassau and San Salvador) the latter offers frequent small hammerheads .... and a lot of algae on the reefs, which is now plaguing the Bahamas. . .Keep hurricane season, June through October, in mind; Hurricane Wilma devastated Grand Bahama in October 2005. Average time between hurricanes is nine years. Liveaboards occasionally have to change plans or cut trips short in the bad weather.

Abaco

Dive Abaco/Abaco Towns, November 1997, Hank Goichman, Los Angeles, CA. Dive Abaco a well-run operation; out of 6 dives, 3 were quite good. Conditions vary with respect to the weather so we had to skip one day of diving. Vis: 50-75 ft., water: 80-85 degrees. Owner takes newly certified divers with experienced, but leaves you alone. Diving depths varied from shallow to 60 feet. Caves, tunnels. Nice boat. Island is friendly. Abaco Towns, a time share, needed some work. (Ph: 809-367-2787, Fax: 242-367-4779)

Dive Abaco/Abaco Towns, May 1997, Walton Fisher, Miami Beach, FL. Two tank dive daily. Guided by Canadian owner Keith Rogers. Tunnels, caves and caverns nearly every dive! Guided first half of dive, then you're on your own. All dives 60-75 min! Mostly shallow 30-60 ft. But worth it for the tunnels and caverns. Cathedral, with 25 ft. ceiling and shafts of light from holes in the reef above! Like laser beams. Vis: 70-100 ft. Water: 84-86 degrees.

Dive Abaco/Conch Inn, June 1998, Rick & Betsy Agar, Cincinnati, OH. Saw three types of shark on one dive (Blacktip, Lemon, Nurse). Big friendly Nassau groupers tried to eat camera strap and shadowed photographer. Vis: 100+ ft, water: 72-82 degrees. Beautiful tunnels and swim throughs filled with Silversides. Dive operation efficient; boat well equipped. Dive shop at resort. No beach. Good restaurants an easy walk.

Andros

Andros Undersea Adventures, May 1998, Walt Clark, FPO, AA. Dive boat accommodates 20 divers, though never more than 6-10. Feature trips to King Kong's Cavern (the Oceanic Blue Hole) as well as Lost Henny, ver-the-Wall and the Marian Barge. Blue hole dives at King Kong's Cavern cost $150/dive from Nassau dive centers. Vis: 80-110 ft., water: 80-85 degrees. Mattias and Martina Mueller, do an excellent job! (Ph: 945-462-3400, Fax: 954-462-4100,

e-mail: nealwatson@aol.com, Website: www.nealwatson.com)

Forfar/Andros Island, May 1998, Walt Clark, FPO, AA. A marine science field station hosting students and teachers from high school through university. The staff does an excellent job on both lectures (Maggie's Tide and currents lecture) and Stevies (Tammi's Archie Forfar Story). Amphitheater dive was well worth the trip. Vis: 80-100 ft., water: 80-85 degrees. I heard about this place through International Field Studies, in Columbus, OH. The sailing division operates out of Fresh Creek and does weekly trips.

Small Hope Bay Lodge, July 1998, Jean & Bob Kirkpatrick, Russellville, KY. Wonderful for a family vacation-we had people ages 2-66. Cabins basic, with ceiling fans and it's hot in July but there are hammocks along the beach. Beach is great for little ones to play and swim, dock is fun for snorkeling and easy diving. A nearby creek provides a fun excursion with snorkeling along mangrove roots. A shaded terrace near the dock for lunch and dinner (excellent food). Meals and beverages included and the staff feeds dinner to ages 2-12! Playroom for kids. Staff is extra friendly and helpful. Diving is average. Some coral bleaching. Vis: 50-100 ft, water: 82-86 degrees. Some dive spots are excellent, some unusual specialty dives. Staff is terrific, but boat is not conveniently arranged. Excellent fishing. Hot tub, but no pool. (Ph: 242-368-2013, Fax: 242-368-2015,

e-mail: shbinfo@smallhope.com, Website: smallhope.com)

