Best 'affordable' low key bahama island for shark diving and dolphins?

[drrich2]

Here's the thing...we are a family of 6, the younger two will be first time divers (I'm still deciding if I want to take them or not 10 and 13).

So, you might have a 10 year old new diver in the water. Do you intend for the 10 and 13 year old kids to participate in a dive where they may draw in an adult great hammerhead shark? If I misunderstood, apologies. Such issues are highly individualized and please take the following input in the spirit of helpfulness.

The advisability of getting 10 year old kids certified has been debated repeatedly on the forum. Into that unpredictable mix, add the excitement of baiting in sharks, maybe a whopper shows up, and the kid could get over-exited and go through his/her tank faster than anyone expects and suddenly be out of breath. Or the sharks comes over and the kid suspects attack. While the dangers of sharks may be over-rated, the dangers of panic are not.

Maybe that's not at all what you planned. Apologies if so. The other day I was looking at Bimini Scuba Center's Great Hammerhead Safari page photos, and I pictured a 10 year old new diver in that. The idea spooked me enough to speak up, just in case. Have a good trip.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

I can't speak for GH's but Scalloped Hammerheads are wusses. We have to sneak up on them in Mexico and once we're spotted, they quickly become a distant memory. None of us dives a RB which would help - it seems possible the bubbles spook them - or our size, most are in the 3-5' range.

 

[Manuel Sam]

Just for clarification.....the $299/ 2 tanks that I mentioned in the Bimini Great Hammerhead diving posting was for the Great Hammerhead dives. For regular reef dives, it is $119/2 tanks plus tax.

As I see it, if the requirements are to dive with sharks other than Caribbean Reef and Black tip.....meaning Tigers, Great Hammerheads, Bulls and others, and also be able to do Dolphin snorkeling, all in one trip, I know of two options (and I am sure that there are others).

Option 1 - go to Bimini.

Option 2: do a combo Tiger Beach/Spotted Dolphin trip on the Dolphin Dream out of West Palm Beach, FL.

But on Option 2, best if you contact the operator to see if the Bahamian regulations have changed. During my time in Bimini, it was rumored that State-based dive operations were going to barred from diving certain areas of the Bahamas, including Bimini. I don't know if that would extend to snorkeling with dolphins as well.

 

[Manuel Sam]

Sorry, I failed to mention that the Great Hammerhead diving season in Bimini is only until April. If travel is planned for June, that eliminates Option 1 on my previous reply.