On the island of New Providence, Nassau is the capital of this island nation as well as the most populous and cosmopolitan city and island in the chain. More than two­thirds of the population of The Bahamas, more than 150,000 men, women and children, live on New Providence, with the largest part of this population based in or in the immediate vicinity of Nassau (on the northeast corner). The island pulses with a strong energy, the spirit of Goombay and Junkanoo.

The biggest reason for Nassau's early development was its superb natural harbor. Just off the mainland lies Paradise Island, a long narrow island that parallels the northeast corner of New Providence. Originally called Hog Island (for the wild boars that once roamed there), it became a tourist attraction as long ago as the late 19th century. Today, Paradise Island is considered to be one of the most sophisticated resort islands in this hemisphere.

Connected to the mainland by a high, arching bridge, Paradise Island offers easy access to the historic sights and Old World charm of Nassau proper while still allowing an escape to the more laid-back atmosphere of the island itself. There are accommodations that range from small rental cottages and villas to huge 1,200 room hotels, all-inclusive resorts, casinos and Nightlife. Paradise Island truly offers something for everyone, but even in the midst of all this, one doesn't have to search too far to find a quiet corner in which to hide.

With thousands of vacationers taking resort courses, Nassau has come to be known as a destination that might be good for an exploratory first dive but with little to recommend it beyond that first rush of breathing underwater. Nothing could be farther than the truth!

There are several professional dive operations either on Paradise Island or within a minute of the Nassau foot of the Paradise Island bridge. While all do cater to resort course divers, they also offer a full roster of dive activities designed for the more advanced and experienced diver. Within a 30 minute boat ride, one can experience shipwrecks (victims of natural disaster as well as intentionally placed artificial reefs), classically beautiful shallow Bahamian reefs, huge schools of fish and one of the finest oceanic Blue Holes to be found in The Bahamas.

It is the Lost Blue Hole that is Nassau's greases claim to fame. About 10 miles east of Nassau, the Lost Blue Hole appears as a circular opening in c white sand bottom when seen from the air Beginning just 45 feet below the surface, the blue hole is massive, well more than 100 feet in diameter. Isolated coral heads perch precariously around its edge, looking as if they may tumble in a any moment. Each of these coral heads sports its own community of Nassau Groupers, Sergean Majors, moray eels and other creatures.

Fish Hotel is home to possibly the greatest numbers of fish on any single reef in the area. The reef itself is somewhat undistinguished. It is formed by ledges and holes in the hard substrate with just a small amount of live hard coral. Instead, you will find a blanket of soft corals and seafans cloaked by a living cover of juvenile grunts, Goatfish, Trumpetfish and much more.

Barracuda Shoals is one of the healthiest reefs in this area. A very focused site in just 25 feet of water it is formed by several reef lines forming a roughly triangular shape. The sponge formations and the health of the reef are central points of interest.

There are at least one­half dozen wrecks found immediately north of Paradise Island. These range in dentin from 30 to 100 feet. A top site is called The Graveyard. There are the remains of four separate sunken freighters here. Included are two large oil tankers.

The most famous of the Paradise Island wrecks is the Mahoney. This steamship went down in a hurricane near the turn of the century and rests in two areas called the Deep Mahoney and the Shallow Mahoney. The shallow sits in just 30 to 40 feet while the deep reaches nearly 100 feet. Both the two Mahoney sites as well as the Graveyard feature lots of fish life and make wonderful subjects for wide angle wreck photos.

For the visitor seeking a combination of fine diving and an abundance of topside activities, it is hard to do better than Nassau and Paradise Island. Together they offer activities for the entire family in a cosmopolitan yet very tropical atmosphere.

New Providence Island is best known for its major center of population and development, Nassau. As the capital city of The Bahamas, Nassau is not only the seat of government but also home to 400 banks, ancient forts, elegant homes, a wide variety of duty free shopping and a well developed tourist infrastructure, including posh resort hotels, casinos with cabaret shows and cruise ship docks. Nassau is busy, bustling and exciting but, for those who prefer the quieter, more laid-back side of New Providence, the south side is a few miles and a world away.

