The climate of the Bahamas offers us the opportunity to dive all year round, but if you know the nuances of the diving seasons, you can increase your enjoyment of diving. Since different times of the year offer different conditions for marine life, adjusting your diving according to the season can increase the variety of marine life you will encounter.
The high season for diving in the Bahamas is between November and May. During this period the weather is generally more stable and visibility underwater is usually above 40 meters. Water temperatures are between 24C and 29C, which means you can dive comfortably throughout the winter. You may need a light windproof raincoat after your dive as the north wind sometimes brings cooler air during the winter.
If you dive in the capital city of Nassau between December and February, you can get good visibility and diversity. Nassau is easy to access and has a variety of dive sites, making it a good location for all levels of divers. Stuart Cove’s Dive Center, which we also work with, is an option I would recommend for Nassau.
After a short boat ride from Nassau, you can reach both wrecks and very enjoyable diving spots where you can dive with sharks.
Unfortunately, feeding shark fish is very common in the Bahamas. As a diving instructor, I would like to add that I am absolutely against changing the eating habits of living creatures in this way, dulling their hunting instincts and treating them as pets.
If you want to dive in different spots in the Bahamas and encounter different creatures, the area around Bimini is one of the most common spots for Hammerhead sharks.
If you don’t have the opportunity to visit the Bahamas during the high season and are planning for the low season, don’t worry. You can dive year-round in the locations I mentioned above.
Since this period is a little more rainy, visibility can be a little less. If you want to avoid the short periods of heavy rains that usually come in the afternoons, morning dives will be much more suitable for you.
Although the diversity of sea creatures you will encounter does not change much, there will be a decrease in shark species such as TigerShark.
August and September are considered Hurricane season. Although it is possible to dive during these months, it is possible to encounter tropical storms and hurricanes. Since the ocean conditions will be harsh, the diving operation may be disrupted. Based on my own experience, we had to be evacuated from the island several times during these periods.
To summarize; in the high season there are large ocean creatures and better visibility, while in the low season there may be a slight decrease in these. But the biggest benefit of the low season is calmer dive boats and the opportunity to dive on calmer reefs.
You can always contact me for your questions.
I wish you a pleasant dive in advance.
