Diving in the bahamas - The Bahamas - page 41

» Practice and maintain proper buoyancy control.
» Avoid touching living marine organisms with your body and equipment.
» Take great care in underwater caves, as your air bubbles can damage fragile or-
ganisms.
» Minimize your disturbance of marine animals.
» Take home all your trash and any litter you may find as well.
» Never stand on corals, even if they look solid and robust.
GRAND BAHAMA
Grand Bahama boasts an exceptional diversity of underwater wonders. The island is world
famous for its Dolphin Experience programs offered by the Underwater Explorers Society
( Click here ) . Divers can interact with tame bottlenose dolphins in the open ocean, in a fas-
cinating - though artificial - show conducted by dolphin trainers. Divers are positioned on
the seafloor while two semicaptive dolphins glide over and play with them, under the guid-
ance of the trainer. Divers can interact with tame bottlenose dolphins in the open ocean,
swimming along the reef with the graceful cetaceans.
Mount Olympus and Memory Rock rank among the most spectacular sites, and for
good reason. On the eastern edge of the Gulf Stream, far from the island, they boast a dra-
matic seascape. Memory Rock is a superb wall-dive, sporting a dazzling array of sponges,
corals and gorgonians. The frequent occurrence of pelagics also spices up the diving.
Mount Olympus is a very atmospheric site, featuring a series of prominent, mountain-like
coral boulders laced with sand valleys and gullies. The area shelters an underwater Eden of
lush coral growth and copious fish life. If you're lucky, you'll spot hammerheads.
Grand Bahama is also blessed with first-rate shipwrecks. Some of the best:
» Theo's Wreck A photogenic long-standing favorite. She rests on her port side at a depth
of 110ft. Divers can penetrate the engine rooms and cargo holes.
» Sea Star II This large vessel was scuttled in 2002. She is starting to be encrusted by in-
vertebrates, and can be entered as well.
» Sugar Wrecks In less than 20ft, these scattered remains are not exactly impressive but
they host a profusion of fish life, including nurse sharks, moray eels, turtles, groupers and
barracuda.
Inland, experienced divers can brave Ben's Cavern , which sits within the boundaries of
Lucayan National Park. The vast cave is decorated with huge stalactites and stalagmites.
In the mood for a thrill-packed dive? Try Shark Junction , another shark dive. Here,
the feeders wear chain mail shark suits and lead an exceptional show. They place sharks in
a trance-like state, stroking their snouts and holding the predators' heads in their laps for
several seconds. Visiting divers are thus given a chance to approach a shark very closely.