Beyond Nassau, the intrusion of man is much less evident. Large tracts of pine trees and rolling hills dominate the central portions of the island, while miles of fine white sand beach are gently lapped by a crystalline sea. There is an exclusive residential enclave at Lyford Cay and the winding canals of Coral Harbour development offer easy access to the sea. Throughout the area all is very low key. There is golfing and tennis at the Ramada South Ocean Golf and Beach Resort but the primary attraction of the south side of New Providence is not shopping, Nightlife or gambling but simply fine scuba diving and top quality dive operators.

Sharks are a big part of the attraction here. Shark Wall is a pristine drop-off decorated with masses of colorful sponges along the deep water abyss known as the Tongue of the Ocean. Divers position themselves along sand patches among the coral heads in about 50 feet of water as Caribbean Reef Sharks and an occasional Bull or Lemon Shark cruise the mid water in anticipation of a free handout. The bait is secreted in crevices and under coral ledges, causing the sharks to continually swim about the area, poking into the reef and eventually rooting out the bait in an exciting feeding frenzy. During the feeding period, the bait is controlled and fed from a polespear by an experienced feeder. There are usually 6 to 12 sharks here at a time, ranging from four to eight feet in length. It takes a while for the sharks to get brave enough to close in on the food. While they are circling ever closer to the bait, the underwater photographers and videographers are enjoying superb opportunities. Because bait isn't constantly in the water, there are fewer suspended particles to cause backscatter. Since the reef is so beautiful the backgrounds for these shark portraits are, exquisite. Some operators make two dives at this particular site, allowing the guests to cruise the wall with the sharks in a more natural way before the feeding dive.

The Shark Buoy (AKA the Deer Island Buoy used by the U.S. Navy for submarine exercises) is tethered in 6,000 feet of water. Its mass floating o~ the surface attracts a wide variety of pelagic marine life such as Dolphinfish, jacks, Rainbow Runner: and the stars of the shows, the Silky Sharks. These are typically small sharks, perhaps three to five feet long, but they swarm the area in schools of 6 to 2C Since there is no bottom visible and no reference other than the cable or the dive boat, it is an eerie' feeling and a situation where depth must be carefully monitored. The sharks will eat Ballyhoos and frozen squid offered by the divemasters actually swimming right up to their hands to grad the bait. Divers positioned near the feeder will b, assured a high voltage encounter with these majestic predators. With water clarity typically in excess of 150 feet, the photographic potential i. stunning.

Hollywood filmmakers have long recognized the advantages to the south side of New Providence a an underwater set and the dive operators regular! visit the Bond Wrecks. The Vulcan Bomber used in Thunderball is now a simple framework draped with a kaleidoscope of colorful gorgonians and sponges. The freighter known as the Tears of Allah, where James Bond eluded the Tiger Shark in Never Say Never, again, remains a dive attraction in 40 feet of water. The photogenic appeal of this wreck for the filmmakers has sustained and, in fact, improved with age as more and more marine life congregates on this lovely artificial reef.

For those who prefer more natural underwater attractions, drop-off dives such as Tunnel Wall feature a network of crevices and tunnels beginning in just 30 feet and exiting along the vertical precipice at 70 or 80 feet. Southwest Reef offers magnificent high profile coral heads in only 15 to 30 feet of water, complete with pristine Elkhorn and Staghorn formations dotted with schooling grunts, squirrelfish and Barracuda. Still, one of the favorite shallow reef areas for both scuba and snorkel is Goulding Cay, where broad stands of Elkhorn reach nearly to the surface behind a scenic island just offshore.

Shark Runway is only one mile offshore and features a dozen or so resident Caribbean Reef Sharks. There is also a new shipwreck here called the Bahama Mama. She was sunk intentionally-as a dive attraction-and sits upright in less than 50 feet of water. The Bahama Mama and nearby wall are a fine dive and the wreck is a terrific backdrop for shark photos.

