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14 beginner-friendly dive sites in the Bahamas

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Bahamas

Whether you’re a seasoned diver or just getting your feet wet, the Bahamas offers a diverse array of dive sites to explore. From vibrant coral reefs to mysterious blue holes and thrilling shark encounters, this Caribbean archipelago has it all.

As a new scuba diver, you might be wondering what sets the Bahamas apart and why you should choose it as your next diving destination. The Bahamas offers not only beginner-friendly reef diving, but also the opportunity to meet some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures, from graceful sea turtles to dolphins and stingrays. Read on for our pick of 14 beginner-friendly dive sites in the Bahamas.

Bahamas

Photo: Ryan Geller

Andros Island

Andros Barrier Reef: Start your Bahamian diving journey at the third-largest barrier reef in the world. This idyllic wonderland is characterized by shallow, calm waters, making it perfect for novice divers. Here, you can encounter a diverse array of marine life, from playful dolphins to Nassau grouper, marlins, sailfish, and plenty of colorful reef fish.

Blue Holes: Venture into the mesmerizing world of underwater sinkholes, such as the famous Blue Hole on Andros. With its crystal-clear waters, this site offers excellent visibility and a sense of mystery as you descend into its depths.

The Crater: Dive into an inland blue hole near Small Hope Island known as The Crater. This unique site was once the ocean floor and collapsed in on itself, revealing a captivating cave system. Here, you can witness sea turtles peacefully resting on the bottom, swim alongside graceful stingrays, and marvel at the walls adorned with vibrant corals.

Bahamas

Photo: Alex Rose

Bimini

Bimini Road: Explore an underwater rock formation often compared to an ancient road. This extraordinary path of paving stones stretches along the seafloor for half a mile and is made up of large blocks, some of which are 12 feet (4 meters) across.

The origin of this structure is highly debated; some people believe it is manmade and might be the Road to Atlantis. Whether you believe that or not, the easy diving conditions and encounters with nurse sharks and stingrays make this site a fascinating dive for beginners. Dive depths are typically around 16 to 33 feet (5 to 10 meters), with water temperatures hovering around 75 – 85°F (24 – 29°C).

Cathedral: At the Cathedral dive site you can explore an ocean floor adorned with vibrant corals, creating a colorful and stunning underwater landscape.

Victory Reef: Descend to depths ranging from 30 to 79 feet (9 to 24 meters) and encounter green turtles, sharks, stingrays, and numerous reef fish at Victory Reef. The coral formations make this dive truly memorable.

Nassau

Shark Arena: If you’ve ever dreamed of coming face to face with sharks, Nassau’s Shark Arena is the place to do it. Experience shark feeding dives with trained professionals in a controlled environment, providing a safe opportunity to see various shark species up close. Dive depths typically range from 30 to 59 feet (9 to 18 meters).

Bahamas

Photo: Jakob Owens

Exuma Cays

The Exuma Cays offer a delightful mix of calm diving conditions and vibrant marine life.

Amberjack Reef: This shallow reef boasts colorful corals and thousands of fish, including angelfish, grouper, and barracuda. Multiple reef sharks also call this reef home. Explore this world of thriving corals in waters that range from 16 to 49 feet (5 to 15 meters) in depth.

Thunderball Grotto: Made famous by James Bond in the film Thunderball, this impressive underwater cave system is a must-visit. This jaw-dropping cave has light filtering in from holes in the ceiling, the sides, and through underwater holes. Numerous fish and vibrant corals are lit up by the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing underwater wonder for snorkelers and divers to enjoy.

And don’t forget the unique opportunity to swim with pigs at Pig Beach on Big Major Cay.

Bahamas

Photo: Forest Simon

Abaco Islands

Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park: This protected area offers easy and calm diving conditions, making it perfect for beginners. Dive into a world teeming with marine life, including colorful corals and playful bottlenose dolphins. The average dive depths here range from 16 to 49 feet (5 to 15 meters), making it accessible for all skill levels.

Long Island

Dean’s Blue Hole: Plunge into the world’s deepest known saltwater blue hole, which reaches depths of over 656 feet (200 meters). It’s a very popular place for freediving, snorkeling, and scuba diving, and boasts water visibility reaching up to 98 feet (30 meters). This unique dive site is home to numerous reef fish, snappers, tarpons, sea turtles, seahorses, and rays.

Grand Bahama Island

Tiger Beach: If you love sharks, make sure you visit Tiger Beach. There you can encounter tiger sharks, lemon sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, and nurse sharks. Dive depths are typically between 20 and 49 feet (6 and 15 meters), and you simply kneel on the sand and watch the shark around you.

Bahamas

Photo: Ryan Geller

Cat Island

Cat Island is a paradise for divers, boasting dozens of dive sites along a reef-laced coast, far from the crowds of more popular destinations.

