Dive, Snorkel, The Bahamas

There are many snorkling charters. All are decently priced and you will see many fish and coral. The snorkling is great for even beginners. We chose one of the places that take you to two snorkling spots and then take you to swim with the sharks. I wish I could remember the name but they have pamphlets in all the hotels. Swimming with the sharks was a must see. It is so amazing; they are right under your feet as you hold on to a tie line attached to the boat. I don't have digital prints of this but take my word for it if you are going snorkling - choose the one that takes you to swim with the sharks.

If you're not a diver or are apprehensive about it, one option is the little personal submarines. They are propelled and go down to about 15'. You have an air supply tank that feed air to a bell where your head is. Your ears still get very tight though so if your sinuses aren't feeling well this will still hurt. I know... I tried. I was well aware that SCUBA wouldn't be an option so I thought I'd give this a go. The same boat has snorkeling gear though.

Snorkelling! This was our first snorkelling experience. We didn't take any photos of this because we were so focused on just breathing. We are excited to do it again because we know that the second time can only be better. It was relatively inexpensive and we saw the beautiful coral reef and lots of beautiful fish. Be sure to hang out near the tour guides. They generally know a lot about the fish and the reef.

Go scubadiving or snorkeling. The waters are incredibly clear. I didn't have a (PADI) license so I was restricted to diving with an instructor, but it was great anyway.

(picture taken from: www.skin-diver.com)

You just cannot go to the Bahamas and not do some snorkeling. It is exquisite. My favorite is the Spiny Lobster. They are so big and so beautiful. I found that snorkeling is quite safe over all as well. The only thing that scared me once was a 5 ft baracuda, especially when it circled me. (It's not the one in the photo! That's a little guy.) However, I soon learned that they are relatively harmless. They are inquisitive and territorial. They will circle you and come up close to you because they want to get a better look. You are in their territory after all. They look as if they're saying 'Who dares come here where I am king?' Just don't wear any shiny jewelry when snorkeling and you'll be less apt to attract them.

The diving in the Bahamas is quite nice - the water is quite warm and there is definitely an opportunity to see some exotic sea life. The coral was also particularly abundant in the Bahamas. We dove between Paradise Island and Nassau. We weren't lucky enough to spot any dolphins this trip, but we were told that our dive company took Leonardo DiCaprio diving the day before!

Anyhow, although I would recommend taking a dive in the Bahamas, it wasn't one of my favorite dive destinations.

Well... the two days that it didn't rain we swam with the dolphins and did an under sea walk (snubaing).
The dolphin thing was fun, especially for small children but everyone enjoys it. The under sea walk was awful! The water was two degrees and we were lead around on a little pole as the guide pointed to dead coral.

If you're a diver, check out Stuart Cove's South Ocean. I've been diving with them about 6 times now and they're always fun and professional. The shark dive is clearly one of the world's ten best dives.
Warm clear water. Carribean reef sharks.