Updated May 4, 2022
This is the twenty-seventh in a series that introduces and describes the various dive services and sites for worldwide liveaboard dive safaris. This one will focus on Bahamas liveaboards.
In addition to this series on liveaboards, the best worldwide dive resort locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.
Have you ever been diving in the Bahamas? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.
Liveaboard Diving in the Bahamas
Consisting of around 700 islands just to the east of Florida, the Bahamas have a full range of diving available from shallow to deep with wrecks, caves, walls, and dramatic drift.
Among the many great dive sites in the Bahamas is the Lost Blue Hole, near Nassau. In the sandy area around the hole itself are numerous coral heads, schools of fish, stingrays, and lots of fascinating small fish for the macro photographer like Seminole gobies. The area is rich in other Caribbean reef fish and a few nurse sharks. In the spring schools of blacknose sharks can be found at the bottom of the hole.
In the Exuma Islands, you can look forward to seeing reef sharks and quite a few big groupers, not to mention a rich coral reef and garden eels. Large schools of big eye trevallies are also prevalent.
In addition, other dive sites of note are Periwinkle Reef, Amberjack Reef, the Austin Smith Wreck, Blacktip Wall, Cathedral, Pillar Wall, the Washing Machine, Wax Cut Drift, Cave Rock, and Empress Pinnacles.
Some of the Bahamas reef wildlife highlights include hammerhead, nurse, lemon, tiger, bull, black nose and Caribbean reef sharks, eagle rays, stingrays, dolphins, grouper, turtles, octopus, lobster, garden and moray eels, jawfish, angelfish, blennies.
It is warm all the time in the Bahamas. Temperatures range from 25 to 32°C (77 to 90°F) with water temps hitting lows of 22°C (71.6°F) in January and highs of 28°C (82.4°F) in August. A 3mm wetsuit will provide suitable protection much of the time, and 5mm for some divers when it is coolest.
Most of the diving is appropriate for open water level divers. A few of the drift dives may not be suitable for beginners, so divers should consult with boat staff to determine if the conditions are right.
For greater detail of dive sites, culture and history of the Bahamas, and transportation and lodging, please check out this article:
For reviews of diving in eastern Florida other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:
- Scuba Diving in Islamorada Florida
- Scuba Diving on Key West Florida
- Best Scuba Diving Key Largo Florida
- Scuba Diving West Palm Beach Florida
- Ft. Lauderdale Scuba Diving
- Scuba Diving St. Barts
- Scuba Diving St. Eustatius
- Scuba Diving in Saba
- Scuba Diving St Kitts and Nevis
- Best Scuba Diving St. Martin
- Scuba Diving Ambergris Caye Belize
- Best Guadeloupe Scuba Diving
- Anguilla Scuba Diving
- Scuba Diving in Antigua and Barbuda
- Scuba Diving Cuba Best Dive Sites Cuba
- Best Cuba Scuba Diving Liveaboard Jardines de la Reina
- Scuba Diving the Dominican Republic
- Best Scuba Diving Panama
- Banco Chinchorro Diving Mexico
- Scuba Diving Playa Del Carmen
- Scuba Diving Tulum Mexico
- Cozumel Scuba Diving Review
- Scuba Diving Cancun Mexico
- Best Scuba Diving Puerto Rico
- Scuba Diving St Vincent and the Grenadines Review
- St. Lucia Scuba Diving Review
- Turks and Caicos Scuba Diving Review
- Best US Virgin Islands Vacations Scuba Diving
- Best Trinidad and Tobago Vacations Scuba Diving
- Best Caribbean Beach Vacations Curacao Scuba Diving
- Best Caribbean Diving Destinations Aruba
- Best Caribbean Dive Vacations Bonaire
- Best Tropical Island Vacations Dominica Scuba Diving
- Best Caribbean Scuba Diving Los Roques Venezuela
- Barbados Scuba Dive Vacations
- Grenada Scuba Diving Review
- Best Scuba Diving Caribbean – Martinique
- Best British Virgin Island Diving Liveaboard
- Best Bahamas Liveaboard Scuba Vacations
- Best Belize Dive Trips & Cocos Island Diving
Bahamas Liveaboard Dive Boats
There is a good variety in this fleet of liveaboard dive boats serving the Bahamas, in terms of size, number of guest spaces, services, facilities, and pricing. In some cases, the itineraries are similar or identical, as in the situation of the Blackbeard twosome. Others offer something a little different with special locations and onshore activities.
