Beaches & Watersports

Watersports on Nassau Paradise Island

By Greg Johnston

Landlubbing is only half of the "no experience necessary" formula for seeing all that Nassau Paradise Island has to offer. The island’s unique position perched on the deep crevice of the Tongue of the Ocean and back dropped by the gorgeous shallows of the Great Bahama Bank create the idyllic conditions for some big thrills adventure. That is to say – it's time to make a splash.

Choose from a variety of watersports such as sailing, diving, fishing, jet skiing and snorkeling. If you prefer to stay dry while enjoying the water, nothing beats the experience of slicing through the waves on a chartered cruise aboard a sail boat, powerboat or an evening sunset cruise.

You can explore the many cays scattered along Nassau Paradise Island.  Dive or snorkel right into a magnificent undersea world or enjoy the thrill of big-game fishing.  Here's a sampling of some fun things to do in the water.

Spend a full day at Dolphin Cay Atlantis, an extraordinary 14-acre dolphin habitat, one of the largest of it's kind in the world. A place where swimming with dolphins has been redefined. Whether you share in their playful shallow water antics or experience their speed and agility first-hand in deeper waters, the dolphins of Atlantis welcome you to share in their fun. With 6 interactive programs, you'll have a lot to choose from including Sea Lions - Behind the Scenes, Trainer for a Day, Sea Keeper and more. For more dolphin experiences, also try Dolphin Encounters at Blue Lagoon Island.  It's an up-close and personal experience with some of the most intelligent creatures on the planet.  It's a great place to try snorkeling, or just relax on any of the beachfront lounge chairs. The ferry leaves from Paradise Island several times daily and heads over to the private Blue Lagoon island.

Stuart Cove’s SUB Bahamas (Submersible Undersea Bubble) is a half-day adventure that is sure to test your aquanaut skills. It's easy, extremely safe and really fun and you don't need any scuba or snorkeling experience. Some quick familiarization training and you'll be cruising around the reefs at a depth of 15 feet alongside colorful schools of fish in the self-powered, seahorse-shaped SUB.

Stuart Cove’s Snorkel Bahamas offers a half-day water experience on the shallow reefs at Goulding Cay or some of the James Bond underwater movie sets. It's like a trip down memory lane, or reef, for that matter. More than a dozen shipwrecks are found scattered along the reef line, most ideal for snorkeling – like on the Carib Breeze, where its mast rises to just below the surface.

Diving here ranks with the best in the world. Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas has morning and afternoon dive charters that will take you along a beautiful coral reef, a thrill that is sure to keep you looking over your shoulder for big animals such as sea turtles and stingrays. A second dive will follow on a more shallow reef or wreck site.

Bahama Divers offers the highest quality and personalized service with 40 years of experience diving Nassau Paradise Island. Our custom dive boats make two dive trips daily to the best dive sites. A two-tank morning dive and then a single-tank afternoon dive is the normal schedule. Learn to dive with our professional dive instruction staff. Courses range from Open Water Completions to Dive Master and Specialty courses.

Dive sites include the famous "Lost Blue Hole", a 200' wide natural opening in the ocean floor starting at a depth of 30' and descending to 200'.  You'll experience intriguing wrecks with a fantastic array of colorful marine life.  A 3,000 foot living wall on the "Tongue of the Ocean" that beckons experienced divers, and amazing coral reefs like "The Fish Hotel" that provide a close encounter with reef fish, lobsters and other marine life.

Bahama Divers is located in Nassau, five minutes from Paradise Island.  Our dive trips include free transportation to and from area hotels between Cable Beach and Paradise Island and the dive shop.

Try a powerboat adventure to one of the Out Islands for the day. Powerboat Adventures runs trips daily to the Exuma Cays, where you can feed iguanas, stingrays and sharks.  Enjoy a picnic lunch, then drift snorkel, take a nature hike or just sun bathe on the powder soft sand.  Or head to Saddleback Cay, also in the Exumas, with Island World Adventures. This trip includes a picnic lunch, snorkeling and a guided eco-tour.

For more diving, snorkeling, fishing and boating operators please visit the links to the left in our Beaches and Watersports section.

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