Grand Bahama is the second most frequent destination of choice for tourists visiting The Bahamas. The island's popularity is a function of its geography as well as its development. Close to the east coast of Florida, the island offers minimal travel time and inexpensive air connections. Miles of sandy beaches and consistently warm weather were the attractions for the first tourists who discovered this massive island (75 miles long by 15 miles wide) in the early 1960s. Developers have created an infrastructure for visitors that includes lush golf courses, magnificent resort hotels, lavish gambling casinos, extensive duty free shopping and, of course, exciting watersports.

Freeport is the center of tourism for the island and evolved as the brainstorm of financier Wallace Groves. He knew that with proper government concessions, a free port could be a profitable development. By 1955, the Hawksbill Agreement, outlining the role of the government and private sector in the destiny of Freeport, was drafted but it really wasn't until tourism became a significant part of the equation that the project began to truly flourish. In 1965, Groves offered Canadian businessman Frank Strean a large piece of waterfront property in Lucaya at no expense if he would build and manage a pair of hotels. One of the hotels, the Oceanus Inn North (now defunct) would be themed to traveling divers. The Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO) was the diving service and, for the first time, there was a resort that offered air compressors, dive boats, a deep water training pool and qualified dive staff, all on the hotel premises. The infrastructure of a true destination dive resort had been created but it was the underwater attractions that made it work.

Grand Bahama, the Little and Great Abaco Islands, are the exposed portions of the Little Bahama Bank. Formed by sedimentation of oolitic facies of inorganic origin, the island is part of a limestone platform thousands of feet thick. The shallow waters of the bank and the extensive mangrove forests that line the shores provide a prolific marine nursery. Off the south side of the island lies the Northwest Providence Channel and Florida Channel, two mile deep chasms typified by water of startling clarity and rich with pelagic life The confluence of these ecosystems provide scuba divers with a combination of magnificent shallow, medium depth and deep reefs, plus dramatic drop-offs. Yet it is, in some respects, dive that were created rather than discovered that are presently the most popular.

Theo's Wreck is a 230 foot steel freighter sunk as a dive attraction in 100 feet of water in October of 1982. She now lies on her port side and has acquired an impressive cloak of of sponges and gorgonians to provide colorful contrast to the exciting marine life residing in an arround the wreck. Turtles and Horse Eyes Jacks commonly cruise the perimeter of the wreck; both Spotted and Green Motay Eels can be found in the superstructure. In fact one or two Green Morays will usually swim out to greet the divers on Theo's , having been conditioned to expect a handout from the Divemaster.

DOLPHlN DIVING: Divers dream of diving/swimming with dolphins. We know these mammals are extremely intelligent and are fascinated by their joyful, playful existence. Being able to join them in their world is the experience of a lifetime. Getting close enough to take pictures or shoot videos is exhilarating. The Bahamas offers two of the best and most reliable opportunities in the world to closely interact with dolphins. Both happen only with UNEXSO off Grand Bahama: (see the section on Dolphin Diving for details).

Fish feeding has achieved its pinnacle of success with a dive known as Shark Junction. Here, amid high profile coral heads in about 50 feet of water and marked by an old recompression chamber sitting on the ocean floor, Caribbean Reef Sharks were occasionally seen. Once divemasters began feeding the groupers and clouds of Yellowtail Snappers, however, the sharks began to become more curious and bold. After months of conscious effort to get the sharks close enough to take bait, a few would occasionally nip at the proffered handout. Gradually, over a period of several years, these sharks were conditioned to take bait from the divemaster's hand.

Now their reticence is a thing of the past. As soon as the divers hit the water at Shark Junction they will see these handsome predators circling the coral heads. The divers will settle to the sand bottom with the old recompression chamber at their backs and the dive staff will begin their feeding ritual. More than a dozen sharks will bolt to the bait, swirling about the feeder, rushing to gobble their share of the handout. This is an amazing photo opportunity and a chance to see these sleek eating machines at work, safely and reliably.

