Shark Encounter: Most Exciting Excursion in Nassau

Looking for an adrenaline rush? The most unforgettable excursion I've experienced was in Nassau with Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas. They offer snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, SNUBA, personal submarines, and ship wreck dives.

 

Contrary to popular belief, staying on the cruise ship in Nassau is a big mistake! There's an entire day worth of fascinating sites, food, history and wildlife to discover on New Providence Island, especially below the surface of the water. 

Whether you've tried snorkeling, or this is your first time, they will train you with professionalism and expertise. No experience is required, but it will be an advantage to you if you have been snorkeling before. This company has been featured on The Discovery Channel and in many documentaries since 1979 when Stuart opened his dive shop.

Once you disembark your cruise ship, Stuart Cove's will pick you up in a marked van at a designated spot, and take you on a scenic and informative ride across the island. It's not too long of a drive, and was very enjoyable. The driver pointed out the celebrity homes of Tiger Woods, Sean Connery and more. He told us of Nassau's legendary pirate roots, and also facts about the Bahamian people. 

Their dive shop is located on the former set of Flipper, the old TV series. They have restrooms with showers (nothing fancy), memorabilia, photos, maps, a gift shop, and an outdoor classroom. You will take one of these double-decker boats out to your snorkel or dive site. We did the shark encounter package, with the 2 added snorkeling sites. You can stay on the boat during the shark portion, which is called "bubble watching."

After a nice, 10-minute boat ride, we stopped to snorkel a colorful coral reef, in about 15-20 feet of water. It was mid-February and the water temperature was still tolerable. The captain pointed out the uninhabited island which was in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. We were given sanitized snorkel gear and floatation vests, and were free to jump in and explore.  The crew always kept their eyes on us, or were in the water too. We saw hundreds of tropical fish, many species of coral, and a black tipped reef shark. After about 30 minutes, we pulled up the anchor and went to another site. There were gigantic underwater statues and a plane wreck from the movie Jaws 2. The visibility and clarity of the water was stunning. 

After enjoying snorkeling this site, they took us to the last spot of the day, for the shark encounter. After they anchored the boat, about a mile offshore, they dropped a box of chum down into the deep water. It was about 40 feet deep here, and the sharks slowly start circling the boat. (This will really get your blood pumping, and you may change your mind about going in with them.) We were surrounded by 9-10' sharks. They threw a rope with buoys attached out into the water for us to hold onto while snorkeling. The staff were in the water with us the entire time. I got some awesome footage on my GoPro.

If you're feeling even more adventurous, you can do their shark dive, which is where you scuba dive down to the bottom of the ocean to watch a live shark feeding.

Don't forget sunscreen, sunglasses, and the best pop in the Bahamas, Goombay Punch!

If you're looking for an unforgettable experience during you cruise or vacation to Nassau, I highly recommend booking with Stuart Cove's. You can find them on Facebook or at Stuartcove.com. I am in no way affiliated with this company, just a cruise passenger who had an amazing day. I will definitely be back, but with my kids next time!

If you would like a free quote for a Bahamian cruise, or a stay at the All Inclusive Resorts in Nassau, let us know. We would love to help you plan your next adventure. Would you swim with the sharks?

Happy diving!

Summer Squires

You can find Summer cruising the Caribbean when she's not at Walt Disney World. She specializes in cruises and Bahamas Tourism. Email her at Summer@kingdomkonsultant.com.