The Best Night Diving in the Bahamas
Nature Picture Library/AlamyCaribbean reef sharks patrol the Ray of Hope in the Bahamas.
Bahamas
There is no extra charge when Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas staff brings a bait box to a night dive on the Ray of Hope.
The 200-foot freighter lies at the edge of the sand patch where daytime feeds help habituate the animals to humans. But it’s us who might not be habituated to the animals — especially once the sun goes down.
“I’m always a little apprehensive when diving at night still,” says Stuart Cove, owner of the eponymous scuba center located on New Providence. “You can’t see, save for where you’re shining your light. You don’t know what’s creeping up behind you, but you know sharks are all around. But isn’t that what makes diving great — the butterflies?”
Aside from the regular 30 Caribbean reef sharks, scores of lobsters tiptoe across the sand and hawksbill turtles bed down in the area. But it’s the sharks, including a 12-foot tiger, that give Cove the biggest thrills.
If You Dive in the Daytime
Apart from the shark arena, Cove is also chasing an underwater high with new exploratory treks called sea-faris. A 46-foot Newton dive boat carries groups to the site called Orange Bowl, roughly 7 miles south of the dive dock on the southwest side of the island.
“It’s one we hardly ever dive, but it’s one of my favorites,” says Cove. “It sees spawning aggregations of big black grouper in January.”
From there, those on board scout to discover dive sites along the miles of wall around the Tongue of the Ocean — the trench separating New Providence island from Andros.
• Read up on the best places to dive in the Bahamas
Divers must be experienced and capable of handling themselves at depths around 100 feet.
In addition to huge coral reefs and overwhelming numbers of mutton snapper and grouper, it’s the surprise of the unknown that lures in the divers.
Best of all, says Cove, “Not only has nobody been to these sites before, but the fish there have never seen humans.”
DIVE CONDITIONS: Average water temps rise to the low 80s in summer and dip to high 70s in winter. Average visibility is 100 feet. Note that June and July is shark-mating season, when fewer animals attend feeds.
INSIDER TIP: Before you travel, go to your local dive shop for a refresher course and gear — including a safety sausage — if you plan on joining the exploratory trips. Says Cove, “We will help you as much as we can, but there’s nothing like your local dive professional to get you in the right mindset for these challenging dives.”
FOR MORE INFO: stuartcove.com
