Diving at Cape Eleuthera

[IMaFrogman]

I just got back from Eleuthera with my wife and our son. We were looking for somewhere remote and relaxing, and chose to stay at Cape Eleuthera. Its on the south end of the Island, and is was pretty remote. The rooms were amazing, but there isn't that much to do besides dive and fish. The property manager, Steve, is very personable and helpful. He has lotts of suggestions on what you can do, and where to go. He even gave us a tour of huge property in his "mule", it was like a gas powered golf cart. I used to work in the Bahamas as an Instructor years ago and am familiar with the "Out Islands", so I knew there wasn't going to be a lot of things to do. We dove with the Dive resort on the property, Cape Eleuthera Divers. They were fantastic, Neal runs the shop, and his girlfriend Emily helps out on the boat (sometimes their puppy Rebel even joined us.) They really seem to go out of there way to make us feel like family. We were the only divers 2 of the days, and they let us pick the times of departue, so we went an hour earlier so we could fit more dives in the afternoon. They even took us to town for free (30 minute drive / $80 taxi ride) to get groceries one afternoon. We dove Nitrox all week to extend our bottom time, and so we could do some deeper afternoon dives. It was $10 extra per tank, but I would suggest it, because a lot of the dives are on the Wall, and even though it starts at 55-65 feet, we had a tendency to drop a little lower. I DEFINETLY recommend the Fish Cage, we saw 4 Bull Sharks ( a 1st for my son!) and a school of yellowtail Snappers bigger than I have ever seen. Luckily we had great weather, but the water was COLD, 76-77 and I was glad we brought our wetsuits. The gear we rented from the resort, was Oceanic and Tusa. The Oceanic gear was obviously brand new but the Tusa gear was a little worn out. They had two boats, Sea Angel an Island Hopper and a blue boat I can't remember the name, but the Sea Angel was a Much better boat. We went on the blue boat one day, and the whole ride was wet. We are looking forward to coming back in the summer when the water is warm, lol.

 

[Booyakasha]

Frogman - We are thinking of heading to Eleuthera this Thanksgiving and staying in the middle of the island near palmetto point. My son and I dive my wife and younger son do not so this is going to be a combo vacation. It seems looking at a map the cape is a bit of a hike, although we will have a car. Any other recommendations? I have read about the fish cage and that seems really cool.

B.

 

[eleutheradiver]

Booyakasha, some additional options:

Valentine's on Harbour Island (a 5 minute boat ride that departs near the North Eleuthera airport)
Comments: Lowest cost option for a standard 2-tank dive, although a minimum of 3-4 people seem to be required. Also probably your only option right now for doing the famous Current Cut (let me know if you end up doing this, and I'll come along since I live nearby

Ocean Fox at Davis Harbour (also a bit of a hike, but I think they may be opening a satellite office at Palmetto Point - I saw the logo on a door on Banks Road last time I drove through but didn't have a chance to stop in)
Comments: Nearly twice the price of Valentine's, but very conservative when it comes to safety; a great choice for newer divers, and access to some really unique sites on South Eleuthera. Very accommodating of small group sizes.

Some more info on the dive sites and operations themselves at www(dot)valentinesdive(dot)com
, www(dot)discover-eleuthera-bahamas(dot)com/cotton-bay-diving(dot)html, and www(dot)oceanfoxcottonbay(dot)com/diving(dot)html

 

[Booyakasha]

eleutheradiver - Thanks for the information. From a location standpoint it would be great if they opened a satellite office at Palmetto pont otherwise it looks like we might have to do some driving. I am more concerned with havign a good dive than cost and safety is key as we are newer divers and my son is only 12 so his junior OWC can limit where dive shops will take him. The current cut sounds amazing but I don't know if were ready for that yet. We will not be on Eleuthera until Thanksgiving and have 2 trips planned before then so you never know. Always looking for company if you are available to dive!!!

B.

 

[eleutheradiver]

If I recall correctly, the Ocean Fox's Davis Harbour operation's divemaster (named Darryl, I think) used to work with the Island School when they certified groups of students. Given their experience with both newer divers and kids, this would probably be a great choice for you and your son. Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[eleutheradiver]

I stopped by the place with the Ocean Fox sign in Palmetto Point today, and unfortunately, it's only an ad for the Davis Harbour Ocean Fox store. Looks like there are no particularly convenient diving options for you, unfortunately!