Destinations
If you have dived in Bahamas before, please share your experiences: Dive spots you would recommend, which Dive Center you used, Fishes & Diving, Visibility, Currents, etc. Please post your comments in the section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next trip
Scuba diving in the Bahamas: choose your island adventure
Diving in the Bahamas has something for everyone. Different portions of the country give a different taste to the diving.
Reviewed 5 October 2026. Think colourful reefs around Nassau, walls off Andros, the Exuma Cays by liveaboard, or a dedicated shark itinerary around Grand Bahama and Bimini. These are different holidays: choose your region before booking your flights.
Start with our Bahamas travel guide and Bahamas liveaboard planning guide.
Shark Diving in the Bahamas Photograph by Dan Theurer
Fringing reefs are common around many islands, while offshore walls open onto deep Atlantic water. The Tongue of the Ocean gives Andros its dramatic underwater backdrop. Enjoy the view within your training and depth limits.
In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Bahamas.
Table of contents
Best Dive Review
The best way to look at diving the Bahamas is to start by looking at the differences between resort diving and liveaboard diving. You also need to break it down to the main islands and the Out Islands.
| Region | What draws divers here | Planning tip |
|---|---|---|
| Nassau / New Providence | Reefs, James Bond wrecks and Lost Blue Hole | A practical base for day boats, courses and mixed diving/non-diving holidays. |
| Exumas / Eleuthera | Reef variety, including Amberjack Reef and Devil’s Backbone | Check the actual liveaboard route; weather decides which sites can be reached. |
| Grand Bahama | Tiger Beach shark expeditions | Book a dedicated itinerary and have the operator assess your experience. |
| Bimini | Great hammerhead programmes, Victory Reef and the Sapona wreck | Winter shark trips and reef holidays offer different experiences. |
| Andros | Barrier reef, walls and blue holes | A land-based dive stay is worth considering; caves require specialist training. |
| Cat Island / San Salvador / Long Island | Specialist shark trips, walls and quieter island stays | Confirm local operator dates and onward transport before committing. |
See the Bahamas tourism diving directory for local site ideas. A named site is not a promise that a particular cruise visits it.
How to dive Bahamas?
Eleuthera and the Exuma Cays are popular areas for liveaboard diving. Nassau is the joining point for Aqua Cat and Blackbeard’s Morning Star and Sea Explorer. Juliet offers Bahamas sailings from Miami; do not book a flight to Nassau for that programme.
For a shark-focused trip, compare the actual route offered by Dolphin Dream and Shear Water. A dolphin snorkelling holiday is not interchangeable with a scuba shark expedition.
Fleet update: the original Bahamas Aggressor was announced as relocating to Belize after its final Bahamas charter on 20 June 2026. Bahamas Aggressor II is a different vessel. See the operator’s announcement. The historical Bahamas Master profile should not be treated as confirmation of current departures.
Prefer shore-based diving if you want courses, fewer dives per day or more time with non-diving companions. For a cruise, compare cabins, nights, fees and requirements in our liveaboard guide.
Choosing a liveaboard? Use our Bahamas boat, cabin and cost comparison, then follow the complete liveaboard planning guide for routes, requirements and booking checks.
Where to stay?
I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Bahamas as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.
Best time to dive in Bahamas
Blue Lagoon also known as Salt Cay near Nassau
The Bahamas is a year-round vacation destination, but conditions change with season and island. Winter brings cooler water and passing cold fronts; summer is warmer and more humid.
- December–April: a useful planning window for Bimini’s seasonal great hammerhead programmes, according to Bahamas tourism. Sightings remain wildlife-dependent.
- Warmer months: appealing for reef diving and snorkelling, with more rain and possible disruption.
- 1 June–30 November: the official Atlantic hurricane season. The Bahamas is exposed; do not assume it lies outside the hurricane track. Follow NOAA guidance, check forecasts and read cancellation and named-storm cover carefully.
Choose Tiger Beach and Cat Island trips by the operator’s dated itinerary, not a blanket “best shark month”.
Top liveaboards in Bahamas according to divers reviews
Dive courses
Learning to scuba dive is very popular in the Bahamas. Choose a recognised centre with sheltered training sites and discuss your swimming confidence, medical questionnaire and available time before booking.
Advanced training and speciality courses can help prepare for deeper sites and repetitive diving. A standard open-water qualification does not qualify you to enter caves or wreck interiors. Blue holes can include deep water and overhead passages: arrange suitable specialist training and a qualified guide.
