Scuba in Nassau
 

We are taking the 3 day Carnival Fantasy cruise to Nassau in January and one of the excursions is a Certified Two Tank dive. <BR><BR>Has anyone been scuba diving in the Bahamas? Is it worth it or should we stick with the other shore excursions?<BR><BR>Thanks

I took that cruise a few years ago and remember when we took the snorkel excursion, the scuba divers were on the boat also, diving in the same area where we snorkeled. I don't think it was a two tank dive though. So if you go with the snorkelers I would assume you would be doing a very shallow dive, in which case I personally would rather just snorkel. Snorkeling was pretty good, but just your typical fish and coral.

If you are experienced divers I would not waste money on diving in Nassau.<BR><BR>Paul

check out the shark dive at Stuarts Cove on Nassau AWSOME!!!

Hi Rick,<BR><BR>Tell us more!<BR><BR>Paul

well....its a two tank dive. The first a "free" dive to about 60 feet. Many sharks cruising the reef. On my dive, I was about 100 feet behind the main group of divers, alone, and had several 8 footers cruise within feet of me. There is also a neat wreck to explore on the first dive. Second dive was the feeding dive. 35 feet, on your knees,<BR>in a circle around the feeder. 20 to 30 sharks right in your face, over you, <BR>bumping into you..its pretty incredible.<BR> Its one of those "once in a lifetime" dives. Like the night manta dive on the big island, or sting ray city...you know its not "natural" but its one hell of a show!!!

Did you book this privately or through the ship? I have not snorkled in the Bahamas yet but It is one of the top diving sites in the world. Most of your best dive sites are at Freeport or Abacos or one of the other islands, but the shark diving experience sounds facinating. Would like to hear more about the Manta diving off the Big Island too!

Cathy&gt; I wasn't on a cruise when I was there, so booked from home before I left. With all the cruise ships though, I would think their dive times would work out with the port call times. Check their web page.<BR> The night Manta dives are out of Kona.<BR> I went with Jacks Dive locker, and found them to be very good. They offer a two tank dive, and unlike most "group" dives I have been on, they let you pretty much "do your own thing" no "buddy" if you don't want one. You can dive your computer and come up when you want.<BR> After dark, they take you in front of, I think its the Kona Surf Hotel. The hotel has had these huge spotlights shinning out into the bay in front of the hotel for something like 25 years.<BR>The light attracts plankton, which in turn attracts the Rays to feed.<BR> You go down, 30 feet, so you have at least a hour bottom time. They had a VERY large spotlight sitting on this flat rock on the bottom pointed straight up.So there was this cone of light shooting up toward the surface.<BR> When we got there, there was another group of divers already around this rock. And above them doing backrolls in the beam of light were maybe 12 rays, some 10 foot across. There were some divers with cameras hovering halfway to the surface just outside the light beam, some getting hammered as the rays rolled in the light. You could shine your light at one,, and have it follow your beam, I'd shine mine right down there throat, and they would pull up almost at my nose doing a backroll right over my head..just plain COOL!!!!! and for added excitement you had Moray eels out hunting for food, swimming between the divers legs.. <BR>

Hi Rick,<BR><BR>Thanks for the info. Certainly sounds interesting. I did not know there was any interesting sites in Nassau. In the Bahamas I thought Bimini was the best followed by San Salvador which was the clearest and had the best wall. I guess the big animals are in New Providence.<BR><BR>Paul<BR><BR>Pal