Hey, just got back from a quick trip to the Bahamas and I thought that I would post my experiences.... Major props to Cheryl at Deep Blue Adventures for setting this up at the LAST minute! Because of unusual circumstances and cancellation of another trip, I had to set this all up on Friday so that I could leave on Saturday for a few days of diving.
I dove with Stuart Cove's (as most people probably do on this island!), and found them to be very good. They are a big operation, so you don't really get the personal feel that you might get if you spent a few days with one boat and crew. This wasn't such a big deal for me, but some people who want more individualized attention might not like this as much. They have 10 dive boats an a large group of captains, instructors, divemasters and photographers. On the other hand, they obviously move a LOT of divers through the system, and they are very efficient about doing it. There is good attention to diving safety, with a sign in sheet after each dive. The boats are well equipped with fresh water (for showering and drinking), oxygen, etc...
The photographers were great.... In addition to providing me with some terrific shots and video of myself diving, they gave me a lot of general photography advice - very much appreciated.
The shark dive is not to be missed... SO cool, and you definitely get a feel for the beauty and power of these animals... They really crowd around you when the shark feeder opens the box of fish heads - imagine going into a field with 50 golden retrievers and opening up a suitcase full of hamburger!
The hotel (Cable Beach Sheraton) was a typical big resort, very crowded and pricey, but nice if you like that sort of thing. It was a last minute booking, so I didn't have too much time to figure out where the best place to stay would be, but my non-diving girlfriend had a great time there. It is pretty far from the "diving" end of the island (about a 45 minute ride), but Stuart Cove sent a bus to shuttle us back and forth every day...
For food, I have to recommend the "fish fry" district, with a bunch of great local restaurants with delicious conch (of course) and everything else that Bahamian cooking is known for. I recommend Twin Brothers and Seafood Haven. For something more upscale (away from the fish fry), the Poop Deck was very tasty...
Here is a little Web site I made for the video from the shark feeding, and my photos from that dive:
Mike's Shark Dive
Here are the rest of my photos:
Dive photos from Mike's trip to the Bahamas
Feel free to ask if you have specific questions...
I dove with Stuart Cove's (as most people probably do on this island!), and found them to be very good. They are a big operation, so you don't really get the personal feel that you might get if you spent a few days with one boat and crew. This wasn't such a big deal for me, but some people who want more individualized attention might not like this as much. They have 10 dive boats an a large group of captains, instructors, divemasters and photographers. On the other hand, they obviously move a LOT of divers through the system, and they are very efficient about doing it. There is good attention to diving safety, with a sign in sheet after each dive. The boats are well equipped with fresh water (for showering and drinking), oxygen, etc...
The photographers were great.... In addition to providing me with some terrific shots and video of myself diving, they gave me a lot of general photography advice - very much appreciated.
The shark dive is not to be missed... SO cool, and you definitely get a feel for the beauty and power of these animals... They really crowd around you when the shark feeder opens the box of fish heads - imagine going into a field with 50 golden retrievers and opening up a suitcase full of hamburger!
The hotel (Cable Beach Sheraton) was a typical big resort, very crowded and pricey, but nice if you like that sort of thing. It was a last minute booking, so I didn't have too much time to figure out where the best place to stay would be, but my non-diving girlfriend had a great time there. It is pretty far from the "diving" end of the island (about a 45 minute ride), but Stuart Cove sent a bus to shuttle us back and forth every day...
For food, I have to recommend the "fish fry" district, with a bunch of great local restaurants with delicious conch (of course) and everything else that Bahamian cooking is known for. I recommend Twin Brothers and Seafood Haven. For something more upscale (away from the fish fry), the Poop Deck was very tasty...
Here is a little Web site I made for the video from the shark feeding, and my photos from that dive:
Mike's Shark Dive
Here are the rest of my photos:
Dive photos from Mike's trip to the Bahamas
Feel free to ask if you have specific questions...
I really love them (we saw lots of them in Palau) but I know they have no natural predator in Caribbean so they are breeding like rabbits and eating all the juvie fish. In most areas, divers are being encouraged to spear them. 