Bimini

Bimini Undersea Adventures/Compleat Angler, October 1997, Gary Lemme, Holiday, FL. Guides Melanie and Jean Lee the best! They kept the operation running while the owners were away, including keeping two old boats running. One engine would not start on the big boat but they spent 45 minutes getting it out of its slip with one engine. Melanie searched for hours in foul weather to find us four dolphins; took us the next day in perfect conditions to spend more than two hours with a pod of 14-16 spotted dolphins. Vis: 40-80 ft.; water: 80-82 degrees. A highlight of my 20 years in diving. (Ph: 945-462-3400, Fax: 954-462-4100,

e-mail: nealwatson@aol.com, Website: www.nealwatson.com)

Bimini Undersea Adventures/Blue Water Resort, October 1997, Jane Moore, Ft. Myers, FL. Vis: 60 ft., water temp: 80 F. Dive operation poor! Boat in bad condition with paint peeling and constant mechanical problems. Divemasters never bothered to introduce themselves, and showed no interest in the divers. They rarely kept the schedule and sent us back to the hotel several times telling us to come again in an hour. The only redemption: snorkeling with wild spotted dolphins. On our first trip out we found none, but the second trip was a really great experience. Overall diving was fair, and hotel and food below average.

Bimini Undersea Adventures/Seacrest Hotel, April 1998, Lloyd Schwengel, Brea, CA. Another victim of El Nino, was very windy most days that made surface rough. Vis: 15-80 ft., water: 71-78 degrees. Lots of fish but few big ones or pelagics, wind did keep no-see-ums down but got bit a few times anyway. With north wind the normal south to north current stalled making the Bimini Barge an easy dive. Tuna Alley was excellent dive even though no pelagics showed. The site showed a lot of promise and with good visibility would have been a great dive. Dive operation made good effort to provide a good dive experience. Weather didn't cooperate. The boat is adequate for 15 to 17 divers on our trips but with 20 or more might be cramped. No head or showers on the boat. Most rides to sites were short so usually not a problem, but on longer trips (Tuna Alley) was inconvenient. No facilities for cameras except a salt water bucket. Plane ride to island was fun and made a good start but watch weight limit. . . . Seacrest Hotel was clean and rooms were large. Island small but with several good eating places available. Locals were friendly, always saying hello. You felt that island was safe. There is a lot of trash probably due to tourists, not divers. Some buildings have been allowed to crumble. Could use a good fact lift. Usual routine is two tank A.M. dives and one tank afternoon dive. Night dives on Tuesdays and Fridays taking place of afternoon dives. Dive staff was friendly and helpful. They made the trip better even when it could have been a disaster.

Bimini Undersea Adventures/Blue Water Resort, April 1998, John Walsh, Jacksonville, FL. Arrived before noon, and had to wait until one or two in the afternoon to get into room; Blue Water Resort promptly got us another room when the A/C ceased to function. . . . Visibility, reef life, and the reefs themselves the best I've seen in my limited diving experience) vis: 30-70 ft. Water: 78-80 degrees. Managed to do seven dives out of a possible nine dives, including a my first night dive-what an experience. Dive computers are encouraged and dive freedom abounds; Restrictions enforced were only on deep dive 130 ft. Had 10 to 12 divers on the boat (they told me the boat can handle 28 divers). Boat operator and divemaster, Melanie (A marine biologist) really knows her stuff. Not having dived in three years, the first dive Monday was a 130 feet drift dive (I did my check out dive and hovered around 60 feet by myself, I met the rest of the group during their five minute safety stop); the very next dive in a swift current (they put snorklers in the water and yelling at them to hold onto the boat's tag line). No divemaster in the water unless your buddy didn't dive, No ladders on the dive platform (You take your gear off in the water with or without a current or heavy swell), No questions asked or time spent assessing the divers various skill levels or abilities. . . . When we got there learned that the information told over the phone about rental gear was entirely wrong (Bill Keefe's brother quoted one price and Bill gave us another price). Had to negotiate with Bill Keefe about the rental gear price. . . . As the week progressed the weather, wind and seas got worse and some divers didn't go out; not able to do the dolphin swim.

