Just an hour into the open ocean from New Providence, silky sharks come together at a large yellow shark buoy to dine on reef fish.
Andros Wall - considered one of the top wall dives in the Bahamas - boasts fascinating canyons and unusual marine life due to its depth of 90 ft (27m).
Come face-to-face with oceanic whitetip sharks from April to June, when this open-ocean predator chases the gigantic tuna migration to Cat Island.
A mesmerising, adrenaline-inducing experience with Tiger Sharks, where dozens circle and feed on chum while you kneel, eyes wide, in the sand.
The sheer size of the Bahamas is breathtaking - an archipelago of 700 islands located at the meeting point of the Western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
The clear waters offer incredible diversity of dive environments. You'll find the third-largest barrier reef offshore, plus deep walls, fascinating wrecks, blue holes, tunnels, caverns and some of the best shark diving in the world.
The climate is subtropical, providing around 340 sunny days a year - alongside superb diving conditions. But one of the most attractive features of the Bahamas is that every island offers its own signature experiences.
The waters off New Providence, where Nassau is the main city, provide drop-offs that are close to shore, blue holes, caves, historical wrecks and thrilling shark diving. Directly exposed to the Atlantic, the pristine reefs of the Abacos are slightly different from much of the Bahamas with many relatively-shallow dive sites – 18 meters/60 feet or less. Andros, meanwhile, has wrecks, blue holes and spectacular wall dives off the “Tongue of the Ocean.”
Diving off Grand Bahama Island gives you the chance to see dolphins and visit several shallow wrecks.
On Long Island, you can dive the world’s deepest blue hole, find great reefs, visit wrecks and look over walls that drop into the deep blue.
The warm waters of Bimini are filled with an incredible diversity of sea life, while Eleuthera and Harbor Island offer a rip-roaring drift dive.
The Exumas have an intriguing combination of beautiful walls and rich shallow reefs, and San Salvador boasts vertical walls, underwater caverns and many wrecks.
Most importantly, however, all the islands have a laid back vibe and gorgeous, white and pink beaches to relax on after diving.
The Bahamas enjoys a hot and sunny climate year-round, although June to October is considered the rainy season. It usually rains once a day, every day, but for short periods of time.
June to October is also considered hurricane season. Traveler's insurance is strongly recommended. Air temperatures during the summer months range from 75-91°F (24-33°C) while water temperatures are approximately 88°F (31°C).
This is low season in the Bahamas. Besides sometimes stormy weather and differing animals under the waves, diving in the Bahamas changes little from month to month.
November to May is the dry season. Expect sunny, hot and mildly humid conditions. Air temperatures range from 65-77°F (18-25°C), while water temperatures are 75-80°F (24-27°C).
This is the best time to go for shark diving. Tiger sharks are present from October to January at Tiger Beach, and you’ll find hammerhead sharks at Bimini from December to March. Oceanic Whitetips can be seen from April to June.
November to May is the high season for tourism in the Caribbean. Book early to get a good deal on accommodation and flights.
With access to the world’s third longest barrier reef and the Tongue of the Ocean, Andros features exciting shark dives, blue holes and sunken ships.
On the far reaches of the Bahamas and the edge of the Bermuda Triangle, the Gulf Stream cruises past Bimini, attracting hammerheads and bull sharks.
With more shipwrecks than any other area in the Bahamas, Eleuthera and Harbour Island delight wreck divers but also please reef and cave enthusiasts.
With easy reef dives, colorful walls, wrecks and a few blue holes, the Exumas are home to schools of colorful reef fish, grey reef sharks and more.
Drift through the comfortable waters of Grand Bahama Island, where scuba diving leads to shipwrecks, photogenic caverns and epic tiger shark encounters.
An island of superlatives, Long Island in the Bahamas is home to the world’s deepest blue hole, one great wreck and colorful offshore islands.
The capital city of Nassau rests easily on New Providence and is home to popular dive sites such as easy wrecks, walls and open ocean shark encounters.
As the exposed peak of a submerged mountain, San Salvador in the Bahamas is surrounded by fringing reef and drastic walls full of uncrowded dive sites.
The Bahamas not only hosts hundreds of colorful fish. Pelagic species also love this archipelago. In particular, scuba divers flock to the area for one-of-a-kind encounters with hammerhead sharks, bull sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks and silky sharks. Other than sharks, graceful dolphins and whales travel around the islands. Also, keep an eye out for the Nassau Grouper, a goliath fish that can reach almost 20 pounds and is the national fish of the Bahamas. Often frantically swimming around the Nassau Grouper are their little friends, the wrasse, which cleans the grouper in exchange for protection. Perhaps the most iconic aquatic creature is the Queen Conch, a massive mollusk that slowly make their way across the sandy bottoms. Prized for their colorful and extravagant shells, conchs are often harvested in great abundance. Spiny lobsters are also common, and the “March of the Spiny Lobsters” takes place a couple times a year in shallow waters.
For better readability of the table, pass into the landscape mode.
The Bahamas' sheer sizes means there's plenty of non-diving activities. What these are generally depend on which islands you visit.
Most excursions focus on deserted,white sand beaches. While in Nassau, check out John Watling’s Distillery, a historical rum distillery that dates back to 1789.
Alternatively, the Aquaventure Water Park is a fun-filled family destination in Nassau and if you're interested in the maritime history of the area, be sure to check out the Pirates of Nassau Museum.
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