- Bahamas Aggressor
- Phoenix
- Aqua Cat
- Blackbeard’s Morning Star
- Blackbeard’s Sea Explorer
- Bahamas Master
Top Value – Bahamas Aggressor
- 8-day trips from Nassau through the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
- Itinerary: Lost Blue Hole, Periwinkle Reef, Amberjack Reef, Austin Smith Wreck, Blacktip Wall, Cathedral, Pillar Wall, The Washing Machine, Wax Cut Drift, Cave Rock, and Empress Pinnacles
- Multiple opportunities to go ashore for swimming, snorkeling, and beachcombing
- Air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, en-suite bathrooms, TV in cabins, audio & video entertainment, library, warm water showers
- Local, western, vegetarian cuisine, outdoor dining, indoor saloon
- Sun deck, hot tub on the sun deck, leisure deck
- Camera station, station, separate rinse for u/w camera, camera room with table and charging point
- Charging stations
- English speaking crew
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Shaded diving deck
- Nitrox available
Small Catamaran Excitement – Phoenix
- 7-day trips to Exuma & Eleuthera Reefs
- 250 dive sites, walls, drift, wrecks, caves, and blue holes
- Visits Pig Beach to see the swimming wild pigs (weather dependent)
- Air-conditioned indoor saloon, en-suite bathrooms, daily housekeeping, audio & video entertainment, warm water showers
- Western, local, and vegetarian food, outdoor dining
- Sun deck
- Camera room with table and charging point
- Charging stations
- English and Spanish speaking crew
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Tenders for diving – spacious skiffs
- Emergency rafts
Speedy Big Catamaran – Aqua Cat
- 8-day trips to “the Best of the Bahamas”
- Potential itinerary: Lost Blue Hole, Periwinkle Reef, Amberjack Reef, Austin Smith Wreck, Cathedral, Jeep Reef, Pillar Wall, The Washing Machine, Whale Tail Wall
- Great variety of dive sites including shark feeding dives, walls, high-speed drift dives, blue holes, and patch reefs with large schools of fish
- Daily housekeeping, air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, en-suite bathrooms, audio & video entertainment, library, warm water showers
- Leisure deck, sun deck
- Indoor Saloon
- Outdoor dining, western, local, and vegetarian food
- Photography station, separate rinse for u/w camera, camera room with table and charging point
- Charging stations
- The crew speaks English, French, and Portuguese
- Onboard kayaks, non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Shaded diving deck
- Nitrox available, sidemount diving
- Tenders for diving
Budget Twin – Blackbeard’s Morning Star
- 8-day trips to “the Best of the Bahamas”
- Potential Itinerary: Lost Blue Hole, Periwinkle Reef, Amberjack Reef, Austin Smith Wreck, Cathedral, Jeep Reef, Pillar Wall, The Washing Machine, Whale Tail Wall
- Great variety of dive sites including shark feeding dives, walls, high-speed drift dives, blue holes, and patch reefs with large schools of fish
- Air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, warm water showers
- Indoor saloon, leisure deck
- Separate rinse for u/w camera
- Western, local, and vegetarian food
- The crew speaks English and Spanish
- Shaded diving deck
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
Budget Twin – Blackbeard’s Sea Explorer
- 8-day trips to “the Best of the Bahamas”
- Potential Itinerary: Lost Blue Hole, Periwinkle Reef, Amberjack Reef, Austin Smith Wreck, Cathedral, Jeep Reef, Pillar Wall, The Washing Machine, Whale Tail Wall
- Great variety of dive sites including shark feeding dives, walls, high-speed drift dives, blue holes, and patch reefs with large schools of fish
- Air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, warm water showers
- Indoor saloon, leisure deck
- Separate rinse for u/w camera
- Western, local, and vegetarian food
- The crew speaks English and Spanish
- Shaded diving deck
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
Luxury Choice – Bahamas Master
- 8 and 11-day trips to “Hammerhead and Tiger Shark Experience” to the west end of Grand Bahama Island and Bimini Islands
- Highlights: lots of sharks including hammerheads, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, and bull sharks, as well as dolphins, rays, grouper, turtles, and octopus
- Air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, warm water showers, en-suite bathrooms, audio & video entertainment, library
- Sun deck, leisure deck
- Indoor saloon
- Outdoor dining, western and vegetarian foods
- Camera station
- The crew speaks English
- Shaded diving deck
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Nitrox available, rebreather support
- Tenders for diving
Bahamas Liveaboard Dive Boat Comparison Table
| Bahamas Aggressor | Phoenix | Aqua Cat | Blackbeard's Morning Star | Blackbeard's Sea Explorer | Bahamas Master |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |
|
| Length | 30 m | 14 m | 30 m | 20 m | 20 m | 35 m |
| Guests | 14 | 8 | 30 | 22 | 22 | 16 |
| Equipment | $175/week $260/0 nights | $175/trip | Rental by the piece | Rental by the piece | Rental by the piece | $100/7 days |
| Nitrox | $100/week $150/10 nights | No | $150/week | No | No | $100/7 days |
| Snorkel Friendly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price/Day | $262 | $227 | $249 | $149 | $149 | $286 |
| Bahamas Aggressor | Phoenix | Aqua Cat | Blackbeard's Morning Star | Blackbeard's Sea Explorer | Bahamas Master |
Bahamas Photo Opportunities
With the macro life, beautiful, diverse coral reef, and lots of fish, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of diving cameras, click here: Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on Bahamas scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
Just what I was looking for. I have been researching this for past three months. And I think this was the best website I found so far. Even though the prices are a bit expensive I think it is going to be worth it.
Can I get any discounts with the prices? If I can get some price reduction that will be great.
Hi Sujander,
Thanks a lot for your interest and kind comments.
Blackbeard’s Morning Star’s cruise at $123/day is the least expensive liveaboard rate that I recall for a yacht of this quality. You can negotiate with them when you book, if you like. If you have a group, I bet they will give you a discount.
Good luck with that. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I hope you enjoy the diving.
Best regards,
Joe
Wow from reading your post I want to make that cyber Monday trip to the Bahamas right now! NY is too cold! I have always wanted to do scuba diving.
That liveaboard dive boats list that you listed is so useful, thank you for making my life easier. Will talk to the hubby and get our much needed vacation soon for this year.
Amazing reviews!
Cheers
Hi,
Thanks a lot for you kind words and interest in scuba diving in the Bahamas.
When you book the liveaboard cruise, be sure to indicate that you will need to take the open water diver course.
It takes 3-4 days and includes some study, 5 shallow water classes to learn the skills and 4 open water dives to practice the skills and have a supervised introduction to the undersea world. If you want to do the training before you go on the cruise, you can take a class like this in many places including a great many of the resorts and liveaboards that I review here on my site or someplace closer to your home in New York. If you would like some help arranging logistics or need some advice, please let me know.
I’m sure you’ll have a great time and a new hobby for the rest of your life.
Best regards,
Joe