The natural underwater attractions of Grand Bahama are also favorites of traveling divers. Tunnels is named for the swim through surge channels populated by large schools of jacks, Mutton Snappers and Yellowtails and Pygmy Caves is a 65 foot reef featuring caves and caverns within the extensive coral formations. Ben's Caverns, a part of the amazing Lucayan Cavern complex reputed to be the most extensive and decorated underwater cave system in the world, offers sport divers a safe opportunity to experience the astounding water clarity and majestic submerged stalactites and stalagmites.

The Abacos
Marsh Harbor/Green Turtle Cay/Walkers Cay

Often referred to as the "Top of The Bahamas," the Abacos are an elbow­shaped span of islands and cays that stretch from Walker's Cay in the north to the southeast tip of Great Abaco-a distance of more than 130 miles. The Abaco chain is comprised of two main islands, Great and Little Abaco, and dozens of cays that form a bordering fringe of islets.

MARSH HARBOUR

Marsh Harbour, on the island of Great Abaco, is the third largest town in The Bahamas. The 120 foot, candy­striped Elbow Cay Lighthouse is probably the most photographed landmark in The Bahamas. The extensive shoreline of Great Abaco includes many areas of shallow banks, supporting protected patch reefs and fringing reefs. To the north and east is a lengthy barrier reef just beyond the many offshore islets. The diving area is best known for its easy shallow sites and an extensive array of undersea life owing, in part, to the protection of a marine park covering much of the area. There is also an unusual abundance of Pillar Coral at many poQuiar reef sites.

Top dive sites include The Towers, with huge coral pinnacles, 60 feet tall, pierced with tunnels and caven Grouper Alley, with numerous tunnels that cut throu and beneath a monstrous coral head in 40 foot deptl Wayne's World, a tour of the outside of the barrier reef in 70 feet of water; and The Cathedral, a huge cavern where shafts of sunlight dance on the floor.

There is a unique reality to Bimini. Despite being the Bahamian island closest to the United States (it sits just 48 miles due east of Miami), Bimini has managed to keep its soul intact. The island carries a slightly remote, comfortably relaxed and solidly rustic out island feel. It is a place in which quiet moments spent strolling the beach come as easily as rollicking good times and raucous evenings filled with island music.

Bimini sits near the northwest corner of the Great Bahama Bank, with the Bimini chain running south along the bank's edge. What we think of as Bimini is actually two separate islands, North and South Bimini, separated by a shallow, narrow channel. North Bimini, the focus of population and activities, consists of a strip of land 7 miles long and no wider than 700 yards. Transportation to North Bimini is accomplished by seaplane several times daily from Miami. South Bimini, utilized primarily for agricultural purposes, has a small airstrip, one hotel and is very quiet but still offers easy access via water taxi to the main drag of North Bimini.

Alice Town, the "commercial center" of Bimini, consists of a single dusty road, the King's Highway, lined with a few small necessity shops, a half dozen local restaurants and an equal number of funky, down home bars. During fishing tournaments and other high times, the street can get a little bit wild but it's usually just you strolling the road, enjoying the aroma of baking bread and the company of the pooches and pelicans.

Alice Town has several hotels, with accommodations that range from a simple room with a light bulb to read by and a pillow for your head to historic inns to more modern hotels that feature slightly more elaborate but still island­style, rooms. Nightlife is usually laid-back, with bar hopping between the Compleat Angler (live music several nights a week) and the End of the World.

As far as Bimini diving goes, look for lots and lots of fish. The reef structures, primarily patch reefs, are not as elaborate as many destinations but are still quite good. The strength of Bimini is the sheer numbers of fish and other types of marine life that are consistently found here. Expect clouds of schooling grunts, chub, snapper and Goatfish. Spotted Eagle Rays are seen daily in groups of a half dozen or more as they feed in the channel between North and South Bimini. To the south, along Victory Reef and Tuna Alley, the reefs exhibit an ancient sloping drop into the depths of the Florida Straits, with prolific live corals, ornate and colorful sponge formations and consistently excellent fish populations.

