The beauty of Paradise Island is hardly relegated to the white sand beaches and bougainvillea at sea level and the turquoise-hued shallows. Certified scuba divers in these exceptionally clear waters are rewarded with a deeper and wider view of the incredible coral reefs and shipwrecks that act as a haven for healthy marine life around New Providence. “The waters are consistently warm and clear year-round, and divers can experience everything from dramatic walls and wrecks to sharks, tropical fish, rays, turtles and healthy coral formations all in a single trip,” says Travis Cove, general manager for Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas in Nassau. From schools of blue-striped grunts, whose bright-yellow bodies shimmer in a stream of moving color across shallow reefs, to nurse sharks tucked beneath limestone ledges, and moray eels peering from sunken shipwrecks, the underwater world of these islands is even more spellbinding with a tank strapped to your back. “Whether you’re a first-time diver or a seasoned ocean adventurer, travelers can discover thriving marine life, iconic wrecks and world-class underwater visibility just minutes from shore,” says Erica Wedepohl, PADI territory director for the Caribbean. Read on for four incredible dive sites worth gearing up for on your next visit to Paradise Island.
James Bond Wrecks
Just a short boat ride offshore from Nassau’s southwest coast, two wrecks that served as props in James Bond movies welcome divers for what feels like an underwater backlot tour. The 90-foot freighter, Tears of Allah, was sunk for a starring role in the 1983 thriller Never Say Never Again, which featured Sean Connery diving the wreck. Sitting upright on the sand, parts of the ship’s deck can be explored in just 30 feet of water. Nearby, the Vulcan Bomber — a prop plane used in the 1965 film Thunderball — can be visited on the same dive and is covered with tropical fish.
Ray of Hope Wreck
This 200-foot-long Haitian freighter was given new life as an artificial reef when it was purposefully sunk in 2003 off the southwestern coast of Nassau. Still fully intact at depths of between 40 and 60 feet, the wreck’s decades underwater have left it encrusted with coral, sponges and fans. It’s loaded with more charismatic marine life, too, in the form of Caribbean reef sharks, turtles, stingrays and more. Advanced divers with the training can venture inside the wreck to peer into interior cabins and get a peek at the engine room.
Shark Wall and The Arena
For divers, sharks are among the most coveted species to witness underwater, and the waters off Paradise Island and Nassau are a reliable place to see Caribbean reef sharks where they live. The classic shark-diving experience here is a two-tank dive during which divers will likely see the sharks free swimming along a vertical drop-off covered with coral before kneeling on the sandy seafloor at a site called The Arena to witness a controlled feeding session. It’s an adrenaline-charged moment that brings the majestic animals in even closer for views you’ll never forget.
Southwest Reef
Roughly six miles offshore and close to the fabled Tongue of the Ocean (the deepwater trench running between the islands of New Providence and Andros), Southwest Reef lures divers with its hard and soft coral that stretch to the underwater horizon, and visibility that often pushes the 80-foot mark. Bright-yellow-and-violet-hued fairy basslets rise and fall from the reef as if summoned by a magician’s wand; butterfly fish and angelfish flit among the coral heads, and larger species like grouper similarly abound.
