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 Bahamas Beach Party and Snorkel Cruise
Cruise out to a secluded Bahamas private beach for a BBQ lunch and spend the afternoon snorkeling or simply relaxing in the sun as you enjoy unlimited rum punch. The party continues with the opportunity to put on your dancing shoes as you cruise back to shore. The cruise takes you in air-conditioned comfort to a shallow reef where you'll spend 90 minutes snorkeling in the turquoise sea. All snorkel equipment is provided and if you're a novice, instruction can be provided by your expert guide. Next, you'll cruise to a secluded private beach for a BBQ buffet lunch including chicken, ribs, peas 'n' rice, corn on the cob and rolls. After lunch, you can spend the afternoon at your leisure. Play beach volleyball or other organized games, go for another snorkel or just relax in the sun on the white, sandy beach. |
Car Rentals in the Bahamas
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Departure Point: Tour commences with pick up at your
Freeport hotel or the Port
Departure Time:
11 am - October to March
12 noon - April to September
Fantasia
Snorkel Sea Safari
The Fantasia Snorkel Sea Safari is a world of fun for the whole family! Snorkel, slide and rock climb all on this amazing 72 ft double deck catamaran, the only one of its kind in the Caribbean.
Snorkel on the surface of the shallow reefs teaming with multi-colored fish. Take a photo with an abundance of friendly school's of fish. Slide down the 30ft open straight slide. Climb up the 30 ft rock climbing wall. Sip a refreshing beverage and have lunch from the grill. All while you cruise along the shore line of the Lucayan Canal.
Departure Point: Tour departs from your hotel lobby
Departure Time: 10:30 am and 2 pm
Nassau
Snorkel Bahamas Adventure
Ever wanted to snorkel with sharks? On this adventure you'll swim with schools of colorful fish in the shallows of Nassau's famous reefs. Then, if your fellow passengers have the nerve, it's off to snorkel with one of the most magnificent and misunderstood creatures of the sea - sharks.
Highlights
Choice of morning or afternoon departure
Snorkel gear included
Family friendly
Conducted in English
Just minutes after leaving Nassau you'll be snorkeling through an undersea extravaganza of living coral and tropical marine life. Your captain will choose two of the clearest and calmest locations on the day to begin your snorkeling adventure.
Then, if the weather permits, you'll go for a snorkel with your guide as
sharks swim calmly below you. Or, if you prefer, you can watch the sharks being
fed from the boat. Sharks are one of the most fascinating marine animals you
will ever see, and on this cruise you'll see them up close and personal in
perfect safety.
Participant requirements
Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
Children under the age of four not permitted
Participants must have good physical health
Departure Point: Tours depart from Southwest Bay Street, Nassau or near the cruise ship terminal.
Departure Time: 9:30 am and 1:30 pm
Dive Sites Visited by Abaco Dive Adventures
Bakers Reef Dives
A beautiful, ancient reef system that begins at the surface
and immediately drops to 60 feet. Caverns, overhangs and swim-throughs
abound.
Fowl Cay
One of the marine preserve areas in Abaco. Beautiful coral
with sharks, rays, and fish just waiting for your arrival.
Sandy Point
Located on the very Southern end of the island. This
unspoiled area is only ever seen by local divers and Abaco Dive Adventures.
Make sure to bring your camera and have the batteries fully charged. You
will need it!!
Blue Hole
Blue Hole is called "Farside" (you must be on the far side of crazy if you go to the bottom (320 feet). Open water divers can dive in this cave environment without being cave certified. It's an awesome dive that you will never forget. Can be done in any weather because it is inland.
Caves
There are many caves on the island. They are spectacular with highly decorated rooms that are the size of football stadiums. Many different challenges await the cave certified.
Dive Sites Visited by Above and Below Abaco
Explore underwater wrecks like the Debra K in 130 feet of water,
the San Jacinto in 20 - 50 Feet of water, and the wreck of the Guana Cay
dingy in 60 Feet of water.
