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World Class Diving and Snorkeling For an interactive map of Central Abaco's underwater preserves and parks, please click here |
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World Class Diving and Snorkeling For an interactive map of Central Abaco's underwater preserves and parks, please click here |
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"... (in the Abacos) the reefs allow for snorkeling, diving and wading, which together make up some of the best marine-life adventures in the world." (Page 85 - Power and Motoryacht - December 1998)
The world's fourth largest barrier reef system runs almost 100 miles from Walker's Cay (the "top" of The Abacos) toabout 20 miles south of Elbow Cay. As a matter of fact, about 5% of the world's coral reefs are located in the Bahamas.
Immediately to the west of the reef system, The Abacos' exquisite string of offshore cays extends about 85 miles from Walker's to just off Little Harbour. The Abacos' Sandy Cay, Fowl Cay and Pelican Cay National Park underwater preserves are protected by the Bahamian government and offer some of the finest and most colorful shallow water diving in the entire Caribbean area. The Abacos' extensive reef system and hundreds of under- or undiscovered offshore cays combine to create one of the world's safest, most exciting and most rewarding boating, diving and snorkeling areas (please click for an Abaco islands MAP or Central Abacos SATELLITE IMAGERY). Of the 3,000 coral islands and reefs that make up the Bahamas, only about 20 are inhabited.
Shore diving opportunities throughout The Abacos
Almost all the Abacos' Cays offer shore diving opportunities with reefs and coral heads as close as 1' below the surface and 5 yards from the beach (esp. Manjack, Great Guana and Green Turtle Cays). Anywhere you
explore Abacos' reefs, you'll see a rainbow-streaked underwater panorama - a fascinating and exciting variety of marine life, with some of the best sights found in shallow depths of 30 to 50 feet. While it's illegal to use scuba equipment to catch any fish or other marine life, snorkels and compressor rigs are permitted. Due to the islands' occasionally turbulent past and their proximity to long-ago trade routes, a wide variety of wrecks can easily be found along The Abacos' outer reefs. The historic San Jacinto (the first U.S. steamship) sank in 1865 in the Green Turtle Cay area, and the Union warship "Adirondack" which sank on the reef near Man-O-War Cay in 1862, are two of the most popular wrecks.
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Warm waters and excellent visibility
The crystaline ocean waters surrounding The Abacos range (on average) from 70F to 86F degrees. Dozens of spectacular (and relatively UNexplored) snorkel and SCUBA dive sites are easily accessible (within 30 minutes) by boat from just about anywhere in the Central Abacos. Depending on your location, the time of year and weather conditions, underwater visibility commonly ranges up to 150-200 feet. No matter which settlement or cay you choose to visit, a dive operator is almost always close-by. Whether you're exploring the Sea of Abaco (the 2- to 5-mile wide protected "island highway" which runs the entire length of The Abacos chain) or the offshore reefs, you'll won't loose sight of land since the islands are rarely more than a few mile apart.
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Boat rentals are readily available
Modern, easy-to-operate and fully equipped boat rentals are available in 'most all populated areas of The Abacos (in Green turtle, try Reef Rentals ... in the Marsh Harbour area, try Rainbow Rentals), and most are supplied with the almost mandatory bimini top. Once your vacation dates are firm (the sooner the better), plan to immediately reserve your boat through a dependable rental company. To enhance your "landside" Abaco adventure, golfcarts are now available on many of the cays (about $35 day). Carts should also be reserved as much in advance as possible.
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You can be underwater just 100 minutes from South Florida
If you know what you're doing and where you're going, and carefully coordinate your flight with the appropriate island ferry, you can actually be under our gin-clear waters just 100 minutes after leaving Florida. Better than almost anywhere else in the world, the Abacos' warm, transparent and safe waters encourage experienced as well as novice divers to explore the unparalleled underwater reefs and thriving communities of rainbow-streaked tropical fish inhabiting our underwater world!
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Additionally, if you'd rather not "do it yourself", several experienced dive operators are available for tours, excursions, training, certification and charter in just about every one of the Abacos' settlements or cays. Three of the most popular dive operators are Keith Roger's Dive Abaco (at the Conch Inn in Marsh Harbour), Abaco Dive Centre (if you're staying on Guana Cay or in Marsh Harbour) and Brendal's Dive Centre (if you're staying on Green Turtle or Treasure Cay).
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The following dive site descriptions are designed to give the very briefest of "tastes" to travelers looking to combine extraordinary underwater adventure with a one-of-a-kind island vacation experience.
... CLICK the arrow to go to a few representative
Abacos dive sites