Two Quick Bahamas Questions

[whiporee]

Hi everyone. I've got a couple of questions that Googling hasn't been able to help me with, so I hope real people with experience might be able to.

1) Assuming a bright sunny morning, how dark is it at 120 feet? Can you see, or do you need headlamps for everything?

2) If anyone has dove (dived? diven?) the Bahamas, how cold is the water at about 120 feet? Is it definitely wetsuit?

Thanks. I appreciate any help anyone can give.

 

[rongoodman]

The only reason you might need a light during the day is to bring out the colors, assuming you're not in some kind of overhead. Per Google, water temp today is 77, and I wouldn't expect much change at that depth. I'd take at least a 3mm full suit, unless you're going to be doing multiple dives daily for days in a row, such as on a liveaboard. Then it would be 5mm for sure.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Generally Bahamas waters are exceptionally clear, with vis in excess of 100 feet the norm. There is plenty of light at 120 to dive and see everything, without the need for a light. However, we always dive with a light, to bring out the dazzling colors. We have never left our light behind in the last 200 dives we have done, even shallow ones. it has become as standard as any other piece of essential gear.

For temps, that depends on the time of year. In summer, expect high 80s near the surface and mid 80s at depth. In winter, expect mid to upper 70s at surface, and a few degrees cooler at depth, no big swing either way.

On a summer 6 day liveaboard trip, I did 3-6 hours per day in shallow water (20 feet) with water temps of high 80s each day. I had my 3 mil fullsuit. I was glad I did. I did not begin to feel chilled until the very last dives. If you are diving deeper, or at any time of year other than summer, a 5 mil is best for multiple dives over multiple days. If you are just talking about two dives a day for a day or two, a 3 mil with hood will be fine.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Is this for your novel, or are you actually going diving? If you're going diving, that's great.

If you don't mind a side question, where did the depth "120 feet" come from? Is there something special at a dive site there at 120 feet that you want to see? I don't know if things are different in the Bahamas, but in many places in the world dive operators consider that a deep dive and are hesitant to take a relatively inexperienced diver on a deep dive. Also, keep in mind how many minutes you are going to be able to spend at that depth, especially if you are relatively inexperienced. If there is in fact something to see at 120 feet, you're probably going to take a quick look and then start ascending. If it's something colorful, sure, you may want a light. If it's a wreck you are visiting, then unless it's totally encrusted in pretty coral or anemones or something for which you might want a light, there should be plenty of ambient light to see a wreck. As for temperature, even if it is a couple of degrees cooler at 120 than at the surface, you may be spending just a few minutes at that depth and spending the majority of your dive at something like 60 feet or shallower. I am of course just speculating, as I have no idea what your plans may be.

As for wetsuit thickness, I recommend the same as others have said: at least a 3 mm if not a 5 mm. People generally get progressively more chilled with each dive in a day of multiple dives. For me, multiple dives per day at 77 F would mean 5 mm.

 

[whiporee]

Thank you very much for your input everyone. I'm thinking of a dive trip off Exuma this summer to see where my dad's sailboat went down about 15 of years ago. It was about a quarter mile on the sound side of Staniel. A guide we used to sail with said he though he found it a couple of months ago, but he wasn't sure. It looks like the water goes to abut 120 before the wall, so that's why I was wondering. And I'm big, so if it needs to be a wet suit dive that might be a deal breaker.

It's not like dad went down with the boat or anything, but part of me would like to see it again if I could. But it's probably not it anyway.

Again, thanks for the information, everyone, and I hope you all have lots of clear water!

 

[gr8jab]

Big? Hope you are not making assumptions about wet suit sizes just because all the models are scrawny little punks. A little searching on leisurepro.com found a super-stretch 5XL for us big guys, for 300+ pounds.