Abaco, Bahamas also has some of the most beautiful inland blue holes in the
world. The Magical Blue Hole is well lit and decorated with huge
stalactites.
Each of our dive sites is unique and beautiful. Places like Tarpon Tunnel,
Shoots and Ladders, The Sleeping Giants, Guana Coral Caverns, The Fish Bowl,
The Skyscrapers, The Cathedral, and Shark Ledge give you hints of what to
expect.
We visit the most spectacular reefs, making sure weather conditions are good
for the sites we choose. During the first 20 minutes of your dive we guide
you through spectacular reefs and coral formations. Then, you and your buddy
are welcome to explore for your remaining dive-time, based on your air
supply and dive profile. Our Diving reflects the relaxed, unhurried pace of
island life; small groups of six or less give you all the space you need to
see and experience everything.
Daily Dive Trips for Bimini Undersea
The dive sites in Bimini are in two major geographical areas,
the Bimini (North &
South Bimini) area and the Cat Cay Area.
The Bimini area features Patch Reef formations, incredible fish life, and
most of the Wrecks. These sites are all very close and are just a short boat
ride from the Bimini Undersea docks.
The Cat Cay sites are approximately 11 miles South of Bimini and are
distinctly different from the North Bimini Sites. Cat Cay features more of a
Barrier Reef type of formation and often has strong currents. More often
than not the Cat Cay dives are done as drift dives. Wall Sites are found in
both areas however the drop offs are a little shallower around Cat Cay. The
vertical wall drop offs near North and South Bimini tend to be a little
beyond accepted Safe Sport Diving depth restrictions.
Little Caverns -
Max Depth: 80 ft.
Dive Type: Reef
Location: North Bimini
One of the questions our guests most often like to ask the dive staff is if
we have favorite dive sites we like to visit. One of the great things about
life as a Divemaster is that you get to dive all the sites, all the time. We
don't have to pick favorites. That having been said, if I did have to pick a
few favorites, Little Caverns would definitely be at the top of that list.
Little Caverns is the northernmost mooring site on the deep reef line off the western shore of North Bimini (other sites close by include Moray Alley and Blacktip Reef). The reef line runs parallel with the island approximately 1.5 miles offshore. On a good day it only takes about 12 minutes to get on site once you leave Bimini Harbor.
Little Caverns has a depth range of 60 ft on its shallow, inside border and 78 ft along its outside border. Like other reefs along North Bimini, it has a well defined sand plateau designating its eastern and western borders. There are however no such clearly defined north and south borders as the reefline runs continuously for the better part of one-half mile.
The bottom consists of isolated coral heads dispersed about a gently sloping sandy bottom. The coral occupies about 70% of the white sandy bottom. The coral heads themselves have grown quite tall ranging in height from 10 to 14 ft.
One of the first things we tell divers about Little Caverns is not to spend a lot of time looking for Caverns! Because, there really aren't any caverns” to speak of! Why then the name you might ask. Good question. First of all, when I first got here to Bimini in 1984, the site was already named. Not one to fiddle with tradition and history we never entertained the idea of changing the name. The name was explained to me however like this.
As far as the marine life goes, here's my very basic rule of thumb. The deeper the reef, the larger the fish. The fish tend to be swimming individually or in pairs as opposed to large schools, and, for every rule there are numerous exceptions. Little Caverns is a great place to spot Blacktip and Caribbean Reef Sharks, large Groupers and Snappers, as well as the occasional Spotted Eagle Ray. Its proximity to the Gulf Stream (less than 1/2 mile) also makes it common to see Amberjacks, Horse Eyed Jacks, and other smaller pelagics. All in all, it's more likely that you will run out of dive time before you run out of things to see on Little Caverns.
Victory Reef -
Depth Range: 35' - 90'
Dive Type: Reef / Drift
Excellent multi-level computer dive opportunity
Location : South Cat Cay
Wreck of the Bimini Trader -
Maximum Depth: 90 ft.
