I just got back from the Bahamas a couple of days ago, staying on both Andros and Abaco islands. I will post a separate report for each in the following posts.
---------- Post added November 24th, 2012 at 04:53 PM ----------
My wife and I stayed at Small Hope Bay on Andros, a resort near Fresh Creek. We stayed in rustic cabins (little furniture; no TV; no phone; no cell service) that were clearly designed to make you want to be outdoors—but isn’t the outdoors why you are there? Although the resort has a number of activities available for a variety of interests, without a doubt the chief activity is diving.
There are a number of pretty good dive spots not far from the resort, just past the barrier reef, so long boat rides are not needed. Unfortunately, while we were there, the wind blew hard almost every day for a week, something they claimed rarely happens. That meant crossing the reef area was a wave crashing adventure each day, and on a couple of days we could not do it at all—ocean diving was canceled.
On one of the canceled days, the group went inland and did a dive in an inland blue hole. I like that kind of diving—it reminds me of a place I dive a lot in New Mexico. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, though. On another day I went by myself with one of the DMs to another blue hole so we could go into the attached cave, called the Guardian cave. I was limited in how far I could go, even though I have cave certification, because of the resort's policy on how far they can take someone into the cave without sending out for a more highly qualified cave guide from another island. It was a nice cave, and I would have liked a deeper penetration.
The ocean diving was interesting. There are some excellent coral formations, but a lot of that coral was dead. I am not sure why. On one of the days we were there, an ocean conservation group came for the purpose of transplanting coral. (This is evidently not a new problem.) There was another conservation group there for most of the week, marine biologists who were studying the lionfish in the area. There are a lot to study—we regularly saw 6-7 big ones on each dive. Lionfish taste great, and we suggested that the dive staff members harvest the big ones in the area and serve them at the restaurant. The marine biologists thought it was a good idea, but the staff did not seem interested in that suggestion.
We did one dive in a huge ocean blue hole. Blue holes typically have a debris cone in the middle from when the cave roof collapsed, and this one was gigantic, leaving little room between the cone and the walls of the blue hole when you were at depth. That meant that most of the dive had the feel of a cavern dive (which I like), although there was always an opening above you.
The food was excellent at the restaurant, which is good because there is nearly nowhere else to eat in the area. This made me feel better about staying in an all-inclusive resort, something I normally try to avoid. The open bar—anything you wanted—was a popular feature, as were the hot conch fritters served every evening at 6:30. The way of life in the resort tended to drive the guests to spend an extended happy hour each day, and everyone got to know each other pretty quickly. The dive staff (and there are a lot of them) ate meals with the guests, so we got to know them pretty well, too.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience, but a little less wind would have been nice.
---------- Post added November 24th, 2012 at 04:57 PM ----------
When my wife and I decided to try the Bahamas in celebration of our anniversary, I made sure our itinerary included a few days on Abaco so that I could dive with Brian Kakuk of Bahamas Underground. I had contacted him earlier and learned that much of the best cave diving demanded side mount, but a back mounted diver like myself could find plenty to see for a few days of diving. I did two days of diving, all in one system—Dan’s Cave. We went to four different sections, so I was only repeating the entry on each dive, and each section had its own unique beauty.
What is most striking in comparison to my admittedly small amount of cave experience is the composition of the formations. Many of them are translucent and even crystalline. Hold your primary light up to a stalagmite or even a thick column and the glow spreads through it, creating the illusion that it is illuminated from within, like some sort of a giant mood-creating glow candle. Many of the draperies and other formations share that translucence, in colors ranging from gold to delicate white.
The next most striking feature is the sheer abundance of delicate formations. You cannot help but feel a moral obligation to be at your buoyancy best throughout the dive—you do not want to be responsible for the destruction of a single soda straw among the thousands covering the ceiling above you. When navigating a cave that looks as if it were decorated by Tiffany’s, it is not good to look like the proverbial bull in a china shop. I am sure that is the reason that access is so limited. Brian will not take more than two divers into the cave at one time, and trying to get in without him, although possible, is not at all easy.
I shared that access with Arnaud, a diver who had come from France for the experience. He had already been there for several days, and he and Brian had done a push to try to extend the line in a remote corner the day before. He was great company. One of the best aspects of cave diving is how complete strangers can become good friends in a matter of minutes.
In many ways diving here is like diving in Brian’s home. He created and maintains the entrance area, a nicely civilized way to get into what would otherwise be an overgrown mud puddle deep in a pine forest. Although there were lines when he first visited the cave, the line system in place now is his responsibility. And a big responsibility it is. This cave is extremely complex, with jump leading to jump leading to jump, and many circuits possible. Such a labyrinth could easily lead to lost divers, but the lines are so well done that you could take a diver blindfolded to any place in the cave with the confidence that he or she could get out with ease.
My two days were over much too quickly. I certainly hope the future brings me back, and if it does, you can be sure of two things: I will be staying longer, and I will be diving side mount.
The picture shows Brian and me emerging from the cave--in the picture you see almost the entire entry point. Who would think there was a cave under that puddle? The picture is by Arnaud Leblant. For pictures and videos of the inside of the cave, go to Google and check out Dan's Cave, Abaco.
