Nassau Charters

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I'm going to Nassau to dive with family in March, primarily because my dad has decided the Stuart Cove shark dive is the only way to reliably dive with sharks, and it's a bucket list dive for him.

Otherwise we have 7 divers so this seems like a good opportunity to charter a boat for a more personalized experience. Can anyone recommend a good charter company? Looking for two half-days or so for seven people, mostly low experience, with partial gear rental.

I've looked through the forums and most prior recommendations no longer seem to exist or didn't reply to my emails. Any leads appreciated!

 

[Wheeler925]

I'm going to Nassau to dive with family in March, primarily because my dad has decided the Stuart Cove shark dive is the only way to reliably dive with sharks, and it's a bucket list dive for him.

Otherwise we have 7 divers so this seems like a good opportunity to charter a boat for a more personalized experience. Can anyone recommend a good charter company? Looking for two half-days or so for seven people, mostly low experience, with partial gear rental.

I've looked through the forums and most prior recommendations no longer seem to exist or didn't reply to my emails. Any leads appreciated!

I dove via cruise ship through Stuart Cove this past week, and I think it might be the only operation on the island? That said, we went to the 'Pumpkin Patch' and the 'Shark Arena.' Saw sharks at both. Shark Arena was downright awesome.

 

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I dove via cruise ship through Stuart Cove this past week, and I think it might be the only operation on the island? That said, we went to the 'Pumpkin Patch' and the 'Shark Arena.' Saw sharks at both. Shark Arena was downright awesome.

Nice, and thanks for the reply. I'm about to book with Stuart Cove, my main concern is their reputation for being a "cattle car" operation, and that dives would be crowded and rushed. Was that your experience?

 

[Wheeler925]

Nice, and thanks for the reply. I'm about to book with Stuart Cove, my main concern is their reputation for being a "cattle car" operation, and that dives would be crowded and rushed. Was that your experience?

We were one of like 9 ships in port that day. It may have felt slightly rushed, but we still got 45 mins bottom time for each tank(we also had very new divers with us, including one student doing a check out dive w a ship's instructor). I think there were about 8 divers on the boat. My opinion is that the rushed feeling was to make it back to the ship on time..

 

[Wants2divemore]

Can anyone recommend a good charter company?

The only company I could find when I looked into it 2 years ago was Shannen's Scuba Safari. When I contacted them in Feb 2023, I was told they only offer private charters on their boat, the Mac. It's $2200 for 6 divers plus up to 4 others (can be just passengers or snorkelers.) -- that was the price then, not sure what it is now.

I can't get their website to load, but their Facebook page is: Shannen's Scuba Safari | Nassau

Their last post was Dec 28, 2024, so presumably they're still around.

 

[hfx]

The only company I could find when I looked into it 2 years ago was Shannen's Scuba Safari. When I contacted them in Feb 2023, I was told they only offer private charters on their boat, the Mac. It's $2200 for 6 divers plus up to 4 others (can be just passengers or snorkelers.) -- that was the price then, not sure what it is now.

I can't get their website to load, but their Facebook page is: Shannen's Scuba Safari | Nassau

Their last post was Dec 28, 2024, so presumably they're still around.

Good tip, I just reached out but they said they were closed. Recommended Stuart Cove or Made in Water for what it's worth.

 

[Wants2divemore]

Good tip, I just reached out but they said they were closed. Recommended Stuart Cove or Made in Water for what it's worth.

If you end up going with Made in Water, please let us know about your experiences. I've never heard of them and to my knowledge, no one has posted any reviews on SB.