Dive Type: Wreck
Special Conditions: Strong Current
Location: South Bimini
If you've spent any time at all diving with us off of Bimini, chances are you've put in a little bottom time on the Bimini Barge and also probably the Sapona. Two of Bimini's most well known wrecks. You might not however be familiar with another of Bimini's great wreck sites. The Bimini Trader.
The Bimini Trader is a 90 ft long wreck sitting in 85 ft. of water about 3/4 of a mile off shore of the southern tip of North Bimini. The eddying Gulf Stream current often presents challenging dive conditions similar to those found on the Bimini Barge.
History of the Bimini Trader Wreck
During the 1980's the Bimini Trader was an active freight vessel carrying supplies back and forth between Bimini and Miami. By 1990 the vessel had fallen into dis-repair and had been left tied up to the sea wall in between the Chalk's Seaplane Ramp and the Fisherman's Paradise Restaurant. That is where it remained, undisturbed, until a fateful day in August of 1992. The day that Hurricane Andrew came to visit.
Even though the ships owners chained her to the sea wall in preparation for the storm, the force of Hurricane Andrew proved too much for the vessels restraints. The storm broke her free from her bow shackles and the ship spun around, grounding herself on the Chalks Seaplane ramp. After the storm had passed, that is where the people of Bimini found the Bimini Trader the following morning.
The Mysterious Anchors of the Bimini Trader
After diving the Bimini Trader a dozen times or so back in 92, the Bimini Undersea staff began exploring the surrounding area of the wreck on days when the current was not very strong. One day, we found something quite surprising.
Roughly 30 yards south of the main wreck site, leaning against a rock ledge was found a large anchor which appears to date back to the 1800s. We were so amazed at finding the large coral encrusted anchor that it took us another dive or two to discover that a second, smaller anchor was laying in the sand not far away. There is no record of a specific wreck in that area although many ships sank in the Bimini area during the 1800s. Bimini was never in any main treasure routes although supply ships frequented her waters on a regular basis.
Hawksbill Reef -
Depth Range: 42 ft - 48 ft.
Dive Type: Reef Dive
Location: North Bimini
The main attraction to Hawksbill Reef is the fish life. There are a lot of
fish on this reef! Both in variety and sheer numbers. As a medium depth dive
you're going to see medium sized fish. Some swimming in schools. Some
individually. Grouper, Snapper, Schools of Chubs, Queen Angels, French
Angels, and during season, a favorite hangout for both Loggerhead and
Hawksbill (its namesake) Turtles. Just an overall outstanding dive.
At a max depth of 50 ft, depending upon which dive (if any) preceded it, you
can burn a tank of air here with little or no concern for exceeding safe
dive limits. Especially for those using computers. Because of its proximity
to shore Hawksbill is rarely affected by strong currents so it's a great
dive for both experienced and novice divers.
Bull Run -
Max Depth: 60 ft.
Dive Type: Shark Observation - Advanced
Location: South Cat Cay
The Dive Staff here at Bimini Undersea is very excited to announce the
addition of a new dive site to the Bimini Undersea dive schedule.
Bull Run is a site that lies approximately 2 miles south of Victory Reef
between South Cat Cay and Ocean Cay. It's done as part of our extended day 2
tank dive trips to the Cat Cay area.
The dive has a max depth of 60 ft. and features very high coral stands
(15-17 ft high) amidst a white sandy bottom. The fish life is plentiful and
the coral formations offer a number of great tunnels and swim-throughs to
explore. And one more thing. Did we mention the SHARKS!?
When Diving Bull Run it is all but guaranteed that you'll have the
opportunity to get up close and personal with a number of the ocean's top-end predators. Usually Black Tip and Caribbean Reef Sharks. On our dives to
date we usually see between 5 and 7 on each dive.
We want to be clear that this is not a Shark Feeding dive. As we've stated
in the past, Bimini Undersea does not do shark feeds. It's always been our
position that killing reef fish to feed to sharks to entertain people
(divers) was never a good idea that supported the environment. The dive at
Bull Run is however a by-product of that type of activity.