Bimini Undersea Adventures/Blue Water Resort, April 1998, Sharon Watson, Great Falls, VA. Vis: 60-70. Chose because of the wild spotted dolphin excursion. Trash on streets and on the beach. Room was fine, however the sliding glass door curtain was missing some slats, so we had to engineer a covering for privacy. During my shower, I felt tingling in my fingers every time I touched the water knob-there was an electric current passing through the pipes/water, I complained to the management and it was eventually fixed. Island residents were friendly, food pricey and limited (we lived on BLT's and conch fritters), not much to do other than dive. The dolphin excursion was spectacular. Nowdla Keefe is an expert. Truly wild dolphins. So many people on board we had to swim in shifts. Only a few dolphins. Did 7 dives (including 1 night and 1 drift). Plenty of fish, nothing big. Boat captain and divemaster, Melanie, was knowledgeable and conservation conscious; good briefings. Staff (mostly female) were attentive and helpful. Brought our tanks to us, helped us on with the equipment, and then we rolled in. Took off our equipment in the water and they dragged it on board. However, at the end they suggested tips.

Scuba Bimini/Bimini Beach Club & Marina, June 1998, Debbie LaScola, Frederick, MD. Staff of resort and boat were great. At the resort, Robin did it all with a smile. Crew of the Dry Martini very helpful. Most divers on the boat: 12. (Next week 33 divers). Boat was well maintained, but the resort is in great disrepair. Our room door was difficult to open and close and didn't lock. Ceiling fan didn't work. Poor water pressure, walks and pier broken, dirty saltwater pool, marina needed dredging. AC in the restaurant didn't work, broken beach furniture, beach needed raking, etc. Beach provided great snorkeling and shore diving. Fan coral in the surge appeared to be performing a ballet. All the diving was great. Vis: 80-100 ft, water: 82-84 degrees. Many small to medium size fish. Few pelagics. The island was primitive. No phones, communication was by radio. Only TV was in the bar. Only night life was on the North Island-2 bars. The isolation was very relaxing and the people friendly.

Chub Cay

Chub Cay Club, September 1998, Jim Kiernan, Coral Springs, FL. Advertised great beach diving. Actually had no beach diving! Unenthusiastic dive boat captain unwilling to go farther than closest reef! Boat poorly set-up for diving. Shore facilities poor. No real dive shop or retail shops to speak of. Would not return. We went as a club (12 divers). Vis: 20-50 ft. Water: 86-88 degrees. Few restrictions enforced for diving. (Ph: 945-462-3400, Fax: 954-462-4100,

e-mail: nealwatson@aol.com, Website: www.nealwatson.com)

New Providence

Bahamas Divers, July 1998, Ryan Hieber, Galion, OH. Chose Bahamas Divers because of a brochure about a blue hole dive. Storm activity seemed to be opposite of where we would have headed; the blue hole was blue and clear, but the captain decided that the blue hole dive was out of the question today. So turning east (into the storm), the captain stated, "we can get a few shallow dives in." A few shallow dives are not what 19 passengers paid for. As we headed into the storm, our boat, which had a top speed of ten miles an hour, encountered winds between twenty and twenty-five miles per hour, heavy rain, lightening, and heavy surf of five to seven foot waves. Waves were crashing over the bow. One of the divemasters put on a mask and snorkel and rode behind the boat till he could see a spot to place the anchor by hand, but he still managed to find one of the few living spots of coral that existed on their divesite. Returning to the dive shop we were greeted by a large sign: "NO REFUNDS ON DIVE TRIPS." My father persuaded the owner that a partial refund was in order. However, he only gave in after a long argument and my father stating that the weather had lightning. They exposed us to these conditions because they wanted to get us dives so they wouldn't have to refund money. (Ph: 809-393-5644)

Dive Dive Dive, July 1998, Jeff Houdret, Lansdale, PA. OK dives. Easy. Not too much to see. Wrecks, Wall. No big deal. Vis: 50 ft. Water: 84 degrees. Dive restrictions: Follow the leader. (Ph: 800-328-8029 or 809-362-1143)

Dive Dive Dive, July, 1998, Ryan Hieber, Galion, OH. Accommodating and willing to please. I dove five days with them, four times a day and only returned to two sites, then only after I asked them to for photography reasons. Looked out for safety of every diver and issued a divemaster to someone who might want deeper dive. Concerned by the preservation and conservation of the divesites. Cleaned up trash, and kept a close eye on everyone's buoyancy to make sure no coral was damaged. Stressed importance of not touching the coral. A man handling coral was reprimanded by first the divemaster, then by the captain. Every dive site contained vibrant coral, and a wide variety of marine life.

