Double Breaster Bars - Abaco
Turtle Reef in Abaco is one of those spots we find ourselves going back to, not because it's the most dramatic dive, but because it delivers consistent, quality Caribbean reef diving. It's a reliable place to find the larger reef residents cruising along the coral structures. We love it as a morning dive, the light catching the big heads of lettuce coral just right, making the whole place glow with a soft green. You'll often spot bigeye tuna patrolling the edges, a flash of silver against the blue, and schools of smallmouth gobies flitting around the mustard hill coral. We've had some particularly good encounters with milk conchs here, slowly making their way across the sandy patches. While the reef itself doesn't offer dramatic drop-offs, it's the sheer number of healthy corals and the relaxed pace of the place that keeps us coming back. It’s perfect for divers who appreciate a calm, vibrant reef and want a good shot at spotting some impressive fish life without fighting a strong current.
- Location
- Abaco, Bahamas, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 27.133330, -78.316670
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Walker's Cay National Park
Best Time to Dive in Abaco
The warmest water temperatures in Abaco occur in August, averaging 29.8°C (up to 31.9°C). The coolest conditions are in February at 24.0°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 24.4°C (air: 20.6°C)
- February: 24.0°C (air: 22.7°C)
- March: 24.3°C (air: 23.0°C)
- April: 25.0°C (air: 24.5°C)
- May: 25.9°C (air: 25.7°C)
- June: 27.7°C (air: 27.3°C)
- July: 29.0°C (air: 28.5°C)
- August: 29.8°C (air: 28.8°C)
- September: 29.4°C (air: 28.0°C)
- October: 28.4°C (air: 26.9°C)
- November: 26.9°C (air: 24.2°C)
- December: 25.4°C (air: 21.9°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Abaco
- 777 - 20m
- Angel Grand
- Atlantis Road
- Ben s Blue Hole (cenote)
- Ben s Cavern (cave)
- Bimini - 10-30m (reef)
- Bimini Barge (Wreck) - 17m (wreck)
- Bimini Diving: Great Hammerheads, Bull Sharks and Wrecks (wreck)
- BIMITI - 12m (wreck)
- Blue Chromis - Bahamas - 22m
- Blue Heron Bridge at Phil Foster Park - 6m (muck)
- Boynton Beach Reef - 21m (reef)
- Breakers Reef - 20m (reef)
- Bull Run - 17m (drift)
- CAPTAIN ROBERTS - 6m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Double Breaster Bars
- Brendals Dive Center
- Dive Guana
- Divers Direct
- Dixie Divers - ["PADI"]
- Force-E Scuba Centers - NAUI, SDI, TDI, SSI
- Hydrotherapy Dive Charters LLC
Marine Life in Abaco
Home to 372 recorded species including 293 reef fish, 30 hard corals, 16 whales & dolphins, 7 sea snails & nudibranchs, 7 sharks & rays, 5 other.
Notable Species
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- American eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Yellowtail Parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Blueman (Scarus vetula) - Reef Fish
- Cuvier's Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Hogfish (Bodianus rufus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Double Breaster Bars
Based on average water temperature of 26.7°C, visibility 20 nmi, currents 4 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 27°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories