Bahamas Liveaboards

Most Bahama liveaboard dive boats depart from Nassau port on Nassau Island. Nassau is home to 70percent of the entire Bahamas population and has an international airport (Lynden Pindling International Airport). It also has many hotels that you can choose to stay in if you need a rest before your big Bahamas liveaboard adventure.



Another port that Bahamas liveaboards might leave from is Freeport on Grand Bahama; a major port city in the north-west region of the Bahamas, with a population of around 26,900. Freeport has an international airport (Grand Bahama International Airport) as well as hotels and restaurants to help you to rest up before your diving expedition.



Both international airports are just a short drive from the ports if you feel like getting off the airplane and getting straight onto your liveaboard

The Bahamas is home to the third largest barrier reef, many blue holes (including Dean’s blue hole, which is second deepest in the world), shipwrecks, stunning coral reefs, and the visibility when diving is as good as it gets.



Some common large marine life sightings include eagle rays, dolphins, and a variety of turtles. But most famously, the Bahamas is home to a variety of sharks (whitetips, blacktips, oceanic whitetips, tiger sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks).



In 2011, the government declared a ban on all commercial shark fishing. This has since led to a healthy shark population that divers come from all over the world to see. The Bahamas is probably the shark-diving capital of the world.



The reefs are also home to smaller marine life such as eels, seahorses, clownfish, angelfish, barracudas, grouper, porcupine fish, and lots more. So don’t forget to bring your underwater camera!



The Bahamas really is the perfect spot for divers who love big marine life and healthy coral reefs. But it also offers a lot of amazing wrecks, many of which can be found in shallow waters, that allow your bottom time to be long, giving you the chance to really look around.



With dive sites spread across the Bahamas, it’s best to embark on a Bahama liveaboard vacation to see as many as you can on your trip. It’s impossible for us to list them all but here’s just a few of our favorite dive spots/sites in the Bahamas:

• Bimini Islands: Famous for it’s shark dives, Bimini offers divers unique corals, shallow wrecks and dive sites that are suitable for both beginners and more advanced divers. Some amazing dive sites include “Tuna Alley”, “Sapona Wreck” and “Victory Reef”.
• ​James Bond Wrecks, Nassau: Nassau was the setting for several James Bond movies. Experience cinematic history, as well as an abundance of beautiful hard and soft corals. With a maximum depth of 50ft (15m), various fish, stingrays, turtles, crustaceans and macro organisms, James Bond Wrecks is the perfect underwater photo opportunity for wannabe’ Hollywood stars.
• Current Cut, Eleuthera: With a maximum depth of 60ft/18m and strong currents (upto 10 knots), Current Cut is a narrow channel that takes you on an exhilarating drift dive between Eleuthera at Current Settlement and Current Island. On the journey you can spot reef fish, stingrays and if you’re lucky, sharks.
• Tiger Beach, Grand Bahama: Hidden away, around 20 miles (32km) from Grand Bahama Island, you will find the famous Tiger Beach. Living up to its name, it offers many majestic tiger sharks, as well as lemon sharks, reef sharks, hammerheads, and nurse sharks. Tiger Beach has a sandy bottom and is just 20ft (6m) deep, so you can hang around for a while to watch the sharks swim around you. With healthy corals and crystal clear water too, this dive site exceeds expectations.
• Dean’s Blue Hole, Long Island: This is the second deepest blue hole in the world and is famous in both the scuba and freediving communities. At 662ft (202m) deep, Dean’s Blue Hole boasts visibility of up to 100ft (30m) and calm, current-less waters, making it perfect for beginners and snorkelers. There’s also a beautiful sand beach and nice walks and viewpoints surrounding the blue hole.

One of the itineraries not to be missed is Exuma Cays - a part of the Exumas, an archipelago of more than 350 islands. Combining walls and lush shallow reefs with lots and lots of amazing creatures like sharks, eagle rays, and large groupers, this diving destination attracts divers from all over

The climate is subtropical in the Bahamas, making it sunny almost all year round. Temperatures hit highs of around 88F (31C) in the summer.



October - June is the best time to visit the Bahamas as the risk of hurricanes is lower. This overlaps with the best time to see sharks too (November - May), win win!



You’ll find tiger sharks from October - January, oceanic whitetips between April - June and Hammerheads December - March.



Although this is the best time for diving, it is also high season in the Bahamas and it can get busy. But it’s worth it to avoid the rainy season and the choppy waters it brings with it