INDepth – Bahamas cruising

Fancy living the dream? Sleek yachts, tropical beaches, luxury hotels, casinos and sharks in perfectly clear water? The Bahamas has it all, combining all the adventure of tropical diving with all the comforts and luxuries you could ever dream of.

Straddling the area running to the east of Miami down to the northeast of Cuba, the 700 or so islands of the Bahamas act as an exquisite bridge between the developed coastline of Florida and the heart of the Caribbean. And I think it’s fair to say that the Bahamas encompasses the best of both worlds. The country’s proximity to the USA – flights from Miami to the Bahamian capital of Nassau take less than an hour – means that large numbers of Americans visit the islands, bringing with them high expectations of customer service and top-quality food and accommodation, which the Bahamas delivers in style. Combine that with pristine islands that are well protected environmentally, aquamarine waters to die for and truly friendly locals, and you have a winning combination.

The attraction of Bahamian diving lies in its variety: you get some amazing shark encounters, some good-quality reefs, and the interesting topography of the swim-throughs and walls. However, as with the rest of the Caribbean, you don’t get the large schools of fish that you find in the Indo-Pacific, so if you just want to count fish, this might not be the place for you.

A visit to the Bahamas is about the overall quality of the experience – everything from the expertly mixed rum cocktails to the perfectly organised shark feeds. With so much choice and so much to see in the Bahamas, this feature will focus specifically on the islands of the Exuma Cays, starting at the capital Nassau on New Providence and moving down through the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park by liveaboard.

New Providence and Paradise Island I’ve always imagined an ideal version of the Caribbean. It’s a Caribbean formed from James Bond movies and comprising classic white-sand beaches, aquamarine waters, bustling towns and friendly locals. It’s the Bahamas in which a suave Roger Moore would breeze out of the airport in a safari suit and step straight into a chauffeur-driven car to be whisked off to an amazing beachside hotel where he becomes a mojito-sipping Pierce Brosnan checking out the view, before changing into his scuba gear to become a night-diving Sean Connery slipping into inky black waters to mix it up with the bad guys and wrestle a few sharks.

Back to reality, and I have to say that arriving at Nassau airport was not far off my fantasy. Admittedly, we had to go through the bore of security, but even that was relatively easy and the guards were pleasant – a reflection of how important tourism is to the islands. We stepped outside to a sea of friendly faces offering to help with bags and generally being very welcoming, before being ushered to our car. A 40-minute transfer to Paradise Island took us to the location of the Aqua Cat, our home for a week, where we were welcomed by cooling rum punch and a smiling crew – but more of boats later.

New Providence offers the full range of activities that you would expect from a tropical island destination and plenty more besides. The international airport is served by flights from London five times a week, and there are other routes available via Miami and other US cities. The Georgian streets of Nassau are well maintained, with plenty in the way of markets and shops, and nearby Cable Beach (a three-mile ride by bus or taxi) is the heart of the island’s nightlife. There is all manner of accommodation to choose from: everything from high-rise hotels to privately owned inns.

The majority of dive sites are concentrated around the southwest of the island. There are a few dive centres in the area, the best known being Stuart Cove’s, which offers daily two-tank trips, a photo and video centre and a shop. The centre was used in the film Flipper, and a number of underwater movie sequences have been shot here, including Splash, Cocoon and Thunderball. The area offers a variety of dive sites including the purpose-sunk David Tucker wreck, the Cessna airplane sunk for Jaws IV and the Thunderball wreck used in the film of the same name, as well as for Never Say Never Again. However, the centre is best known for the shark adventure dives that take place on a daily basis.

A short hop from New Providence is Paradise Island, which is joined to its neighbour by two bridges. This four-mile-long island is dominated by the Atlantis resort, comprising towering hotel blocks, an open-air aquarium, and a 141-acre water park. It is architecture at its most decadent, with marble everywhere, large casinos and rows of shops and restaurants. The resort even manages to dwarf the huge cruise ships that dock here as they make their way through their Caribbean itineraries.

Cruising the Exuma Cays
The Aqua Cat provides everything you would expect of a Bahamas liveaboard. At 31m in length, the boat is spacious, and its twin hulls make for an extremely stable ride. Each of the 11 cabins is well above sea level, with a proper window (no pokey portholes here) and an en-suite bathroom with shower. The main salon features a widescreen television and games console amid comfy sofas and a large dining area. The sundeck at the top of the boat is fitted out with sunbeds and has the added benefit of an open bar, with draught beer on tap for when the day’s diving is over.