Dive Dive Dive, September 1998, Steve Heggy, San Jose, CA. Nice bungalows with full kitchen. Clean, A/C broke on a regular basis. Must taxi for night life. Great crew and dive boat. Vis: 100-150 ft, water: 89-91 degrees. Knowledgeable guides, easy going, let you dive your own profile. Time limits enforced (too short). Nice coral, fish, sharks. Good value.

Diver Haven/Nassau Beach, May 1998, Roger Gray, Annandale, VA. Windy, 4 foot seas, boat would not go out to wreck dives. Vis: 5-50 feet, water: 78 degrees. Stayed in close for shallow dives. Lots of silt in the water, visibility was poor. Food expensive. Hotel was fair, beach nice. (Ph: 809-393-0869, Fax: 809-393-3695)

Nassau Scuba Center/Atlantis, July 1998, Bill Rath, Bronx, NY. A highly professional diver dedicated operation. Enrolled in the PADI shark awareness course, excellent by all standards. Vis: 75-90 ft, water: 80-82 degrees. Encountered 20-25 female reef sharks during the feed. Awesome. (Ph: 800-327-8150 or 809-362-1964)

Nassau Scuba Center/Antlantis, August 1998, Ken Davis, Scotch Plains, NJ. Nassau Scuba Center friendly, low key. Briefings casual but adequate. Did four days with same program: wall dive 75-90 ft. (others went deeper) followed by shallow reef dive. Wall dives were good, only one outstanding, but shallow reefs were beautiful. Lots of tropicals, morays, remoras, turtles, sharks 3 days. Divemasters helpful but not intrusive. Follow or go on your own. Vis: 50-80 ft. Water: 82-86 degrees. Boat comfortable, not crowded. Atlantis was 45 minutes away, but they provided transportation. Bus was on time. One morning the bus didn't go, so they reimbursed me for my cab. Atlantis is great for with no-diving family. Lots to do for kids, good variety of restaurants, but expensive, take the meal plan!

Stuart Cove's/South Ocean, February 1998, Terry Ekdahl, Oscoda, MI. Stuart Cove's operation is own of the best I have encountered. Same boat crew through our entire stay. Vis: 75-100 ft. Water: 73-75 degrees. Shark dive was awesome. (Ph: 800-468-9876 or 809-362-4171, Fax: 809-362-4528)

Stuart's Cove's/Marriott, May 1998, Edwin L. Granite, Wilmington, DE. Too many divers per boat, but well-handled. Excellent dive operation. Vis: 100-150 ft, water: 73-76 degrees. Many wrecks, sharks, large eels, closed-circuit scuba, U/W propulsion vehicles, walls. Friendly locals.

Stuart Cove's/South Ocean Resort, May 1998, David R. Reid, Ann Arbor, MI. Stuart Cove's operation very nice. Only wish my ordered-in-advance Nitrox was ready at dive time, but it usually wasn't. Divemaster Simon helpful, but over worked. Vis: 40-80 ft, water: 78 degrees. Resort is a filthy dump, many facilities in disrepair.

Stuart Cove's, July 1998, Thom & Betty Hall, Myrtle Beach, SC. Vis: 40-65 ft. Water: 83-85 degrees. Restrictions: stay with leaders because we did the wall flying and shark specialty dives. Both the shark and wall-flying dives were as advertised. Worth the added cost. Did not see any corals or awesome fish that called for us to do their regular dives. Although we felt safe and secure, we also did not feel special. The dive video at $55 was expensive, but well done. Boats in good shape although no heads. Divemaster was business like. No crowds on board. Food in Nassau is expensive and only average. Nice shows, beaches, and, famous straw market. We are glad we went, we have no plans to ever return.

