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

Diving Bahamas Overview

From the Spanish meaning shallow seas, the archipelago of the Bahamas spread from close by Florida to the Turks & Caicos Islands with the only really deep water close to New Providence that bears the capital Nassau. Some islands, notably the Abacos and Grand Bahama, are easily accessible from Florida. The diving varies substantially among islands, with some pretty reefs and others affected by algae, decent tropicals, and resorts that feed sharks. Liveaboards out of Florida take divers to spots with bigger fish in the flow of the Gulf Stream as do operators in Bimini and Grand Bahama. Keep the hurricane season, June through November, in mind; winter weather means low 70°F (20°c) water and sweaters in the evening; night temperature is cool if winter air blows off the continent. Most of the islands escaped damage from the twin hurricanes of 2017.

Bahamas Seasonal Dive Planner

The Bahamas are not in the Caribbean but the sub-tropical Atlantic. May through November is summer in the Bahamas. During these months, the most rain falls and air temperatures average about 81°F (27°C). Winter can bring surprisingly cool weather, with averages reduced to about 70°F (21°C), and cooler water means more rubber. You won’t go far wrong with a 5mm wetsuit and hood. Northerlies can disrupt diving during winter months. The islands south of Nassau (such as Great Exuma, San Salvador, and Long Island) usually 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.

Diving Bahamas Reader Reports and Feature Articles

Attention! Active Subscribers Go Here You must be an Undercurrent Online Member to view the complete members-only reports and articles. Some articles that can be fully accessed by the public have a button..

Latest Reader Reports from Bahamas from the serious divers who read Undercurrent All Reader Reports from Bahamas	All 10,000+ Reports
Epic Diving/Blue Marlin Cove Resort Report in Bahamas "Get up and personal with Tiger Sharks" filed Oct 24, 2024 by Ellen Marie Smith (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 26 reports, Sr. Contributor )
Epic Diving (Vic, Deb, & crew) are great people to dive with and extremely helpful with photo tips and shark ID. The Blue Marlin Cove... ... Read more
Juliet Sail and Dive Report in Bahamas/Bimini "Juliet out of Miami, a no frills adventure." filed Aug 27, 2024 by Hugh Hyman (Experience: 251-500 dives, 2 reports)
In mid-August 2025, we boarded the Juliet, a liveaboard that’s more "floating dive shop" than "floating hotel." If you’re hoping for ch... ... Read more
Bahamas Aggressor Report in Bahamas "Fantastic diving" filed Aug 18, 2024 by Steve Trombulak (Experience: 101-250 dives, 2 reports)
The crew was fantastic and made every effort to provide great dive experiences along Eleuthera and the Exumas. The vessel itself is in... ... Read more
Bahamas Master Report in Bahamas "Diving & Crew Great, Boat not so Good" filed Nov 13, 2023 by Steven E Holmstrom (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 2 reports)
Diving was great, Tiger Sharks on every Tiger scheduled dive. Boat was disappointing. Cabins lacked storage/hanging areas. Many cabi... ... Read more
Aqua Cat Cruises Report in Bahamas/Exumas "Quality liveaboard" filed Nov 6, 2023 by Thomas Read (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 3 reports, Reviewer )
Outstanding dive operation on a solid boat (same layout as Mike Ball's Spoilsport). Everything runs like clockwork, but with a smile. B... ... Read more

Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving 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

Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach

Today's airline weight restrictions not only limit the amount of dive gear and cameras you can pack for overseas trips, but also those valuable prized marine life identification books. And with spotty Internet access overseas, it's not like you can look a critter of or fish up easily online. For the divers who still want a book in their hands post-dive to look up the fishes they encounter, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach are offering "Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida." It's lightweight enough to thrown in your carry-on but rugged enough to withstand frequent saltwater washings on board.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

World Atlas of Coral Reefs
by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious, Edmund P. Green, United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center.

If there is one book that belongs in every traveling diver's library, this is it. The superb World Atlas of Coral Reefs has everything you want to know about the reefs from Costa Rica and Cuba to the Coral Sea and Cayman. The information is specific and up to date. The photos, maps and layout superb. And the price, for this 424 page, full color, hard bound volume, is a steal at $31.50

The Atlas was released in September by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center to document and conserve the world's coral reefs. Clearly written with divers in mind, it's an invaluable resource for global travelers. Here's what you'll find.

• 94 maps, including global maps of biodiversity and reef stresses, regional maps showing 3-D bathymetry and high resolution maps showing reefs, mangroves, population centers, dive centers and protected areas.
• 280 color photographs, showing reefs, wildlife, people and places, Including 84 photographs taken from space by Shuttle astronauts.
• Text explaining the formation, structure and ecology of coral reefs; their various uses and abuses at the hands of humans; and the techniques used in coral reef mapping.
• Detailed texts describing the distribution and status of coral reefs in every country.
• Data tables listing information on biodiversity, human use, and protected areas. These include statistics on coral reef area, biodiversity, fish consumption, and threats.

For example, you can learn about pollution damage to the reefs at Providenciales and the lack of human impact, as well. Or, where extensive bleaching took place in Honduras 1998. You'll read that Milne Bay in Papua New Guineas has the most extensive reef system in that country and where, in Fiji, the bumphead parrotfish and tridachna clams will not be found, thanks to overfishing. Order now.

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes):
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. Paul and his partner Ned Deloach recently 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 Reef 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, up to 30%. Click below to buy them at Amazon:

* Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas,
* Reef Creature Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas, and
* Reef Coral Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas
* The Boxed Set of all three (you can save up to 30%)

A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
by Mark Spalding

This book doubles as a guide to the natural history of the coral reefs and a diver's travel guide. In addition to providing information about some of the most popular diving and snorkeling, it also offers practical suggestions to divers who want to protect these sites. Author Mark Spalding, a coral reef scientist who has worked on coral reefs in over thirty countries, delves into the eco-problems with a focus on what each person can do to protect the reefs. The guide section covers 35 dive destinations with key information on the reefs, marine parks, remote places, and unusual species as well as excellent maps and a photographic field guide of the marine flora and fauna.
Order Now at a reduced price of only $16.47.

There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.

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