The world's fourth
largest barrier reef system runs almost 100 miles from Walker's
Cay (the "top" of The Abacos) to 
about 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 just about 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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Dive operators
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. Two of the Abacos' most popular dive operators
are Abaco Dive Adventures (at Boat Harbour / Abaco Beach Resort)
and Lincoln
Jones Island Adventures (if you're staying on Green Turtle or Treasure
Cay).
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Local dive sites
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