Cat Island - Eleuthera & Harbour Island
Look, if you’re coming to Cat Island, you’re here for one thing: oceanic whitetips. And honestly, it delivers. Each spring, usually April and May, these big pelagic sharks show up, drawn in by the tuna migration. We’ve found the encounters here are pretty reliable, and because the water stays so clear, it’s a photographer’s dream. They're curious, not skittish, and you’ll often find yourself with several circling nearby, which is a rare treat given they're usually solitary. It's a deep blue water dive, often with some current, so it’s definitely one for more experienced divers comfortable in open water.
- Location
- Eleuthera & Harbour Island, Bahamas, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 24.633300, -75.583300
- Type
- reef
- Maximum Depth
- 5-30m
Best Time to Dive in Eleuthera & Harbour Island
The warmest water temperatures in Eleuthera & Harbour Island occur in January, averaging 26.0°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 26.0°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 26.0°C (air: 23.6°C)
- February: 26.0°C (air: 23.6°C)
- March: 26.0°C (air: 23.9°C)
- April: 26.0°C (air: 24.5°C)
- May: 26.0°C (air: 25.7°C)
- June: 26.0°C (air: 27.2°C)
- July: 26.0°C (air: 28.5°C)
- August: 26.0°C (air: 28.8°C)
- September: 26.0°C (air: 28.6°C)
- October: 26.0°C (air: 27.6°C)
- November: 26.0°C (air: 26.1°C)
- December: 26.0°C (air: 24.4°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Eleuthera & Harbour Island
- ADVENTURA 1 - 5m (wreck)
- ATLANTIC PEARL - 0m (wreck)
- Barracuda Aquarium - 10-25m (reef)
- Cape Eleuthera
- Eleuthera
- Eleuthera Diving: Wrecks, Reefs, Walls and Drifts (wreck)
- GANGMAR - 9m (wreck)
- ISLAND SUN - 0m (wreck)
- NEW PROVIDENCE - 5m (wreck)
- Off Cape Eleuthera - 10-30m (reef)
- Off The Wall - 15-40m (wall)
- Something to See
- Tunnel Rock
Marine Life in Eleuthera & Harbour Island
Home to 275 recorded species including 239 reef fish, 10 whales & dolphins, 6 sharks & rays, 6 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 other, 3 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) - Reef Fish
- Long-fin Smooth-head (Conocara macropterum) - Reef Fish
- Blackfin Spiderfish (Bathypterois phenax) - Reef Fish
- Fairy Basslet (Gramma loreto) - Reef Fish
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Goldspot Goby (Gnatholepis thompsoni) - Reef Fish
- Whitestar Cardinalfish (Apogon lachneri) - Reef Fish
- Glass Goby (Coryphopterus hyalinus) - Reef Fish
- Bony-eared Assfish (Acanthonus armatus) - Reef Fish
- Blackcheek Blenny (Starksia lepicoelia) - Reef Fish
- Yellowhead Wrasse (Halichoeres garnoti) - Reef Fish
- Spotlight Goby (Elacatinus louisae) - Reef Fish
- Sharpnose Pufferfish (Canthigaster rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Blackcap Basslet (Gramma melacara) - Reef Fish
- Common False Moray (Kaupichthys hyoproroides) - Reef Fish
- Rusty Goby (Priolepis hipoliti) - Reef Fish
- Sand goby (Coryphopterus glaucofraenum) - Reef Fish
- Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) - Reef Fish
- Conklin's cardinalfish (Phaeoptyx conklini) - Reef Fish
- Belted Cardinalfish (Apogon townsendi) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Cat Island
Based on average water temperature of 26.0°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 26°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