Snorkelling and diving in The Bahamas: where to go and what to expect

Snorkelling: the easy wins

You do not need to dive to see the best of Bahamian water. The Exuma Cays offer shallow reefs, Thunderball Grotto's cavern full of fish, and sandbars where rays glide past in knee-deep water. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, protected since 1958 and a no-take reserve since 1986, has some of the healthiest shallow reefs in the country precisely because nothing has been fished there for decades.

Elsewhere, Bimini's Sapona wreck sits in water shallow enough to snorkel, Rose Island near Nassau has reef a short boat ride from the capital, Peterson Cay off Grand Bahama is a tiny national park a short paddle offshore, and Harbour Island's reef lies just off its famous beach. Most boat excursions include at least one snorkel stop with gear provided.

Andros: the wall and the blue holes

The Andros Barrier Reef runs for more than a hundred miles along the island's east coast, one of the largest reef systems in the world. Beyond it the Tongue of the Ocean drops more than a mile. Divers come for the wall, which begins in roughly 60 to 80 feet of water and falls into the blue, and for the blue holes: ocean holes that open in the shallows and inland holes surrounded by forest, some linked by cave systems explored by specialist divers only. Operators are small and based around Fresh Creek and Andros Town.

Sharks: Bimini, Grand Bahama and New Providence

The Bahamas declared its waters a shark sanctuary in 2011, banning commercial shark fishing, and shark diving is a mature, regulated activity here. Great hammerheads gather off Bimini in the winter months, roughly December to March, and are seen on specialist dives in shallow water. Grand Bahama is known for reef shark dives off its south coast and for Tiger Beach, a shallow bank to the west where tiger and lemon sharks are reliably encountered by experienced divers. Off New Providence, reef shark dives near the southwest point are run daily and suit certified divers at any level.

These are organised encounters with experienced crews. Follow the briefing exactly, keep your hands in and leave photography to the limits your operator sets.

Walls, wrecks and drift dives

San Salvador's west coast has walls that start close to the beach and plunge into very clear water, with hammerheads passing in winter. Long Island has Dean's Blue Hole, more than 600 feet deep, which freedivers favour and scuba divers can explore around its rim. Eleuthera's Current Cut, a channel between Eleuthera and Current Island, is a fast drift dive timed to the tide. Wreck divers have the Sapona off Bimini, Theo's Wreck off Grand Bahama and HMS Conqueror off Rum Cay, the Royal Navy's first propeller-driven warship, protected as an underwater museum.

Practicalities

Water temperature ranges from the low 70s Fahrenheit in the north in winter to the mid 80s in summer; a 3 mm wetsuit covers most of the year, with 5 mm comfortable in January and February. Visibility is generally excellent and best in summer when the sea is calm. Scuba requires certification from a recognised agency; discovery dives and courses are offered on the main islands. Bring your certification card and logbook.

• Nothing may be taken from marine protected areas, and spearfishing with scuba is illegal everywhere in The Bahamas.
• Do not touch coral, feed fish or chase animals. Reef-safe sunscreen is widely sold.
• Lionfish are invasive; operators may cull them, visitors should not attempt to.
• Allow 18 to 24 hours between your last dive and a flight, including the short domestic hops.