Well let's start with the diving shall we? We dove with GBS and were very pleased. Owner Fred Riger is truly on Bahama time. If you want to jump on the boat with 12 other people, gear up, get moving and dive,dive,dive this is not the boat for you. If you want to spend a relaxed morning with a few other people on the boat, talking a bit about fish, sharks or otherwise, make your way to the dive site and have a nice personal dive then this would be the place for you. The boat is a frugal taxi as opposed to some I have been on but I came to find out I really don't need sliced pineapple after all! Fred and Melinda's personal service and relaxed attitude make the trip fun and interesting. They try to accomodate the group as a whole but will cater to certain dive site requests if possible. You dive in a loose group or if you need some extra attention one of them will be right there with you. More experienced divers can venture a bit without getting reprimanded above water AND you won't hear a complaint for bottom time as long as you make your rope ascent at 700 psi. Seriously, on the last day we didn't get back to the dock until 2:00 because some of us 
0) spent nearly an hour down at shark junction site. I assure you every other dive boat was back ashore and scurrying to get there next herd of passengers ready for the afternoon dives! The water was fairly cold. I had a full 3m with an added vest/hood and did okay but could have been happier in a 7m. If you generally get cold while diving DON'T leave home without a wetsuit just because you're in the Bahamas.
Day 1: Papa Docs was a nice starter dive with coral heads and plenty of fish but the "wreck" has long passed to just a few parts left in the sand. Our second tank we ventured to the little tug boat "Badger". This is a nice little wreck at about 45' that was moved several yards by the hurricane but is still intact.There was a very large and protective Pompano in the cabin daring you to come inside, many fish tried all were chased out. It has only been down 9 years so there wasn't a lot of growth yet but it was an interesting place to watch fish behavior and if you are somewhat new to diving and easy way to see a wreck without going too deep.
Day 2:We went to "tunnels" or "caves" (not pygmy caves) what an awesome dive site. You swim within (or above if you are not comfortable) a tunnel system, up, under sometimes thru passes with the coral wall close on either side, there is a wealth of sea fans, chondroits and as many macro creatures as you can get your eyes on. If you look within the deeper underhangs you are sure to see some good sized lobster eyes looking back at you. Arrow crabs abound here and to my delight some Pedersons shrimp to clean your finger if you offer it up.(Okay, okay you caught me, I am a macro freak) As you ascend above the coral you will find lettuce slugs, file fish, parrotfish and some really big long spined sea urchins. There are many different types of sponges, corals and tunicates here too. Too much to see in one dive here, highly recommended for any level of diver. On the 2nd dive my buddy agreed (beyond her "better judgement") to go to Shark Junction. We didn't go to feed the sharks just to see them. You still have to go sit in the sand and wait for them to mill about and realize they aren't going to be fed, then you can swim around the reef area and look around as well. If you have any trepidation about diving with sharks I would recommend this dive to get over the fear since eventually, one day you are going to happen upon a shark or two in your travels...remember they LIVE down there....anyway, a "controlled" environment where you can just watch them glide along and get comfortable with that notion as opposed to seeing one incidentally out in the open one day and freaking out. Case in point my fearful friend agreed to go to shark junction again on day three when everyone else wanted to go without even a whimper of protest, dare I say she was looking forward to the dive!!!
Day 3: Gails Grotto which is right near the tunnels. Much of the same as the tunnels but in my opinion not as pretty of a dive, but plenty of fish, solitary and social sea fans and sponges. We even saw a juvenile Drum which are amazing if you have never seen them. The 2nd dive was back to Shark Junction by popular request, I honestly was less than thrilled (beeennnn there) but didn't want to be the spoiler...uh, yeah guess who was the last one back on the boat.
The sharks didn't come to the site as quickly or en masse as the previous time here but they did swim amongst and with us more while exploring the reef which was really very cool. Now imagine how my buddy would have freaked out at this had we have not had the "controlled" experience.....In my nearly one hour of down time I had a long encounter waiting for the numerous garden eels to emerge from their holes for a picture opportunity, patience, patience. Cool little creatures if you have never seen them (I hadn't) they look like floating seaweed from a distance and small little snakes rooted in the ground IF you get the chance to see them up close. Melinda was trying to will me to look up from my garden eel stand off to witness one of the largest porcupine fish she has seen but sadly I missed out on seeing that one but hopefully got my photo.There are several cleaning stations here, if you wait patiently you may get the chance to see the gobies scrubbing and waxing a larger customer. There is a large, illuminescent (green) sea anemone that lives at this site that is more beautiful then I could describe here. At my viewing there were a few bright yellow gobies within that would have made a dream photograph if I had more than a stupid point and shoot. The whole dive is made by seeing this amazing creation of color and fluid movement, if you dive here ask Fred or Melinda to show you. I went back to see if the arrow crab I saw the day before was still at the mooring attachment and found a good sized Cowrie latched on the small "wreck" that the mooring rope is attached to. I also found a previously unseen urchin and my beloved cleaner shrimp near a corkscrew anemone, all of which were probably there on the previous dive. Lesson learned....my disdain for the dive because I had "been there" turned into a wonderous exploration of big and small that I had either overlooked or that hadn't been there at all the day before. Yes, lesson learned indeed. EVERY dive will warrant you some amazing experience.