Stuart Cove's, August 1998, Bob Cottle, Lisle, IL. Well run operation, beginning with a small bus that picks you up from the hotel. All but one of our eight dives were fairly good it was acceptable. Vis: 40-90 ft. Water: 84-85 degrees.

Stuart Cove/South Ocean Beach, August 1998, Delaine Lisk, Kennesaw, GA. Vis: 40-75 ft, temp: 85F. Arrived at 10:30 am, couldn't check in early though we were scheduled for an afternoon dive. Room smelled musty, but was clean. King size bed, Jacuzzi tub. Upgrade to an oceanfront room is worth the money; golf course rooms are a long walk from the dive shop. Main restaurant closed for renovations. Conch Pearl Restaurant (in resort) was decent though menu limited. Food expensive. Resort not close to town, bus is $5 alternative to expensive taxi. Golf and tennis on resort. Resort has been sold; exterior run down, beach eroded. Dive operation: Graham Love was our captain. Fun and good-natured despite a lack of boat etiquette of some of the divers. Wall dive as the first dive each day and shallow reef/wreck for 2nd dive. Reefs were very average and the number of fish is decreased compared to the Keys. Good growth on the Vulcan Bomber (one of the James Bond wrecks-actually a scaffolding.) Did shark dive and enjoyed it despite misgivings about altering natural feeding behavior. Go for long weekend only, not a whole week.

Freeport

UNEXSO/Pelican Bay, March and May, 1998, Carole Stinchfield, New York, NY. Hotel next door to the dive operation. Layout of the resort and the rooms are ideal and very pretty. Dive operation is well run and professional, but physically needs sprucing up, especially the boats. Staff is nice and accommodating. Shark dive was ok, exciting for many. Theo's wreck is worthwhile. Dolphin Dive is very scripted, but thrilling, charming and fun. Although shallow, some worthwhile reef dives where we saw sharks and big loggerhead turtles. Vis: 80-100 ft. Water: 2/98-72-74 degrees, 5/98-78-80 degrees. Proximity to Port Lucaya for diving and fun is also attractive. Great for a long weekend from the east coast. (Ph: 800-992-3483, Fax: 954-351-9740)

UNEXSO/Pelican Bay, April 1998, Paul Anest, Prairie Grove, IL. This was a much needed weekend. Great time. Pelican Bay Hotel is fairly new so everything is clean and up to date and it's next door to UNEXSO. Seven dives in two days. The first dive we did was the Dolphin Experience, we petted them, kissed them, and even fed them. The final specialty dive was the Shark Feeding that was intense. 15-20 sharks all around us. Vis:50-100 ft. Water: 77-80 degrees. Dive restrictions enforced were all dives were pretty shallow, they recommended 3 min. Safety stop.

UNEXSO/Pelican Bay Hotel, May 1998, Eric Levine, New York, NY. Reefs are getting pretty chewed up by multitude of divers. Shark and dolphin dives fun, but contrived. Dive boats tended to be crowded. Excellent, helpful and friendly staff. Huge dive operation, pretty well run. Lack of shore diving limits you to boat schedule. Vis: 40-80 ft., water: 79-82 degrees. Hotel nice; comfortable rooms with excellent air conditioning.

Xanadu, 1998, Mickey Fivenson, Traverse City, MI. Thrilled at how close I was to 25 wild and crazy Caribbean reef sharks during the chain-mail suit shark feed. Never did I feel the least bit uncomfortable as the critters cut and zoomed within inches of my precious bod. I was on a cruise and arranged this dive by phone rather than from the boat because Xanadu gave me a two tank dive for the same price as the cruise's one tank offering. (Ph: 809-352-5856, Fax 809-481-5630)

Xanadu, June 1998, J. Scott Farmer, St. Augustine, FL. Dive operators excellent and professional. Theos wreck great; guide took us down to penetrate the wreck. Great personal service. Also shark alley was exciting; 15 sharks, vis: 80-120 feet, water: 79-80 degrees. Terrible service at Xanadu Beach Resort. Restaurant was expensive and service was bad and they tied in a 15% gratuity on each meal. $25 for breakfast for two.

