The Bahamas – archipelago of 700 islands – is situated where the Western Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. The crystal clear blue waters offer amazing sailing experiences in the Bahamas along with a range of dive adventures for scuba divers. The dive conditions are impressive year round and divers can dive through tunnels, caverns, and blue holes, on flourishing reef dives, along vertical walls and over wrecks. Each island dive destination has its signature experiences. Diving in the Bahamas offers you a golden chance to see Great Hammerhead Sharks.
The waters near New Providence – Nassau is home to blue holes and caves, historical wrecks where one can delve into thrilling shark diving just off the shore. On Long Island, the avid explorers can dive the world’s deepest blue hole, find great reefs, visit wrecks and look over walls that drop into the deep blue. However, the pristine reefs of the Abacos are slightly different from much of the Bahamas firstly because they are directly exposed to the Atlantic, and secondly, it has many relatively shallow dive sites.
While sailing in the Bahamas you have plenty of options to try your hand at diving. Continuing further, we have Andros which is home to wrecks, blue holes and spectacular wall dives off the deep Tongue of the Ocean. The warm waters of Bimini is the perfect place to spot an incredible diversity of sea life. While Eleuthera and Harbor Island offer a rip-roaring drift dive. The Exumas offer a perfect blend of beautiful walls and rich shallow reefs. All islands have a laid back vibe and soft, white and pink beaches to relax on after diving.
Great Hammerhead Shark Diving while sailing in the Bahamas
After watching some of the amazing shark shows on tv, did you ever consider a real life in the wild close-up encounter with one or several of these great fish? If you have, the answer is Bimini Island in the Bahamas.
Hop on a boat and enjoy sailing in the Bahamas for five minutes till you reach sandy bottom site – the place where the shark diving begins. Under the guidance of an learn how they scrape dead fish under the water and add a trail of fish oils to bring in the sharks. The hammerheads will take some time to come, it actually depends on the strength of the current and most likely other factors too.
About the Hammerhead Shark – This shark's unusual name comes from the unusual shape of its head, an amazing piece of anatomy built to maximize the fish's ability to find its favorite meal: stingrays. A hammerhead shark uses its wide head to trap stingrays by pinning them to the seafloor. Unlike many fish, hammerheads do not lay eggs. A female gives birth to live young. Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, far offshore and near shorelines, hammerheads are often seen in mass summer migrations seeking cooler water.
While sailing in the Bahamas aboard a private yacht charter, if you happen to catch a small hammerhead shark, gently slip it again into the water and watch it heading straight down onto the sandy bottom. Though the fish is considered very deadly, it has a gentle nature too. Along with hammerheads, you can also witness a few bull sharks skulking in the background. For photographers or shark enthusiasts no opportunity can than this.
OTHER GREAT DIVE SITES OF THE BAHAMAS
1. Shark Buoy, New Providence – Famous for the bluest water in the Bahamas is the large yellow Shark Buoy. The buoy is home to a lot of marine life, but the main attraction here is the Silky Sharks.
2. Littlehale’s Lair, Grand Bahama – Named for the National Geographic photographer, Bates Littlehale, it is home to grunts and snappers, this site is popular with underwater photographers.
3. Current Cut, Eleuthera – Experience the fast flow of water that moves through the narrow channel between Eleuthera and Current Island, along with the possibility of seeing sharks and eagle rays as well as lots of reef fish.
4. Amberjack Reef, Exuma – This beautiful reef is full of interesting creatures, such as garden eels, and is known for its abundant fish life including pirate blennies. You can also see black groupers and several shark species.
This surely will be an experience that you will never forget while sailing in the Bahamas aboard a private yacht charter, and if you are passionate about swimming with the sharks, plan a trip to the Bahamas and slip on your tanks and BC.
