Although the Bahamas comprises 700 islands and 2,500 tiny cays, it is the 100,000
square miles of ocean water that rims its shores that most defines it. There is a magic hue of Bahamas blue
you can see from the windows of the small planes that connect the Out Islands to the rest of the world. And
you can view it more intimately from the bowsprit of a dive liveaboard as you cruise the secluded islands and
remote anchorages.
The Bahamas is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream and is punctuated by a 6,000-foot-
deep oceanic trench called the Tongue of the Ocean. Freeport (on Grand Bahama Island) and Nassau (on New
Providence) are the most developed of the Bahamas’ population centers. They feature upscale resorts, duty-free
shopping and highly evolved dive centers that offer safe and dependable shark diving, purposely sunk shipwrecks
and even open-ocean dolphin encounters. The Out Islands are smaller and more laid back, and they offer their own
signature dive and snorkel attractions. Whether you dive Andros, the Abacos, the Eleuthera region, the Exumas or
the southern Bahamas, you’ll find diverse underwater topography and an abundance of natural wonders.
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sland opping
New Providence
(
Nassau)
and Grand Bahama
(
Freeport)
are the most popular islands in
terms of sheer numbers of visitors, but the
Out Islands
provide spectacular waters and
anchorages for private yachts,
and there is
a
complete network of airports for private
aviation
.
Cruising though the Bahamas on a
slick calm day with dolphins surfing the bow
wake is one of the great joys that can be
found at sea.