The BAHAMAS
By Mindi McPherson
The Bahamas are
great dive vacation destination. The diving is wonderful since the
water is warm & crystal clear. I have found the coral to be very
healthy & the fish are abundant, with a very nice diversity. I have
most recently been to Grand Bahama Island, staying
in Freeport, more specifically the Port Lucaya area. I dove with
UNEXSO (Underwater Explorer Society) & they are great!!! They offer
reef dives, dolphin dives & shark dives. The dolphin program also
offers a close encounter where you stay dry, snorkeling/swimming
with the dolphins, & the ultimate dolphin experience. I have done
the dolphin dive, swim & even the shark dive. The staff there is
very accommodating & friendly. I went back a year & half later &
most of them were still there & even remembered me!!! For more info:
http://www.unexso.com/
There is plenty
non-diving stuff to do as well. They have botanical gardens,
casinos, nice "bug-free" beaches & lots of shopping, including the
straw market, where you can haggle with the merchants.
The other island in the
Bahamas I have visited is New Providence, where the
capital, Nassau, is located. Paradise Island boasts the super resort
& casino in the Atlantis & the ever gorgeous Cloisters, which
are connected by bridge to Nassau. The Cloisters is a popular place
to get married & this is where Brooke Shields wed, fyi. Again, very
nice diving with Bahama Divers. They are located on the north side
of the island & our dive sites were all very different each time.
They had wrecks, reefs, blue holes & stone pillars to dive. The
guides were awesome & pointed out lots of sea creatures. The blue
hole had lots & lots of sharks due to a nice thermocline way down
deep. It was cool to look up & see them circle down. I saw my first
blenny here too!!!
Because this is the
capital, there is TONS of sightseeing & history. If you aren't
staying at the Atlantis, make sure to go by & take the aquarium
tour. The property is AWESOME. Nassau also has good beaches (I never
get bug bites here) & a zoo. We even caught a cricket match one
afternoon. Plenty of good places to eat & lots of shopping. The
buses quit running after 5, so nightlife transportation is on your
own. We rented a car our second time so we could do more exploring.
Good move renting a car.
As for getting there....every time
I went, we went through Miami. I have flown Southwest to Tampa &
then on to the Bahamas via Miami on American. I have flown straight
through from Lubbock on American. Just keep an eye on flights,
because sometimes the airfare is quite reasonable.
Mindi McPherson
Any questions
about the Bahamas???? E-mail me at
mindi1123@yahoo.com.
We are interested in your dive experiences. If you would like to share information about places you've been, please email us at texas@scubafied.com