Requirements differ by boat and programme. Juliet’s current rates page states that Nitrox certification is required; other boats have different policies. Get written confirmation of certification, logged dives, recency, equipment and insurance requirements for your exact departure.
Scuba Diving conditions
Clear blue water is part of the attraction, but wind, tides and site exposure can change visibility and currents. Avoid planning around an assured visibility figure.
As a route-specific reference, Juliet’s Bahamas guidance lists approximately 22–25°C in January–March and 27–30°C in July–September. This is not a temperature guarantee for every island or depth. Discuss thermal protection for repeated dives and bring a warm windproof layer for surface intervals.
Some reefs are suitable for newly qualified divers; walls, drift dives, shark encounters and overhead environments need a different level of preparation. Keep within your training, follow briefings and confirm how the boat organises buddy teams and surface recovery.
Snorkelling in Bahamas
Snorkelling is excellent in the Bahamas and is one of the popular attractions for visitors. Many excursions use boats to reach offshore reefs.
Do not assume every hotel has a safe house reef or every liveaboard itinerary suits snorkellers. Ask about supervised sites, currents, boat traffic, entry ladders and flotation equipment. For a mixed group, compare time ashore and the activities actually offered between dives.
Fishes and Coral
The combination of shallow waters around the islands and deep offshore water gives scuba divers the opportunity to experience a wide range of marine life.
- Sharks: the region matters. Bimini is known for great hammerhead programmes, Tiger Beach for tiger-shark encounters, and Cat Island for specialist oceanic whitetip trips. Reef sharks may also feature on reef itineraries.
- Reef life: look for groupers, snappers, rays, sponges and reef fish; coral condition varies by site.
- Turtles and dolphins: possible highlights, not guaranteed encounters. Give animals room to leave, never chase or touch them, and follow the guide’s wildlife protocol.
Shark dives can involve intentional attraction or feeding. Ask the operator how encounters are managed and whether that approach suits you. Whales should not be a routine booking expectation on a standard Bahamas dive cruise.
Diving Safety
If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Bahamas, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
The Bahamas as a diving destination offers divers a diverse experience. Pick the island or route that excites you, then build the holiday around it!
Before you book: confirm your operator’s experience requirements, diving accident and evacuation coverage, flight connections, and the time of the final dive. DAN’s flying-after-diving guidance recommends at least 18 hours after multiple no-decompression dives or multiple days of diving; longer intervals reduce risk, and decompression dives need longer. Follow any more conservative operator, computer or medical advice.
Continue with the Bahamas travel guide and liveaboard planning guide. Research reviewed 5 October 2026; retained photographs are archive images, not photographs taken in 2026.
Photos Bahamas
Travel Guide
Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Bahamas Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.
Diving Reviews for this region
Dive spots reviews in Bahamas
Liveaboard Reviews in Bahamas
Juliet Sailing & Diving
Juliet Sailing & Diving exterior · P
MV Bahamas Aggressor
Original Bahamas Aggressor exterior · Ph
Blackbeard’s Morning Star
Blackbeard’s Morning Star exterior · Pho
Blackbeard’s Sea Explorer
Blackbeard’s Sea Explorer exterior · Cur
Bahamas Aggressor II
Bahamas Aggressor II exterior · Photo: L
Hallo my name is Hassan Elsayed
I AM Instructor PADI
i speak English
i have good Experience I work now in redsea from 2007.
I looking for job in newa place. And I hope to join in your team …thank you
Hi Hassan!
Unfortunately, your comment is not a the right place. This is a general Bahamas destination page, not any organisation page or anything that has a team
The best option for you to describe your experience and seek to join any diving team is to look on our Job Board – you can either offer your services or browse through existing job offers!
Where ? The menu under the Divezone banner, you’ll see **Diving Jobs**, just click on it!
Hope this helps!
Want to get excited about a scuba diving trip with your kids and then have your dream turn into a nightmare? If so, book a scuba lesson at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
On December 21, 2017, Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas failed to pick us up at the time and location they had committed to, promised us a refund, failed to deliver on that, and told Viator we had gone on the trip with them. Instead of scuba diving, I spent my day explaining to my three kids that we just got shafted. I expected the Bahama’s to be nice and warm during our frigid mid-west winter, but I didn’t expect the Hell that Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahama put us through.
You try telling your kids they don’t get to scuba dive and put on a fake smile that we’ll have fun anyway. Be forewarned: their websites look nice, but Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas is not to be trusted.