Also on Grand Bahama, there are three topographically reef zones: Flat reefs (shallow reefs), Central reefs  (medium reefs) and deep reefs the steep face, which is called "drop-off" or "edge of the ledge". Grand Bahama Island is 70 miles long and eight miles wide and extends to the reef along the south side. Not even a mile from the coast it falls steeply into the deep Northwest Providence Channel. On the east side (East End), however is shallow seabed, there the Little Bahama Bank separates the island and the neighbouring island of Abaco. The Bahama bank is known in diving circles because there it is possible, to dive with wild Spinner Dolphins. Grand Bahama offers a wide range of diving activities, coupled with the perfect infrastructure of the Underwater Explorer Society. 57 permanent buoys mark the dive sites that can be approached by vessels only, because of the large distance to the coast. Most are located between Silver Point in the west and Lucayan Waterways in the East. They are all reachable from the dive base UNEXSO by short boat rides which take 15 to 60 minutes. Full-day trips are available for the distant and less visited sections of the reef, such as Deadman's Reef or East End. Various water-filled sinkholes in the island interior allow the entry into large caverns with stalactites and wide cave labyrinths. A spectacular cave is Ben's Cave, named after its discoverer Ben Rose. For diving down that sinkhole, there exist only very limited opportunities and these are organized by UNEXSO. For divers, the  encounter with sharks is on of the greatest experiences. The big problem is, however, that these animals are not aggressive and bloodthirsty, but on the contrary very shy. Here at the dive site Shark Junction, visitors can meet a group of up to 20 Caribbean Reef Sharks. The skin close encounter takes place on a circular sand area, in the area of the middle reef, about one mile away from the Bell Channel. There is a permanent buoy marked for descend and ascend. The depth is about fifteen meters. Beside the main attraction, the sharks, the visitor can see many other fishes. Large moray eels are living in the blocks around the coral sand areas. Great American holly rays often swim through the scene, and at least ten large Nassau Groupers are also regular. The water temperature never falls below 20 °C because of the passing Gulf Stream. During the months of May to September, it increases up to 28 degrees. There are no extremely strong currents, at the popular diving sites, but obviously, depending on the wind, waves and tides with medium strengths can be expected. But they are easy to master, because of the permanent buoys for descend and go up. The underwater world around Grand Bahama differs little from other territories in the Caribbean. The island is waiting with two very special attractions being second to none. These are the Shark Junction and The Dolphin Experience. On the initiative of UNEXSO, diving with Caribbean and Great Reef Sharks was launched, which gave the best reason for divers to come to Grand Bahama from around the world. |
