
Grand Bahama
Cay Sal Bank
Dolphin Encounters
Shark Adventures
Dry Tortugas
Florida Keys
Exumas
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West
End, Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama Island is only 60 miles east of
West Palm Beach and offers some of the best
diving the Bahamas has to offer. After
boarding the previous night, we depart at
about 6:00 am for the short 4 1/2 hour
crossing to West End. Upon arrival, we clear
Bahamian Customs and Immigration and start
diving minutes after leaving the dock.
Amazing walls, healthy reefs, and an
incredible amount of fish - the area north
of Memory Rock is the best diving available
this close to the United States. The Gulf
Stream pushing north through the Straits of
Florida provides nutrients and cleansing for
the reefs which travels upwards through the
whole ecosystem. The variety of dive sites
combined with a diversity of corals and fish
makes this one of the best live-aboard
adventures in the Bahamas. The waters off
Grand Bahama are also known for the very
healthy shark population - Caribbean reefs,
tigers, and hammerheads - always diver
favorites.
The Sugar Wreck is also a trip favorite,
lying in only 20 ft. of water. Originally a
330 ft. steel hulled, four mast sailing
vessel, the ship ran aground sometime in the
early 1900s. It was carrying a cargo of
molasses to the northeast United States via
Central America and Havana. For years the
“sugar wreck” was on nautical charts as a
hazard to navigation with much of its
superstructure still above water. Over the
years the ship broke apart and is now a
haven for an incredible array of sea life.
The wreck is sitting on the hardpan with not
much else around it, making the site an
oasis and home to turtles, nurse sharks,
hard and soft corals, and just about
everything else that lives in Bahamian
waters.
If there is enough interest, we will go back
to West End and arrange transportation to
Freeport/Lucaya for some local flavor and
shopping. On the last day, we dive in the
morning, then make the crossing back to
Florida, clear U.S. Customs and Immigration,
and are back to our dock sometime before
4:00.
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