The Island is up and running but MANY places are closed or destroyed, the West End was a wasted trip as all of the notable restaurants or attractions (Pier 1, Star Club) are no longer with us, and it looks quite like a bomb was dropped there. Lucayan Forest was a nice visit and if you make it that far East, be sure and eat lunch at Bishops restaurant. Good food at probably the best price on the Island, plus a great location right on the beach. We also found the funky Club Caribe near Taino Beach. The food was okay but you can hardly beat sitting on a porch on the sand overlooking the Ocean. Tough to find, head towards the Viva Fortune Resort and ask them how you missed it...
Rox
0) spent nearly an hour down at shark junction site. I assure you every other dive boat was back ashore and scurrying to get there next herd of passengers ready for the afternoon dives! The water was fairly cold. I had a full 3m with an added vest/hood and did okay but could have been happier in a 7m. If you generally get cold while diving DON'T leave home without a wetsuit just because you're in the Bahamas.Day 1: Papa Docs was a nice starter dive with coral heads and plenty of fish but the "wreck" has long passed to just a few parts left in the sand. Our second tank we ventured to the little tug boat "Badger". This is a nice little wreck at about 45' that was moved several yards by the hurricane but is still intact.There was a very large and protective Pompano in the cabin daring you to come inside, many fish tried all were chased out. It has only been down 9 years so there wasn't a lot of growth yet but it was an interesting place to watch fish behavior and if you are somewhat new to diving and easy way to see a wreck without going too deep.
Day 2:We went to "tunnels" or "caves" (not pygmy caves) what an awesome dive site. You swim within (or above if you are not comfortable) a tunnel system, up, under sometimes thru passes with the coral wall close on either side, there is a wealth of sea fans, chondroits and as many macro creatures as you can get your eyes on. If you look within the deeper underhangs you are sure to see some good sized lobster eyes looking back at you. Arrow crabs abound here and to my delight some Pedersons shrimp to clean your finger if you offer it up.(Okay, okay you caught me, I am a macro freak) As you ascend above the coral you will find lettuce slugs, file fish, parrotfish and some really big long spined sea urchins. There are many different types of sponges, corals and tunicates here too. Too much to see in one dive here, highly recommended for any level of diver. On the 2nd dive my buddy agreed (beyond her "better judgement") to go to Shark Junction. We didn't go to feed the sharks just to see them. You still have to go sit in the sand and wait for them to mill about and realize they aren't going to be fed, then you can swim around the reef area and look around as well. If you have any trepidation about diving with sharks I would recommend this dive to get over the fear since eventually, one day you are going to happen upon a shark or two in your travels...remember they LIVE down there....anyway, a "controlled" environment where you can just watch them glide along and get comfortable with that notion as opposed to seeing one incidentally out in the open one day and freaking out. Case in point my fearful friend agreed to go to shark junction again on day three when everyone else wanted to go without even a whimper of protest, dare I say she was looking forward to the dive!!!
Day 3: Gails Grotto which is right near the tunnels. Much of the same as the tunnels but in my opinion not as pretty of a dive, but plenty of fish, solitary and social sea fans and sponges. We even saw a juvenile Drum which are amazing if you have never seen them. The 2nd dive was back to Shark Junction by popular request, I honestly was less than thrilled (beeennnn there) but didn't want to be the spoiler...uh, yeah guess who was the last one back on the boat.
The sharks didn't come to the site as quickly or en masse as the previous time here but they did swim amongst and with us more while exploring the reef which was really very cool. Now imagine how my buddy would have freaked out at this had we have not had the "controlled" experience.....In my nearly one hour of down time I had a long encounter waiting for the numerous garden eels to emerge from their holes for a picture opportunity, patience, patience. Cool little creatures if you have never seen them (I hadn't) they look like floating seaweed from a distance and small little snakes rooted in the ground IF you get the chance to see them up close. Melinda was trying to will me to look up from my garden eel stand off to witness one of the largest porcupine fish she has seen but sadly I missed out on seeing that one but hopefully got my photo.There are several cleaning stations here, if you wait patiently you may get the chance to see the gobies scrubbing and waxing a larger customer. There is a large, illuminescent (green) sea anemone that lives at this site that is more beautiful then I could describe here. At my viewing there were a few bright yellow gobies within that would have made a dream photograph if I had more than a stupid point and shoot. The whole dive is made by seeing this amazing creation of color and fluid movement, if you dive here ask Fred or Melinda to show you. I went back to see if the arrow crab I saw the day before was still at the mooring attachment and found a good sized Cowrie latched on the small "wreck" that the mooring rope is attached to. I also found a previously unseen urchin and my beloved cleaner shrimp near a corkscrew anemone, all of which were probably there on the previous dive. Lesson learned....my disdain for the dive because I had "been there" turned into a wonderous exploration of big and small that I had either overlooked or that hadn't been there at all the day before. Yes, lesson learned indeed. EVERY dive will warrant you some amazing experience.
The Island is up and running but MANY places are closed or destroyed, the West End was a wasted trip as all of the notable restaurants or attractions (Pier 1, Star Club) are no longer with us, and it looks quite like a bomb was dropped there. Lucayan Forest was a nice visit and if you make it that far East, be sure and eat lunch at Bishops restaurant. Good food at probably the best price on the Island, plus a great location right on the beach. We also found the funky Club Caribe near Taino Beach. The food was okay but you can hardly beat sitting on a porch on the sand overlooking the Ocean. Tough to find, head towards the Viva Fortune Resort and ask them how you missed it...
Rox
