Shark Diving in Small Hope Bay, Andros

So, what’s new?
The resort of Small Hope Bay Lodge has been taking divers to nearby dive sites for more than 40 years, and shark feeding has newly been added to its attractions. Jeff Birch, the son of Dick Birch, who set up Small Hope as a family-run resort in 1960, was concerned that feeding the sharks might have a negative impact on the animals – altering their natural behaviour. After a trip to Walker’s Cay in the north of the Bahamas, where he saw how staff use a chumsicle (a frozen ball of bait and fish blood) to attract sharks to watching divers, he decided to try it at Small Hope. In theory, this method – as opposed to hand-feeding – allows the sharks to maintain a natural hierarchy between bigger and smaller animals.

Shark diving has now been available at Small Hope for more than a year, and the number of sharks seen (mainly Caribbean reef sharks) has increased from about six or seven to 15.

And how’s the diving?
Andros has a huge reef system – its wall starts at about 22m and drops down into the ‘Tongue of the Ocean’, an underwater canyon that reaches depths of 2,000m. And, as Andros is made up of limestone and coral, it is riddled with holes – there are more than 170 blue holes inland and at least 50 in the ocean. What makes the dive sites particularly interesting is the fact that they have not always been underwater. Only a few hundred years ago, the native Taino people buried their dead in some of the underwater caves, and the beaches and cliffs that these people once walked along are now also submerged.

Reef diving is good but it won’t dazzle you with colours and species diversity in the way that a reef in the Indian Ocean might. However, El Niño was relatively kind here, and although there is some coral bleaching, it’s negligible.

As with everything at Small Hope, the shark diving is a chilled-out affair. Divers are allowed to move around the sharks as much as they like – there’s no enforced sitting on the sea bed. This means you can hover or swim some distance from the sharks, or if you prefer, swim up close to the sharks and get a spine-tingling look at those teeth!

One unusual aspect of Small Hope diving is that everyone, regardless of experience, has to undergo a diving check-out – sit on the sea bed, take your mask off and your regulator out of your mouth, and then replace them. This system has its advantages: if you’re an inexperienced diver but feel comfortable in the water, staff will be prepared to take you on deeper dives. Experienced divers will find that Small Hope is flexible when it comes to depth limits (50m-plus), and nitrox diving and training is also available.

Accommodation any good?
Pinewood cottages, hammocks under coconut palms, no phones, no televisions – just slip off your shoes and forget about them until it’s time to leave – Small Hope really is the perfect place to unwind.

There are 20 comfortable cottages, each with an en-suite bathroom. You don’t get a key for your cottage – you can lock it from the inside if you wish, but otherwise the rooms stay open. There is a safe for valuables, if needed.

Breakfast and evening meals are served in the Lodge, a large pinewood building with sleep-inducing comfy chairs in the lounge, and a restaurant, bar, TV room and library. Dinner is a buffet-style affair, with plenty of vegetarian options, as well as fish and meat dishes. Lunch is served outside by the sea. You can eat as much as you like, which is a bonus as the cuisine at Small Hope Bay is excellent – healthy, fresh and tasty.

Tell us about the island…
The Andros landscape is flat but not monotonous. Mangrove swamps can be found nearly everywhere and, on the east coast, rocky shores with small sandy beaches are formed by coral, there are inland waterways and tidal flats in the centre of the island, and pine forests in the north.

Staff can provide you with maps to guide you along the nearby nature trails, with descriptions of flowers, birds and other creatures that you’re likely to see along the way. There are bicycles, sea kayaks, windsurfing boards and a sailboat available for use if you get bored swinging in your hammock or sitting in the hot tub!

And the verdict?
Small Hope Bay Lodge has a motto: ‘Rest, relaxation, rediscovery,’ and that sums it up well. You’ll come away feeling as if you’ve spent a week at a health farm, except that you’ll also get great diving, delicious food and a bar that’s open 24 hours a day! It’s not cheap, but rates (US$225 per night) include airport transfers, all meals, all drinks, use of the bicycles, kayaks, windsurfing boards and sailboat, as well as three dives a day, plus one night dive.

How do I find out more?
Barefoot Traveller (tel: 020 8741 4319),
and Hayes and Jarvis (tel: 0870 9037737)
offer packages to Small Hope Bay Lodge.
Contact Small Hope Bay Lodge direct by
e-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or check out the web site: http://www.smallhope.com.