Top dive sites in the Biminis include shallow, medium depth and deep reefs as well as several fine wrecks. A top draw is the Bimini Barge, an oceangoing barge now sitting on a sandy bottom in 100 feet of water with its uppermost parts near the 65 foot level.

To the south, the Victories and Tuna Alley present miles of sloping drop-offs with swim throughs and caverns in 40 to 90 feet of water, with corals and a generous population of reef creatures and pelagics.

In the Bimini area, the sites take the form of patch reefs. Little Caverns presents scattered popcorn shaped coral heads on a sandy bottom with small tunnels and swim throughs. Sponge formations are very good and schooling Bermuda Chub are common. In shallow depths, it's hard to beat Rainbow Reef. In just 25 to 35 feet of water, divers will find shallow ledges concealing schooling fish, Nurse Sharks, turtles and much more.

The Bahamas: Eleuthera
Harbour Island

The northeast corner of the Great Bahama Bank is bordered by the island of Eleuthera. Shaped like a thin boomerang, it is more than 100 miles long and only 3 miles wide. Founded in 1648, Eleuthera was the first settlement in The Bahamas and, in many ways, it is the most historic and interesting island from a cultural viewpoint. Today, it is one of the best developed and most prosperous of the out­islands. Eleuthera is an island of extensive pink sand beaches edged by pine, casuarinas and palms, with an interior of rolling hills and high, dramatic cliffs overlooking a deep blue sea. Among the out islands, Eleuthera rivals Abaco in its concentration of quaint resort hotels. Special topside attractions include the Cave of the Eleutherian Adventurers where the early pilgrims found refuge, and the Glass Window, the narrowest point on Eleuthera, a thin, natural rock bridge linking two sea­battered bluffs.

Charming little Harbour Island lies a short distance off the northeast coast of Eleuthera. Dunmoretown on Harbour Island, the original capital of The Bahamas, is best known for its lovely pastel colonial architecture and more than three miles of pristine, pink toned beaches. Many well traveled visitors consider Harbour Island the most beautiful in the archipelago.

The major diving areas of Eleuthera are reached from Harbour Island and include a vast area that is both diverse and extensive. Along the eastern edge of Harbour Island and continuing along the coast of Eleuthera is a long fringing reef that borders the deep blue Atlantic. This offshore area presents many miles of pristine reefs, rolling mounds of Star, Starlet and Plate Coral and an impressive mixture of inshore and pelagic fish. To the north, past the little island of Spanish Wells, is another lengthy fringing reef. Known as the Devil's Backbone, this extensive area holds the remains of dozens of ancient and modern shipwrecks in its grasp. Included in these is one of the most curious and interesting wreck sites in The Bahamas: three wrecks layered upon each other representing various periods of history. In between the northern and eastern fringing reefs are miles of shallow banks supporting patch reefs and a gleaming white sand bottom.

The dive areas include shallow mid and deep reef sites. A prime dive location easily reached from Harbour Island is a wide area known as the Plateau. Here are a series of rolling coral mounds, undercut by ledges and separated by deep sand fissures. Depths vary from 45 to 100 feet of water and the entire site is loaded with marine life.

The Arch, also close by, is a popular deep site featuring a giant arch of coral that forms a nearly concealed grotto. Often, schools of grunts, snappers and huge Horse­eye Jacks patrol inside.

Perhaps the most unusual dive in The Bahamas is Current Cut, a narrow opening between two islands that produces a forceful three to eight knot tidal current. Divers ride this current through a marine menagerie that includes schools of fish and Eagle Rays. The Pinnacles are a 100 foot plus dive on a cavernous mountain of coral. The tall coral heads project from a deep sand bottom and provide a pedestal for giant sponges and trees of Black Coral.