---------- Post added November 24th, 2012 at 04:53 PM ----------
My wife and I stayed at Small Hope Bay on Andros, a resort near Fresh Creek. We stayed in rustic cabins (little furniture; no TV; no phone; no cell service) that were clearly designed to make you want to be outdoors—but isn’t the outdoors why you are there? Although the resort has a number of activities available for a variety of interests, without a doubt the chief activity is diving.
There are a number of pretty good dive spots not far from the resort, just past the barrier reef, so long boat rides are not needed. Unfortunately, while we were there, the wind blew hard almost every day for a week, something they claimed rarely happens. That meant crossing the reef area was a wave crashing adventure each day, and on a couple of days we could not do it at all—ocean diving was canceled.
On one of the canceled days, the group went inland and did a dive in an inland blue hole. I like that kind of diving—it reminds me of a place I dive a lot in New Mexico. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, though. On another day I went by myself with one of the DMs to another blue hole so we could go into the attached cave, called the Guardian cave. I was limited in how far I could go, even though I have cave certification, because of the resort's policy on how far they can take someone into the cave without sending out for a more highly qualified cave guide from another island. It was a nice cave, and I would have liked a deeper penetration.
The ocean diving was interesting. There are some excellent coral formations, but a lot of that coral was dead. I am not sure why. On one of the days we were there, an ocean conservation group came for the purpose of transplanting coral. (This is evidently not a new problem.) There was another conservation group there for most of the week, marine biologists who were studying the lionfish in the area. There are a lot to study—we regularly saw 6-7 big ones on each dive. Lionfish taste great, and we suggested that the dive staff members harvest the big ones in the area and serve them at the restaurant. The marine biologists thought it was a good idea, but the staff did not seem interested in that suggestion.
We did one dive in a huge ocean blue hole. Blue holes typically have a debris cone in the middle from when the cave roof collapsed, and this one was gigantic, leaving little room between the cone and the walls of the blue hole when you were at depth. That meant that most of the dive had the feel of a cavern dive (which I like), although there was always an opening above you.
The food was excellent at the restaurant, which is good because there is nearly nowhere else to eat in the area. This made me feel better about staying in an all-inclusive resort, something I normally try to avoid. The open bar—anything you wanted—was a popular feature, as were the hot conch fritters served every evening at 6:30. The way of life in the resort tended to drive the guests to spend an extended happy hour each day, and everyone got to know each other pretty quickly. The dive staff (and there are a lot of them) ate meals with the guests, so we got to know them pretty well, too.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience, but a little less wind would have been nice.
---------- Post added November 24th, 2012 at 04:57 PM ----------
When my wife and I decided to try the Bahamas in celebration of our anniversary, I made sure our itinerary included a few days on Abaco so that I could dive with Brian Kakuk of Bahamas Underground. I had contacted him earlier and learned that much of the best cave diving demanded side mount, but a back mounted diver like myself could find plenty to see for a few days of diving. I did two days of diving, all in one system—Dan’s Cave. We went to four different sections, so I was only repeating the entry on each dive, and each section had its own unique beauty.
What is most striking in comparison to my admittedly small amount of cave experience is the composition of the formations. Many of them are translucent and even crystalline. Hold your primary light up to a stalagmite or even a thick column and the glow spreads through it, creating the illusion that it is illuminated from within, like some sort of a giant mood-creating glow candle. Many of the draperies and other formations share that translucence, in colors ranging from gold to delicate white.
The next most striking feature is the sheer abundance of delicate formations. You cannot help but feel a moral obligation to be at your buoyancy best throughout the dive—you do not want to be responsible for the destruction of a single soda straw among the thousands covering the ceiling above you. When navigating a cave that looks as if it were decorated by Tiffany’s, it is not good to look like the proverbial bull in a china shop. I am sure that is the reason that access is so limited. Brian will not take more than two divers into the cave at one time, and trying to get in without him, although possible, is not at all easy.
I shared that access with Arnaud, a diver who had come from France for the experience. He had already been there for several days, and he and Brian had done a push to try to extend the line in a remote corner the day before. He was great company. One of the best aspects of cave diving is how complete strangers can become good friends in a matter of minutes.
In many ways diving here is like diving in Brian’s home. He created and maintains the entrance area, a nicely civilized way to get into what would otherwise be an overgrown mud puddle deep in a pine forest. Although there were lines when he first visited the cave, the line system in place now is his responsibility. And a big responsibility it is. This cave is extremely complex, with jump leading to jump leading to jump, and many circuits possible. Such a labyrinth could easily lead to lost divers, but the lines are so well done that you could take a diver blindfolded to any place in the cave with the confidence that he or she could get out with ease.
My two days were over much too quickly. I certainly hope the future brings me back, and if it does, you can be sure of two things: I will be staying longer, and I will be diving side mount.
The picture shows Brian and me emerging from the cave--in the picture you see almost the entire entry point. Who would think there was a cave under that puddle? The picture is by Arnaud Leblant. For pictures and videos of the inside of the cave, go to Google and check out Dan's Cave, Abaco.
