Nassau & New Providence – Bahamas

New Providence, home of Nassau, is the Bahamas' most accessible dive destination. Reefs and walls on the south and west coast run into the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep-water trench dropping some 1,800 m, and the shallow sandy plateau between them is dotted with purpose-sunk wrecks – among them the Bahama Mama, the Willaurie and the Ray of Hope – plus props from James Bond and Jaws films (the Vulcan bomber and the Tears of Allah). The headline dive is the Caribbean reef shark encounter off the Stuart Cove's base, and there is a saltwater blue hole close to shore. Water is 24–29 °C and diving is possible all year.

Facts

• Best season: Year-round; winter (Dec–Apr) is drier with good shark action, summer is warmest and wetter, hurricane season Jun–Nov
• Water temperature: About 24 °C (Feb) to 29 °C (Aug)
• Visibility: Usually 20–30 m, often more
• Currents: Mostly low on the wrecks; the walls (e.g. Clifton Wall) can have strong, changeable currents
• Shark dive requirements: Stuart Cove's: certified divers aged 12+, full wetsuit with long sleeves and legs, no touching the sharks; 2-tank dive on set afternoons
• Getting there: Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS); dive operators offer free hotel and cruise-ship transfers

Season

• Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
• Acceptable: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
• Water temperature: 24–29 °C

Diving is possible all year; water runs from 24 °C (February) to 29 °C (August). Hurricane season is June–November and September is the wettest month. Blacknose sharks at the Lost Blue Hole from May to early August.

Dive sites (10)

Wrecks & film sites

• Bahama Mama Wreck – 13–15 m, intermediate
• Cessna Wreck (Jaws IV) – 5–18 m, intermediate
• Ray of Hope Wreck – 12–18 m, intermediate
• Tears of Allah (James Bond wreck) – 12–14 m, beginner
• Vulcan Bomber (Thunderball film prop) – 12–14 m, beginner
• Willaurie Wreck – 15–18 m, intermediate

South-west walls & shark dives

• Clifton Wall – 20–40 m, advanced
• Shark Arena (Runway Wall) – 12–21 m, intermediate

Blue hole & east coast

• Periwinkle Reef – 4–8 m, beginner
• The Lost Blue Hole (ocean blue hole) – 12–60 m, advanced

Operators (2)

• Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas – dive centre, Coral Harbour Road, Coral Harbour, New Providence (Nassau)
• Bahama Divers (Better in Bahamas Tour Company) – dive centre, Nassau Yacht Haven Marina, Nassau

No published GPS positions exist for these sites: positions are estimated from operator and guide descriptions (south-west coast of New Providence) and are for orientation only – never for navigation. Depths and sizes differ by source. Shark feeding dives are run by private operators under their own rules; I found no official Bahamian permit scheme for shark diving.