swims off the coast of Alice Town, Bimini, Bahamas
FEATURE
WATER WONDERLAND
As famous for its underwater world as it is for its sugar-white beaches, the Caribbean offers divers endless treasures. By Tamsin Wressell
Stretching from the Gulf of Mexico and Cuba towards South America, the waters here are warm and calm, giving way to an array of diving opportunities. From wrecks and coral reefs to sinkholes and migrating humpback whales, we’ve rounded up some of the best diving spots in the Caribbean.
Bimini, Bahamas BEST FOR: SPOTTING HAMMERHEAD SHARKS Diving-wise, this part of the Bahamas is best known for its shark encounters. Roughly
between December and April every year, hammerhead sharks and bull sharks settle into the warm waters off the coast of the Bahamas’ Bimini Island. Reef sharks, blacktip sharks and tiger sharks are all frequent visitors to this spot, too. Dives to see them are fairly shallow (from around 20 feet), making it ideal for beginners, and beyond the sharks, there's beautiful coral reef as well as shallow wrecks and caverns. While it’s possible to dive a few of the reefs around the shore, most trips involve a short boat ride.
Something Special, Bonaire BEST FOR: HUMPBACK WHALE MIGRATION With humpback whales migrating through the waters of the Dutch Caribbean Islands between January and April, diving in Bonaire comes with a unique opportunity to dive alongside them, as well as with pods of bottlenose dolphins. Something Special, which is named after a local rum, is a dive site on the central west coast of the island with particularly high biodiversity. Garden eels, eagle rays and frogfi sh are all common sights when diving