Long Island

Stella Maris Resort, July 1998, Jim & Judy Johnson, Rapid City, SD. Our party of divers often only ones so we could customize our destinations. Dive crew entertaining, accommodating. Blue Hole was unusual but not many fish. Conception Island Wall very pristine and good vis; worth ride across the strait in smaller boat (large boat in dry dock). Coral heads and caverns/swim throughs varied and full of flamingo tongues, purple sea fans, huge groupers, jewfish, angels, parrots, triggers, porcupine and file fish. Schools dramatic. Water: 85-89 degrees. Our 4-bedroom bungalow had kitchen. Well kept, clean and cool in air-conditioned. Clubhouse needed A/C. Couldn't use bikes or tennis in heat, but 3 pools great. Snorkeling tops! Sharks exciting and carefully orchestrated. German-descendant owners were gracious, hard-working, but hit you with extra charges. Not inexpensive place, especially with extra airfare, but local culture was worth it. No video capabilities. Overnighted in Nassau; Casaurinas at Cable Beach run-down. (Ph: 800-426-0466 or

809-336-2106 or 305-467-0466,

Fax: 305-359-8238)

San Salvador

Club Med, September 1997, Carole Stinchfield, New York, NY. Nice place, great rooms (a/c, ocean views, telephones, TV, safes), good food, choice of restaurants. Boats can feel crowded during busy season. San Salvador is fairly pristine, great topography and swim throughs. All wall diving. Occasionally some current. Longest boat ride is one hour but worth it. Reef and hammerhead sharks. Many turtles and southern stingrays. (Ph: 800-258-2633 or 809-331-2000, Fax: 602-948-4562 or 809-331-2458)

Club Med, September 1997, Tom Rain, M.D., Irving, TX. Dive trip associated with DAN's 32nd Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Course. Five star Club Med-outstanding accommodations and huge buffet meals. Huge, dedicated dive center, chamber and on-site and dive MD. Three huge dive boats, each held up to 50 divers and 150 tanks. So many divers underwater but the dives went well and didn't seem that crowded. Could do your own thing, computer with only limit of depth and time on each dive. Had to get back in time for next meal! I learned a lot also at the DAN course. Water warm and clear but not many fish; coral was nice and awesome walls. Vis: 80-100 ft. Water: 82-84 degrees. Dive restrictions: 100 ft./45 min first dive; 50 ft./50 min. second dive.

Riding Rock Inn, October 1997, Ollie McClung, Birmingham, AL. Charter flight from Ft. Lauderdale convenient. Dive staff helpful, yet not pushy. Experienced divers pretty much do their own thing, yet not neglected. Staff handles all gear-leave on boat. Photo shop is great. Photo pro (Chris McLaughlin, who has been around Caribbean awhile) was great help. Newer accommodations very nice. Water 81-84 degrees. Vis: 80-100+ ft. Food plentiful and good, but limited choices. Best diving is 80' to 100+ ft. (Ph: 800-272-1492 or 954-359-8353, e-mail: ridingrock@aol.com)

Riding Rock Inn, November 1997, Mr. & Mrs. Harold Bedoukian, Keeseville, NY. Great spot for divers. Not a sightseeing or tourist spot. Water: 78-80 degrees. Vis: 50-100 ft. Dive operation the best. 18 dives in 7 days and not one repeated.

Riding Rock Inn, May 1998, Phil & Julie Rosenfeld, Key Biscayne, FL. Excellent operation. Hammerheads on most dives. After first equipment set up, never touched gear until it was time to go home. Fish large (angels, parrotfish) or juveniles, not abundant but enough to be interesting. Beautiful sponges. Area is covered with lettuce-like algae. Good wall diving. Short boat rides to sites. Dive operation is discrete, with great service. Several divers exceeded maximum depths and were quietly told to sit the next dive out. Vis: 50-80 ft., water: 78-80 degrees. Staff logs air supply, computer depth and time on and off the boat, but you'd never know it. Nothing else to do but dive. . . . Food good and abundant-best tuna steaks ever. Lots of repeat visitor, which is a good sign.

