Is Andros a good place to dive?

[Mr Happy]

Considering that it's the third largest barr reef, I don't really hear people diving Andros? Some of the research said that the water is green because of the Algae growth.

Can anyone tell me about the reef conditions, Viz, etc.. I'm considering Small Hope for some diving.

Thank you in advance.

 

[longliner]

check out reports on Coral Caverns on this forum.

 

[OceanObsessed]

Considering that it's the third largest barr reef, I don't really hear people diving Andros?

That's because Small Hope Bay has been the only game in town for years. I have called them before to try and arrange flying in by private plane over a weekend and it just did not make economical sense. I have heard great things about SHB but they only offer package deals for several days and that does not work for everybody. I have been to Andros by boat before but it's a very long trip even from where I live.

Check out Coral Caverns, they are fairly new in the area. I met their boat captain (sorry, can't remember his name) and it seems like they are willing to do what it takes to accomodate you and ensure that you have a good time. Even if it is just for a weekend trip.

 

[Shangrl]

No, the water is not green---the viz is great..it's the Bahamas, come on...not a quarry. You'll see alot of big stuff...sharks, eagle rays, giant turtles. I can tell you what you won't see--other dive boats on the horizon--it's awesome...no crowded dive sites etc
Have not stayed at Small Hope but Coral Caverns is a wonderful place to stay. It's owned by some really nice people from Texas and is very laid back. The food is excellent and it's a comfortable place to stay. Check out my trip report..it's on here somewhere. I'm actually going back in a few weeks and can't wait!

 

[billyh]

I spent a day diving with the Coral Caverns gang. . . . it was fantastic! They arranged to pick me up at the fishing lodge my gang was staying at. Paul H. was the divemaster, and he took us to some tasty spots. I would go out with them again in a hearbeat. Fun, helpful folk. The boat and facilities are on the funky side, but what the heck, it's the Bahamas, Mon! Dive, rest, Dive, eat, have a beer, smoke a real Cuban Cohiba. Dive again tomorrow. Doesn't get much better.

 

[scubacertified]

i just did a trip with blackbeard's cruises (i'm thinking of going again) and we dove a lot at andros and it was great!!! i think we put in 6 dives there or so and a few night dives and the diving couldn't really have been any better.. i tihink you will like it

 

[Doc Harry]

Andros is a great place to dive.

I've been to Small Hope Bay several times, love it there, highly recommended.

Continental Airlines flies into Andros, no need for small charter flights.

The best recreational dives on Andros are the wall dives. You will go deep and you will go often. Typical wall dives are 120 to 140 feet.

The Blue Hole is wonderful recreational dive (105 feet).

Of course, there are plenty of technical cave, blue hole and wall dives if that's your cup of tea.

 

[Rescue Diver68]

Andros is a great place to dive.

I've been to Small Hope Bay several times, love it there, highly recommended.

Continental Airlines flies into Andros, no need for small charter flights.

The best recreational dives on Andros are the wall dives. You will go deep and you will go often. Typical wall dives are 120 to 140 feet.

The Blue Hole is wonderful recreational dive (105 feet).

Of course, there are plenty of technical cave, blue hole and wall dives if that's your cup of tea.

What marine life do you see on Andros- any big critters?

 

[Doc Harry]

What marine life do you see on Andros- any big critters?

I haven't been seeing very many big critters anywhere over the past few years - Florida Keys, Cozumel, Bahamas.... Especially sharks, I have seen a few nurse sharks but little else. What happened to all of the sharks?

In Andros we were at 120 feet on a wall dive when a 15-foot hammerhead shark swam by us about 50 feet away. I tried swimming out to it, but it paid no attention to us and kept going.

We did a "shark dive" through Small Hope Bay. We saw A LOT of reef sharks on that dive. The dive site was a LONG WAYS away from Small Hope Bay. (They don't want a lot of sharks showing up every time the boat anchors at the local dive sites.) I want to say we motored 1 to 2 hours before anchoring.

When we anchored the dive boat was immediately surrounded by a couple dozen reef sharks. It was a new experience for me, having to time my giant stride so that I didn't land on the back of a 6-foot reef shark. We sank to that sand 50 feet down and hung low.

Then the frozen "chum-sicle" was brought down and the sharks went wild. One guest who was kneeling in the sand and was knocked over by a shark who was swimming really, really fast all over the place. Pretty cool experience, but I'm still not sure how I feel about these shark feeds.

There is another dive out of Small Hope where you might see big critters. There is a large buoy suspended in 6,000 feet of water. You can dive the buoy line and you might see big critters out there.

Small Hope also offers night dives but there were never enough people signed up for the boat to leave the dock. I bet you'd see some great stuff at night.

Other than that, there isn't much in the way of large critters anywhere in the Bahamas.