Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Bahamas Offer Something for Every Type of Diver





According to scuba diving site sportextreme.com, ‘from north to south, from beginner to super advanced - there is something for every type of diver” in the Bahamas.

Virtually all the islands are rimmed by coral reefs and sandbanks; nearly all are low lying, either flat like a pancake or gently undulating. Many islands are pockmarked by giant sinkholes called blue holes (water filled, circular pits that open to underground and submarine caves and in some places descend to as much as 600ft (180m).

Excellent visibility, diving all year around, warm waters, walls, wrecks, caverns and zillions of fish are other attributes to diving and pelagics and mammals are commonly encountered.

The Bimini Islands are notorious for their large schools of fish and pelagics and some islanders believe that part of the “Lost City of Atlantis” lies just off the islands. Eleuthera is known for turtles and drop offs while the Abacos are protected by a barrier reef and offers a myriad of caves and swim-throughs. Cat Island, Crooked Island and further south are the more undiscovered areas of the Bahamas and are known for their natural, simple beauty and solitude.

The possibility of diving with dolphins, shark and rays has made the Bahamas very famous. Humpback and blue whales are often sighted in the waters east of the islands. Moray eels, grunts, barracudas, stingrays, queen triggerfish, sand tigers, parrotfish and angelfish are animating the scenery on a typical dive in a scene set up with an impressive array of hard and soft coral. Wrecks are plentiful and ships, planes and even a train (off Eleuthera) make for excellent variety.

The Bahamas is a year-round destination with an incredible number of 320 average days with sunshine a year. Literally no runoff from the islands and minimal sedimentation is creating some of the clearest tropical waters in the world. Divers can expect visibility to run from 80 to 150 feet (25 - 45) year-round, with the very best visibility often found immediately after winter is over - around February or March.

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