Riding Rock Inn, June 1998, Chris Pflaum, Overland Park, KS. Diving great. Pristine walls covered with huge stands of black coral, gorgonians and sponges. Hammerhead sharks on several dives including several very close encounters; curious and friendly groupers, upside down jellyfish, squid, jacks and abundant tropicals. Vis: 60-100 ft. Water: 80-84 degrees. Maximum depth 130 ft., with some latitude. Food ok, not great. Breakfast a choice of omelettes, pancakes, lunch included killer conch chowder though the rest of that meal was boring. Dinner usually good but not gourmet. Rooms clean and functional. TVlimited but ok. Bar is dirty and run down. Skip the island tour; it is long, hot and boring. Night diving was not particularly good. All in all, the place is a keeper.

Riding Rock Inn, June 1998, Douglas & Jane Rorex, Fairfield, IL. New rooms added and they are renovating older rooms. Staff, managed by Kevin, is well trained, friendly, willing to help, Rooms and grounds clean. We dove with Colin and Bruce. Clearly enjoyed their work, were caring and thorough. Wall diving is the norm. Hammerheads, reef sharks and hawksbill turtles on most dives. The fish tend to be big: groupers, jacks, triggerfish. Turtles allow close approach for photography. Divers not to touch or harass them. Small critters abound. Down deep: Cave Bass and Candy Basslets. Typical sand and rubble creatures: Slippery Dicks, gobies, garden eels, pike blennies, a queen conch with three conch cardinalfish. Snorkeling nothing spectacular compared to the reef, but rather nice. Three dives a day. One night dive with the option of another. The staff brings your BC and wtank while you wait on the stern with your mask and flippers. Racks to hang wetsuits. Leave things outside your room without fear of it being stolen. Resort is within walking distance of Cockburntown. There is a pool and tennis courts. Visibility 75-150, seas calm enough to make a foray to the windy or south side. Water: 79-83 degrees. Restrictions: 130' dive, time 60-70 minutes. Divemaster was in the water every dive and would search for critters for you (he found us a fingerprint cyphoma). All our luggage arrived with us, but most got left on the island when we returned.

Riding Rock Inn, July 1998, Shelly & Howard Wilson, Southgate, MI. Dining hall needs renovation, but facilities were clean and comfortable. Refurbishing older rooms. We occupied a room on the shore, a short walk to the dining facility, the bar, the pool, and the dive operation, dock and shop. Meals tasty and abundant. Service staff was courteous and helpful. Vis: 60-120 ft. Water: 79-82 degrees. Dive restrictions enforced: 130 ft. depth limit, 500 psi in tank upon surfacing. Dive staff knowledgeable, helpful, fun, respectful. Bruce and Jason were professional dive masters who treated us as experienced divers. Made safety and the ecological well-being of the reef top priority. Eighteen different sites: walls, coral structures, and ocean life.

Riding Rock Inn, September 1998, Maurice Bresenhan Jr., Houston, TX. Colin and Sean, the divemaster and boat operator, were professional, helpful and responsive to any request, reasonable or not. 130' limit, but if someone slipped a few feet beyond, no one was flogged. All wall diving, coral in relatively good shape, some algae overgrowth, the aquatic life is pretty much limited to small fish and a few friendly grouper. Vis: 80-120 ft. Water: 84 degrees. Dive restriction enforced was depth limit of 130 ft. Best resort I've visited. If you fly Bahamas Air, allow extra time, since their schedules are, in general, aspirational.