The Eleuthera Train Wreck, in 25 to 35 feet of water, is one of The Bahamas most distinctive and unusual wrecks. Divers will discover huge sets of railroad wheels and other wreckage-the remains of a U.S. Civil War era train that slid off a barge during a storm. An interesting comparison close by is the wreck of the Carnavon. This is a 200 foot freighter that sank in 1919. It is still intact, sitting in 35 feet of water.

Facing the Great Bahamas Bank is a spectacular deep water drop-off, First Basin Wall, in 100 to 200 feet of water. Its proximity to the deep ocean provides many encounters with schooling jacks, Eagle Rays and, occasionally, sharks. Out on the bank is a magnificent Blue Hole. Inside the opening divers often encounter schools of fish, large groupers and Caribbean Reef Sharks. White Hole Reef expresses another phenomenon peculiar to The Bahamas: circular depressions in the limestone basin that form flat basins surrounded by coral mounds. These sites serve as an oasis for solitary reef and schooling fish.

The Tunnels can be reached from the beach. They begin in very shallow water and descend through a series of crevices, canyons and fissures to a coral garden in 30 feet of water. At 110 to 130 feet on Third Basin Reef Wall, divers are surrounded by colorful giant sponges, deep water sea fans and huge Black Coral bushes.

The Bahamas: San Salvador Scuba Diving

The island measures about 12 miles long by 5 miles across. It is very low-lying, with its highest hill reaching only 140 feet. (Although, by Bahamian standards, this is a veritable mountain. The highest point in the entire Bahamian archipelago is only 206 feet.)

What San Sal offers divers is vertical walls, populated shallow reefs ideal for macro photography, groupers so friendly they will lay in your arms and the ever-present chance of spotting big creatures, such as Hammerhead Sharks and Manta Rays. San Sal was one of the very first destinations to develop wall diving and this is still the reason most divers visit. The south and western sides of the island are lined by one of the most impressive walls in The Bahamas, starting as shallow as 40 feet and dropping to thousands of feet.

On land, San Salvador is solidly out island. Its small population gives it an airy, open feel. There have been boom times and slow times and attempts at developments have come and gone but the island continues to tool along at a comfortable pace-not too slow and not too fast.

What San Sal does offer is miles of some of The Bahamas' most beautiful deserted beaches, ruins of Loyalist plantations and, most important, a peaceful atmosphere. Don't think it's boring, though, there are a few scheduled and impromptu nightly events each week.

Most visitors come to San Sal for the diving and, among divers conversant with the dozens of named sites, the following receive consistently high marks. An all-time favorite is Telephone Pole. This classic wall dive is a ridge of coral peaking at 40 feet bordered by a pure white sand bottom.

For lovers of shallow reefs and great macro opportunities, it is hard to surpass Snapshot Reef.

Devil's Claw is an awesome sight. Three great crevasses lead down the face of the wall from about 45 feet at the top to about 85.

At Great Cut, a massive section of the wall over 200 feet in length has broken away from the main wall millennia ago. This forms a double drop-off.

Double Caves is yet another wall site, this one featuring a pair of caves large enough for divers to penetrate easily. San Salvador is now, as it has been for years, an ideal destination for the dedicated diver.

The Bahamas: Long Island Scuba Diving

Stretching more than 90 miles in length and comprising some 400 square miles, this is a lovely island of beaches, hills and forests just 26 miles to the east of George Town, Exuma. The soft sand beaches of Cape Santa Maria on the leeward side of the island are among the prettiest anywhere in The Bahamas and the rugged windward ironshore is perfect for beachcombing or quiet exploration. There is minimal development on Long Island, aside from a few settlements and the 3,000 acre resort known as the Stella Maris Resort. Consequently, there are few of the noxious effects of civilization. Here the air remains clear, the water perfectly pristine and large tracts of the land are largely unchanged from what the first European explorers might have seen.

