Acting as a barrier, the Gulf Stream protects the Bahamas from Florida's rain and river run-off, and together with vast oceanic trenches that allow sediment to settle into deep water, it ensures spectacular visibility. The Bahama Banks act as a breeding and feeding ground for a prolific variety of marine life; they are particularly favored mating grounds for bottlenose and spotted dolphins.
In addition to world-class reefs, blue holes and wrecks, the Bahamas are famous for encounters with stingrays, dolphins and sharks.
On Long Island you will find an incredible variety of diving. The lee is mostly calm, with little or no current; most sites afford a 'fixed' bottom...making for easy and safe dive planning and orientation. The Atlantic shelves and reefs are dramatic, boast vast areas of incredible antler and other large-growth coral fields. Wreck diving includes the ‚Comberbach’, a 35 metre steel freighter that sits upright on the bottom at a depth of 30 metres. Right next to it is you can explore the ‚Sunseeker’, a sailing vessel. But what Long Island is really famous for is the Stella Maris Shark Reef, where Caribbean reef shark are coming several times a week for prepared food and can be filmed and photographed during their lunch break.
Keep hurricane season, June through October, in mind; winter weather from December to March means 23°C, cooler water, and sweaters in the evening. May through November is summer in the Bahamas. During these months, the most rain falls and temperatures average about 27°C.