Coral Caverns Dive Resort's Dive Locations
Your dive adventure begins in the scenic tropical setting located on Cargill Creek, 20 minutes south of the Andros Town International Airport (ASD). The Tongue-of-the-Ocean awaits you; see the splendor of vibrant tropical coral reefs, blue holes, and the CORAL CAVERNS of Andros. We offer world-class diving and snorkeling on the world's third longest coral barrier reef.
Dive Sites for Grand Bahama Scuba
The Shallow Reef - sites include Silver Reef, Sanctuary Reef, Treasure Reef and Fish Farm
The shallow reef is full of colorful fish and coral that rises from twenty feet almost to the surface. It is a great place for the novice diver to learn scuba, as well as a nice, leisurely second dive for the more experienced diver. Night dives here are absolutely breathtaking. Octopus, shrimp, crab, lobster, crinoids and a whole host of other nocturnal reef life can be seen in the glow of your light. Don't miss it.
The Medium Reef - sites include Angel Camp, Badger and
Spid City
At depths of about 40 to 50 feet (12-15 meters) the coral heads rise from a
sandy bottom. Vertical growth of the coral heads is about 10 feet (3
meters). In some places, these coral heads are dramatically mushroom-shaped
or hollow, providing homes for all sorts of marine life. Take your time and
examine every surface. You will be surprised at how much you will see.
The Deep Reef - sites include Pygmy Caves, Tunnels, Gail's Grotto, and Lady of Lucaya
The deep reef has grown into a complex maze of canyons, tunnels, and secret rooms for you to explore.
Shark Dives
Grand Bahama is home to Shark Junction, one of the world's first and best shark encounters. Imagine kneeling on the ocean floor, when out of the distant blue, several large Caribbean Reef sharks appear! They slowly circle towards you, always keeping one eye on you as they get closer and closer. Suddenly, they turn and disappear, only to reappear moments later from another direction. This is a dive you will tell stories about for a long time to come.
Wreck Dives
You may also visit and explore a number of wrecks. These include the world famous Theo's Wreck, a two hundred and thirty foot freighter found in a hundred feet of water. Come see all the creatures that have made this sunken ship their home.
Cave Dives - caverns include Lucayan Caves National Park, Devil's Face in Hawksbill Creek and Mermaids Lair
Advanced divers may also explore the blue holes and caverns of Grand Bahama. Recently Ben's Cavern has become available to us. It is a spectacular sinkhole located in the Lucayan Caves National Park. Access is limited to four divers every other day. The cave is closed during the summer months, at which time migratory bats nurse their young here.
Dive Sites for Kamalame Cay Diving
Near Kamalame is the third longest barrier reef in the world
it is just a mile from our shores offering divers and snorkelers the perfect
opportunity to enjoy the warm Caribbean waters while experiencing an
exceptional underwater adventure.
This lush, living barrier reef harbors many wonders from gently swaying sea
anemones tucked in brilliant coral to tiny seahorses that gracefully ride
the current. Explore the bustling shallows, follow huge grouper through
coral caverns, watch spotted eagle rays glide over the deep blue, or just
drift along the edge of the dramatic wall that plunges 6,000 feet to the
bottom of the Tongue of the Ocean. Blue Hole dives are also available upon
request and all experience levels catered for.
We have sites to suit every level of diver, from beginner to thrill-seeker. Shallow-water wrecks and coral gardens appeal to novice divers and those who enjoy extended bottom-time. The coral canyons at The Plateau (a 10 acre area so special it was featured in National Geographic magazine) are perfect for relaxing dives, and are popular with photographers.
The drift-dive at the Current Cut can either be a high-speed thrill-ride or a beautiful slow drift through schools of eagle rays (just let us know which you prefer!). For the shark addicts among you, we have sites where we regularly see sharks in their natural state (no shark feeding here).
There are more than 60 dive sites on the regular Small Hope Bay Lodge schedule, including colorful shallow reefs, coral gardens, wreck dives, breathtaking blue holes and stunning wall dives at the edge of the continental shelf, where the Tongue of the Ocean plunges to 6,000 feet.