The scenery beneath the sea remains unaffected by the passage of time as well. Relatively few divers make it here but those who do will discover a wide variety of dive options, including Shark Reef, the dive that set the standard for shark encounters around the world. Here, along the leeward shore just 30 minutes from the Stella Maris Marina, a shallow reef in 30 feet of water provides the backdrop for excellent, predictable shark action. Caribbean Reef Sharks have long been conditioned to free food from the divemasters; with the sound of a dropping anchor they appear as if by magic. The divers line up along the sand bottom with the high profile reef to their backs. When the lid to the bait bucket is released, the whole scene moves into hyperspeed. Sharks furiously feed and strobes furiously flash and adrenaline pumps in pace with the action.

Long Island offers dozens of excellent dives along this leeward shore, including Barracuda Heads, especially favored for its rich populations of marine life such as schooling Horse­eye Jacks, groupers, grunts and, of course, its namesake, Barracuda. The wreck of the Comberbach sits upright in 90 feet of water, with its intact wheelhouse and a shattered bus sitting in a forward hold. Alona the windward shore is the famed Grouper Valley, a spur and groove coral formation noted for the probability of pelagic marine life and the massive congregations of schooling Nassau Groupers that come here to spawn in November. Further attractions are nearby Conception Island, with walls beginning in 40 feet of water and dropping vertically to more than 6,000 feet and the broad reaches of Southampton Reef, where shallow fields of Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals decorate the remains of at least 150 wrecks.

Long Island diving also includes: Conception Island Wall, without a doubt one of the most beautiful walls in the entire caribbean region. 100% pristine; Blue Hole the world's deepest and second largest water filled cavern.

The Bahamas: Great Exuma Scuba Diving

Starting just 35 miles southeast of Nassau is a chain of some of the prettiest and least visited island in The Bahamas, the Exumas. Numbering more than 350, these principally uninhabited islands start with Sail Rocks to the north and stretch for more than 100 miles down the west side of the Exuma Sound, finally terminating with the big islands of Great Exuma and Little Exuma on the southern end.

These islands are the realm of live­aboard dive boats, sailboats and yachts. Within the chain are dozens of excellent anchorage's, hundreds of pure white undisturbed beaches and seemingly endless lush coral gardens.

For those without the luxury of their own sailboat, yacht or other personal vessel, vacation and dive opportunities will center around Great Exuma and its surrounding cays. The island, the largest of the Exumas, is very quiet and extremely relaxing.

High points of an Exumas vacation include simple relaxation as the number one asset. There are multitudes of classically beautiful Bahamian beaches, both on Great Exuma as well as on Stocking, an adjacent seven mile long barrier island. Accommodations take the form of either small contemporary hotels or inns, some of which are built around historic buildings dating from the Loyalist period.

There is only one land based dive operation in the Exumas, on Great Exuma and the focus is on eco­diving. Dives are conducted with an eye to interpreting and understanding the subtle aspects of what may seem to be normal actions on the reef. The local dive operator finds great satisfaction in pointing out situations such as cleaning stations, mating behavior, predatory actions and protective reactions. For divers who prefer coming out of the water after each dive with an expanded understanding of the interaction of reef creatures, there is no better place than Great Exuma.

In addition to the biological aspects of Exuma diving, there is also pure drama in the form of blue holes. While some require proper training in cavern and cave penetration, at least one is safe for sport divers in that it offers a clear view of the opening throughout the dive.

Top dive sites in the area of Great Exuma would have to include the following. Anglefish Blue Hole is usually considered to be the number one dive for pure impact. A second blue hole is Crab Cay Crevasse. This crescent shaped opening begins in just 15 feet of water, dropping quickly to 90 feet.

Lobster Reef is a hot spot for schooling fish, lobster and other invertebrates. Pagoda Reef is noted for its spectacular, high profile coral formations. Stingray Reef is between two small islands, benefiting from the flow of water in the channel. It is an ideal reef for fish observation, with many different species represented. As with Lobster and Pagoda Reefs, the shallow depth (45 feet or less) lends itself to long bottom times devoted to observation and enjoyment.