Walker's Cay

Walker's Cay, November 1997, Steven Bedell, Elburn, IL. Good: Shark Rodeo dive unbelievable experience. Countless blacktip and Caribbean reef sharks feeding on chumsicle. We were encouraged to swim about and interact with the sharks who were an arms reach away. Reefs were in good shape; always a lot of activity. One southern and four eagle rays came into the harbor in the mornings. . . . Divemasters never helped anyone in or out of the boat. Had to look for help with cameras each time. Dove the same reefs repeatedly, though we complained. Most dives under 50 ft.; time limits on every dive (no computers, sorry!) Forced up with 1600 left in tank on a 25 ft. dive. Many tanks were short fills, 700-2700 psi. Crew became testy as I began checking them. Dive shop charged different prices on the same items brought on different days. (Ph: 305- 359-1406, Fax: 305-359-1414)

Walker's Cay, July 1998, Les Alan Levinowitz, Brooklyn, NY. 45-minute Pam Am seaplane trip from Fort Lauderdale. Bags were sent on a plane that arrived 2 hours after us. Whisked to the hotel by golf cart. Since our gear wasn't on the island, we used their stuff at no charge. 50 lb. weight limit on the plane. Three 42' boats with first aid and oxygen. On the Sea View, the boat I dived from, there was no hang bar or hanging tank and no shower. Boat had ice water, a head, and camera rinse bucket. Shop is equipped to handle repairs. Shark Rodeo was fun, interesting, safe. Mostly blacktips, 5' or under, with a nurse or two. Dive videoed ($40 per copy); 3 safety divers in the water keeping an eye on the 15 to 20 paying clients. Other dives at a max depth of 50-60 feet. Fish weren't as abundant as Bonaire or the BVI. Swim throughs were great-thousands of silversides move out away. Dives either guided or go off on your own with a buddy. Briefings before a dive. Vis: 50-60 ft. Water: 80-83 degrees. Restrictions: back on boat with 500 psi. Island has a 75-slip marina, small grocery, liquor store, lovely restaurant open for lunch. In the resort's main building is bar, gift shop, telephone room, & a TV/reading room, dining room. Service good, food fine. 15% gratuity is tacked onto bill. Room nice, clean, good ac, hot water. No TV sets, radios, telephones, or clocks in rooms. Food is expensive. Good 2 night 3 day trip. Friendly people, pleasant resort, relaxing diving.

Walker's Cay, July 1998, Scott Brustein, Bridgewater, NJ. Shark Rodeo and frequent shark sightings on other dives. Many caverns and swim throughs with lots of silversides, Lots of shallow sites near resort. Briefings were inadequate, never mentioned what kind of fish/coral would be seen or which direction to go. Snorklers, divers and resort participants all went together; boats were crowded and often repeated sites. Short surface intervals between dives (20 minutes!) Inadequate camera facilities. Vis: 40-80 ft, water: 82-86 degrees. Reefs sometimes scarce for fish. No permanent moorings. Hotel no water two afternoons, and kept running out of towels. Restaurant did not have its full menu and facilities weren't clean (beer bottles sat on the deck 3 days). Seemed run down.

Walker's Cay, August 1998, Gloria Davis, St. James, MO. Rooms were small and balconies smaller. Good restaurant. Hotel staff was friendly and helpful. Food well prepared. Nice quiet resort, but had a lot of rowdy fishermen in on weekend, but rooms were quiet. Excellent dive operation, but they took us to same spots day after day. Some places 4 times each for the week. Vis: 40-80 ft, water: 86 degrees. Shark Rodeo: swim among the 60-70 sharks as they feed. Great photo ops. Top notch dive boats and dive shop. Gary Adkison gives very good shark awareness class; makes you aware of their intelligence, Decline of the shark population is scary! We need to be aware of how important they are.

Sea Below Diving, June 1998, Gary Cowden, Kansas City, MO. Walker's Cay is an excellent calm, tranquil, nontouristy place to do some easy, pleasant diving. They perform an interesting shark-feed while keeping human influence over the sharks, behavior to a minimum. Dives dominated by tunnels and swim-throughs that permeated the reefs, which would be more enjoyable and environmentally friendly if inept divers didn't stir up sand and bump into the coral. Vis: 30-60 ft, water: 80-82 degrees. Boat crew were friendly, patient and helpful. A rinse tank and a secure area to store equipment overnight (while drying) are provided. Walker's Cay is a tiny island with a marina, dive shop, small store, a restaurant for breakfast and dinner and arestaurant for lunch. The lodging was adequate and the food was excellent.

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