Grand Bahama Diving: Tiger Sharks, Dolphins, Wrecks and More - Abaco
Grand Bahama diving, particularly around the Tiger Beach area, really delivers on its promise of big animal encounters. We've spent many an hour watching tiger sharks cruise by, often accompanied by lemon sharks, sometimes even a bull shark or two making a fly-by. It's exhilarating, no doubt, but always well-managed by the local operations who really know these animals. Beyond the shark action, there are some decent wreck dives too, offering a nice contrast. They're typically well-colonised with schooling fish, a few resident groupers, and often a turtle or two resting in a nook. The reefs here are generally healthy, a decent spot for both newer divers looking for some easy exploration and more experienced folks keen on those shark photography opportunities.
- Location
- Abaco, Bahamas, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 26.507000, -78.629000
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Peterson 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 Grand Bahama Diving: Tiger Sharks, Dolphins, Wrecks and More
- 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 Grand Bahama Diving: Tiger Sharks, Dolphins, Wrecks and More
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