Columbus Point: Located at the very southeastern tip of Cat Island, this remote spot is best suited for advanced divers. However, if you’re eager to upskill, this site is worth the effort before your trip. Get a Deep Diver and Drift Diver certification under your belt and make sure you have some experience of diving in open waters.

Underwater pinnacles rise up from the ocean floor at Columbus Point, attracting large grouper and impressive sharks. Be prepared for strong currents and depths ranging from 59 to 131 feet (18 to 40 meters). Oceanic whitetip sharks are seasonal visitors and there are large game fish in the blue.

Bahamas

Photo: NOAA

Eleuthera

Current Cut: If you have experienced divers in your group, Current Cut is a must. This dive site is thought to be one of the best drift dives in the world and offers a high-speed dive through a narrow channel with currents that can reach remarkable speeds. The water moves through this channel at up to 10 knots! Diving there is something to aspire to as you get move dives in your log book.

The Bahamas is a haven for scuba divers of all levels, including beginners. With its array of dive sites, there’s no better place to embark on your scuba diving journey. For more information about the Bahamas’ top dive spots, including dive sites reviews, check out this guide to diving in the Bahamas.

Kathryn Curzon, a shark conservationist and dive travel writer for SSI (Scuba Schools International), wrote this article.

Scuba Schools International (SSI) is the largest professional business-based training agency in the world. For over 50 years now, SSI has provided the ultimate training experience for millions of certified divers, not only in Recreational Scuba, but in every training category: Freediving, Extended Range, Rebreather Diving, Mermaid, Swim and Lifeguard.

Blogs

Rescues, Rays, and Darwin the Turtle: My Trip to Biomes Marine Biology Center

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biomes

It’s time to catch up with 12-year-old Mia DaPonte, New England’s youngest ever female PADI Master Scuba Diver, in her latest blog for Scubaverse!

It’s still a little too cold to get in the water here in New England. I wish I had a drysuit! To get my ocean fix, I asked my mom to take me and my friends to the Biomes Marine Biology Center.

What is Biomes? It’s a rescue center near my house that’s home to all kinds of ocean animals—and they’re all local! It’s truly awesome to experience. There are so many cool creatures there, like skates, sharks, stingrays, horseshoe crabs, tropical fish, lobsters, seahorses, octopuses, and even some reptiles that were given up by their owners.

biomes

Darwin the turtle is always fun to watch. He’s huge and has his own home, but he also gets to wander around the place on his own when he feels like it!

They have lots of touch tanks. I got to touch sharks, turtles, and even hold a horseshoe crab! (There’s a little lip on the side of their shell where you can hold them—but don’t do this without permission! Their gills always need to stay in the water.) I also touched stingrays! They felt slimy but rough at the same time.

biomes

One of my favorite things to do is see the octopus and watch it play with the toys in its tank. I always check to see if any seahorses are pregnant and look for the babies when they’re born. The babies are kept in their own tank at first to stay safe, and then moved when they’re big enough.

We got lucky this time—there was a baby skate in a mermaid’s purse that was ready to hatch any day! It was in a special tank with a light. When you press the button, the light turns on so you can see the baby skate moving around inside the purse!

biomes

As our visit was ending, the owner, Mark, sat down with us and told us how he started Biomes. When he was 14 years old, he began rescuing sea animals. His love for the ocean started when he was young—just like mine! As he got older, he started a traveling business, bringing animals to classrooms and doing shows. Eventually, he turned it into something bigger, and now Biomes is a huge center full of rescued animals.

He told us that most of the fish and animals are rescued from fishing boats or the cold waters of New England—places where tropical fish wouldn’t survive the winter. They try to rescue babies whenever they can, so they have a better chance of adapting. Darwin the turtle actually hatched in Mark’s hand!

biomes

My mom gets a pass to Biomes every year because I love going there so much. There are always new animals to see and feedings to watch. One time, I even got to feed the octopus!

If you ever come to Rhode Island, you have to check out Biomes!

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Explorations in the Dark: The Thrill of Blackwater Night Dives

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blackwater diving

Main Image: Bart Heines

Picture yourself floating in the open ocean at night, far from the familiar reefs and sandy slopes. Beneath you, the water seems endless, with no visible bottom, and all around, the deep holds mysteries that most divers never get to see. This is blackwater diving—an exciting, otherworldly experience that reveals the hidden creatures of the ocean’s depths.

blackwater diving

Photo: Jürgen Lorösch

At Siladen Resort & Spa, located in the heart of Bunaken Marine Park, our blackwater dives offer a rare opportunity to witness marine life that ascends from the deep during the night, all while being guided by experienced instructors. But before we dive in, let’s take a closer look at the fascinating history behind this unique type of dive.

blackwater diving

Photo: Galice Hoarau

A Brief History of Blackwater Diving

The concept of blackwater diving first emerged in Hawaii in the late 1990s, where adventurous divers sought a new way to observe marine life that typically stays far below the surface during the day. The idea was simple yet daring: dive over deep, open water at night, suspend lights from the surface, and see what creatures would rise from the depths.

blackwater diving

Photo: Leo

What they discovered was remarkable. From larval stages of fish and invertebrates to rarely seen jelly-like creatures, blackwater diving quickly became a favorite among divers eager to explore the ocean’s mysterious nighttime migrations. The original goal was to observe the vertical migration—the largest animal migration on the planet, where millions of creatures travel from the deep toward the surface under the cover of darkness to feed.

blackwater diving

Photo: Brandi Mueller

What Makes Blackwater Diving So Unique?

