Reefs, Sharks and Blue Water - Diving and Snorkeling the Exumas in the Bahamas
- gaylemabery
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
After spending yesterday sailing to Allen Cay from Nassau (see that blog post here), we were anxious to get in the water!
There are 11 divers and one snorkeler (Gayle) on the Cat Pplau, which is set up as a scuba diving liveaboard ship. There are two shared toilets (“heads”), and two shared shower rooms, for the 12 passengers and 4 crew members. Passengers are housed in 6 berths, which have either a double bed or two bunks, a sink with mirror and a small space for storing bags and gear. Each berth is unique, some more comfortable than others. It just so happened that the biggest guy on the trip is sharing the smallest space with his wife. We’ve all had a good chuckle about that. They are really good sports, but we know they’ll be excited to get into a bed that fits them both after the trip!
I think we are all adventurous people, so minor inconveniences of sleeping space don’t matter much when compared to the overall experience!
After a hardy breakfast served at 7:30 am, Victoria gave another dive briefing with specifics on the “Flat Rock” site that we’d be exploring on the first dive of the trip. Unfortunately, the winds were still strong, which made snorkeling for Gayle inadvisable. Additionally, Scott had some equipment problems when he jumped in the water, and missed the first 30-minutes of the dive fixing his gear. He did manage to finish the last 20 minutes, and knew his issues would be no problem for the rest of the day’s dives.
Captain Bill moved the boat for the 2nd dive, which was scheduled for 11:30 am on Barricuda Shoal. He gave the initial dive briefing, as he has been involved in conservation/restoration efforts at this site for more than 25 years. He shared the work that has been done at the reef, and told us to look for coral trees, a PVC box, and reef tags that are used in the continuing efforts.
After the briefing, it was time to get in the water. Fortunately, the seas were much calmer here in the shelter of an island, so Gayle was able to snorkel. Water temperatures are about 78 degrees at the surface. The divers were wearing a variety of wetsuits, with most finding a 3mm full body wetsuit as comfortable for the water temperature. Gayle was able to snorkel in regular swimwear without being too cold.
This was a much better experience for us both, and we saw the beautiful coral reefs, sharks, rays, tons of tropical fish and Gayle had a close encounter with a Green Sea Turtle.
Additionally, while Scott, Joel and Jill have seen many sharks while diving, Gayle had never encountered one outside of “protected” areas where swimming with them was an attraction. After giving herself a pep talk to “just breathe” if she encountered one, she had her first real shark sighting at Barricuda Shoal. As expected, the shark didn’t pay any attention to her.
After the second dive site, we visited an island inhabited by the Allen’s Cay Rock Iguanas, which are a species of iguana found only on these islands.
After Captain Bill anchored the boat in the bay, Jill and Gayle kayaked, others paddle boarded and the crew brought some passengers in a dingy to reach the island. Dozens of iguanas, some quite large and others small, come down to the shore when they see people approaching.
Although it seems like a scene out of Jurassic Park, the truth is that the iguanas have become quite accustomed to eating grapes brought by visitors. They are relatively harmless, although it’s not uncommon to get bitten accidentally if you aren’t careful when you feed them.
Scott and Jill were a little unorthodox in their approaches.
The 3rd dive of the day was scheduled at 3:30 pm back at Barracuda Shoals. Jill’s ear was hurting, so she snorkeled with Gayle while Scott and Joel joined the others on the dive. We were treated to more sharks, rays and turtles, and more colorful, tropical fish.
Scott remarked that this was one of his best dives…noting how relaxed he was, the amazing scenery, clear water, and a feeling of being totally at peace. What more could a diver ask for!
After cleaning up after the dive and relaxing out on the catamaran trampolines, Chris called us in for dinner at 6:30 pm. Dinners are served buffet style on the boat and Chris does an amazing job keeping us fed throughout the day. Dinner tonight was Mahi with fresh mango pico de gallo, rice, salad, mixed vegetables and French bread. After dinner we had an amazing Egg Nog Cheesecake that Chris had baked!
After dinner, 8 divers and the Dive Master went on a Night Dive back at Flat Rock, giving them the chance to explore the world below that really wakes up when the sun goes down. They found huge crabs (Jill says it was “ginormous”…the biggest crab she’s ever seen) and lobsters, Barricuda, eels, turtles, a very large sea slug, sharks, and tons of fish.
With all the activities done for the day, a few of us had some cocktails and shared stories of the days adventures. I think we all agree that our first day in the Bahamas was a big success!
For more on tomorrow’s adventures, follow this link.
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