Diving in The Abacos

 

Our waters will take your breath away

 

The diving and snorkeling is excellent all through The Abacos, with several protected underwater areas such as Fowl Cay National Reserve and Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park, massive reefs with swim-through caves that are seasonally filled wall to wall with silver baitfish, and even dive spots at the edge of the reef where you’re almost guaranteed to see Caribbean reef sharks.


 

The only time being shallow is a good thing

Directly exposed to the Atlantic, the reefs of The Abacos take a different form from much of The Bahamas. Many sites are relatively shallow, 60 feet or less. Subjected to slightly cooler temperatures during the winter, they are just on the edge of what hard corals require to survive. The general form of the fringing reefs is an ornate, extinct coral base with a healthy top growth of star and elkhorn corals. The base reef has been etched out by tidal flow to form a maze of interconnecting tunnels and cathedral-like caverns.


 

Dive in

Professional dive services are a given in The Abacos. Walker’s Cay, the northernmost island, has been an Out Islands of The Bahamas diving tradition for decades. In addition to myriad mazes of shallow and complex caverns, an abundance of fish and some deeper sloping walls, Walker’s Cay features one of the most unique shark dives in The Bahamas. Groups of up to 150 sharks gather at the sound of the dive boat’s engines in a coral arena to feed on the bait, while divers mingle with them. Some refer to this as an underwater cocktail party.


Green Turtle Cay features shallow reefs as well as superb fish life, one of the earmarks of The Abacos. There is a huge selection of sites for snorkeling and diving at Marsh Harbour. Maxi-Caves is an historically great spot for comfortable cavern dives where you’ll find friendly groupers and barracuda. Treasure Divers has a full, PADI-certified dive operator located at Treasure Cay Marina.


 

Top Abaco Dive Locations

Key: R=Reef; C=Cave; W=Wreck; L=Wall; M=Unusual marine life



60'

     

The Towers

Huge coral pinnacles 60 feet tall, pierced with tunnels and caverns


 

40'

     

Grouper Alley

Numerous tunnels beneath a monstrous coral head


 

70'

     

Wayne's World

A tour of the outside of the barrier reef


 

20'

     

The Cathedral

Huge caverns where shafts of sunlight dance on the floor


 

40'

 

R

 

Tarpon Reef

High profiles of corals for a school of tarpon and a huge green moray eel


 
   

C

 

Coral Caverns

A series of winding caverns filled with clouds of shiny silversides


 

20'

 

C

 

The Catacombs

A shallow sun-splattered cavern with abundant tropical fish


 

40'

 

W

 

San Jacinto

The 234-feet long wreck of a large steamship sunk in 1865 that’s now completely scattered across the bottom


 


The Abacos Diving Operators

 

 

Operation

Email and Website

Reservations

Abaco Dive Adventures

divetim@coralwave.com


www.abacodivers.com

954-681-4382

Above and Below Abaco

 

kay@AboveAndBelowAbaco.com


www.AboveAndBelowAbaco.com

321-206-9197

Brendal's Dive Center International

brendal@brendal.com


www.brendal.com

242-365-4411

Dive Abaco! (since   1978...)

Dive@DiveAbaco.com

 

www.DiveAbaco.com

800-247-5338

 

242-367-2787

Dive Guana

diveguana@yahoo.com


www.diveguana.com

242-365-5178

Froggies Out Island Adventure, Ltd.

dive@froggiesabaco.com


www.froggiesabaco.com

242-366-0431

Treasure Divers

 

dive@treasure-divers.com

www.treasure-divers.com

800-327-1584

 

The Islands Of The Bahamas