Blackwater diving is unlike any other night dive. Instead of staying close to the reef, you’re diving in the open ocean over very deep water. Lights suspended from the surface attract marine life from the depths, giving divers a chance to witness creatures in their larval stages. These tiny, often transparent organisms offer a glimpse into the earliest stages of marine life—juvenile fish, squid, shrimp, and other species that look completely different from their adult forms.

blackwater diving

Photo: Bart Heines

The sensation of floating over seemingly infinite water, with nothing but your dive light illuminating the creatures drawn to the surface, is both exhilarating and humbling. Each dive feels like an exploration of the unknown, with new and strange creatures appearing each time.

blackwater diving

Photo: Galice Hoarau

A Different Kind of Thrill

One of the biggest draws of blackwater diving is the thrill of discovery. Because you’re diving in such deep water, you never know exactly what you’ll see. There’s a sense of mystery and excitement that comes with each dive. Every moment feels like a potential encounter with something new—perhaps a larval octopus, a juvenile fish species, or delicate plankton moving through the dark water.

The experience of blackwater diving is both meditative and exciting. You’re floating in the open ocean, focused entirely on the small creatures illuminated by your light. It’s a chance to witness the ocean’s deep-water ecosystem in action, all while suspended in what feels like the vast unknown.

blackwater diving

Photo: Jürgen Lorösch

For the Adventurous Photographer

If you’re into macro photography, blackwater dives offer a chance to capture rare and tiny creatures in ways you won’t find on any other dive. The creatures drawn to the lights are often small, fast-moving, and incredibly unique. Photographing them requires patience, focus, and an eye for detail, but the rewards are worth it. You’ll come away with images of marine life few people ever get to see.

blackwater diving

Photo: Brandi Mueller

Not Quite Ready for the Deep? Try Bonfire Diving First

While blackwater diving is an incredible experience, we understand that diving over very deep water at night might feel a bit daunting, especially for those who are new to night dives. If you’re curious but not quite ready for blackwater diving, we recommend trying bonfire diving first.

blackwater diving

Photo: Leo

Bonfire dives are conducted closer to the reef, with lights set up near the ocean floor to attract marine life from the surrounding area. These dives are less intimidating but still offer an up-close look at nocturnal creatures, including larvae, squid, and shrimp, all drawn toward the light. It’s a perfect way to get comfortable with night diving while enjoying the incredible diversity of marine life after dark.

blackwater diving

Photo: Bart Heines

Why Try Blackwater Diving at Siladen Resort & Spa?

Choosing to explore blackwater diving at Siladen Resort & Spa means experiencing the magic of Bunaken Marine Park in a completely new way. Here’s why it’s the perfect place to try this one-of-a-kind dive:
  • Expert Guides: Our team is experienced in blackwater diving and passionate about sharing the wonders of the ocean’s deep-water migrations. You’ll be in safe hands as you venture into the unknown.
  • Private, Small Groups: We keep our blackwater diving trips intimate, with a maximum of 4 guests per trip. Each dive is privately guided, ensuring a personal and focused experience tailored to your comfort level and curiosity.
  • Unforgettable Encounters: With each dive, you’ll see creatures that most divers never encounter. Whether it’s juvenile fish, larval cephalopods, or tiny plankton, every blackwater dive brings new surprises.
  • A Safe and Controlled Environment: While blackwater diving may seem daunting, it’s conducted with the highest safety standards. Our team ensures you’re comfortable with the equipment, the dive environment, and the procedures so that you can enjoy the thrill without worry.
blackwater diving

Photo: Jürgen Lorösch

Ready to Dive into the Unknown?

If you’re looking for a diving adventure that pushes the boundaries of exploration, blackwater diving at Siladen Resort & Spa is an experience you won’t forget. Whether you’re fascinated by the idea of seeing life from the deep or just eager for a new underwater challenge, blackwater diving offers an unforgettable look into the ocean’s hidden worlds.

blackwater diving

Photo: Brandi Mueller

For those looking to ease into night diving, start with our bonfire dives—a thrilling and accessible way to explore the nocturnal ocean before venturing into the deep waters of a blackwater dive.

blackwater diving

Photo: Leo

For more information, please contact us at reservations@siladen.com.

blackwater diving

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