Snorkeling & Diving Sites in Exuma: What to See & How to Plan
With so many species of exotic marine life in the waters surrounding hundreds of cays that make up Exuma and diversity of the coral and underwater formation…it’s difficult to pinpoint the best snorkeling and diving zones here…there are simply too many choices.
If you are interested specifically in diving then you should know that the Northern Cays of Exuma offer the most interesting dive sites.
Currents are low along the Exuma reefs and there are many sunk wrecks around here that offer great wreck snorkeling and diving options. For advanced divers there are plenty of underwater cave systems, blue holes and shark feeds to explore.
Most diving & snorkeling activities take place from small sized boats, however if you wish to target exotic or remote sites then try booking a live-board (most of these depart from Nassau). Whatever you do, remember that collecting live marine life and spear fishing is restricted by law in Exuma.
Snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto, Exuma
Photo: cdorobek, flickr, cc by 2.0
The months between November to May are best for diving and snorkeling. From June to October…hurricanes may occur.
Top Sites
Exuma Land and Sea Park spans across 176 miles (rests between Norman’s Cay and Compass Cay) and contains blue holes, thunderball grotto, underwater caves, coral formations at Fire Coral Wax Cut Drive, springs and freshwater ponds. Its best explored in collaboration with a trained guide... not all the waters in the park are allowed to be explored. Make sure that you explore the stromatolites here... these are unique turquoise colored reef inhabiting algae that are scientifically proved to be the oldest form of life on earth…some of these algae are about 2000 years old.
Photo: cdorobek, flickr, cc by 2.0
Black Rock Reef is a shallow patch of a reef that’s located in the shoreline which is to the east of Chat n Chill. Here you will find many clusters of coral heads and corals that can smoothly be explored by snorkelers of various proficiency levels. The land nearby belongs to Good Hope Properties i.e. it is privately owned and you need to be sure that sand around the reef is not stirred up badly….this will increase the sedimentation problems.
Photo: Matt Kieffer, flickr, cc by-sa 2.0
Mystery Cave is a difficult dive spot... it’s one of the many caves right under stocking island. If you are based around Elizabeth Harbor then exploring Mystery Cave via snorkeling (you should take a guide preferably) should be on your priority list. The entrance of the cave is filled with Atlantic spadefish, groupers, blue tangs and snappers. Try visiting during outgoing tide as the visibility is best during that time frame.
Angelfish Blue Hole is nearby in an enclosed bay around Stocking Island. You can dive to a depth of 92 feet here and swim through an underwater chamber teeming with parrotfish, hose eyed jacks, eagle rays and sea turtles.
Channel Marker Reef 2 is towards the east end of Elizabeth Harbor. This reef has multiple holes, growths and cracks underneath and lots of fish inhabit these zone. The reef is up to 5 meters in depth.
Fowl Cay Restoration reef is a whole cluster of reefs that are located between Fowl Cay and Guana Cay. Huge formations of star coral, stag horn coral and Elkhorn coral are found here and snorkelers find it an intriguing destination. Incidentally a coral restoration project is going on here and you need to abide by the rules. This is a medium difficulty diving and snorkeling spot.
Harbor Buoy Portside has a super active reef with lots of things to explore and watch. There is also the Harbor Buoy starboard with the remnants of the masts of an old ship towards the north end of the reef here. Massive chunks of brain corals are found here.
Stocking Island is only a mile away from George town and its waters have many underwater caves, formations of lovely coral and a great variety of marine life that inhabit its blue holes.
Jolly Hall reef is known as a hatchery so you must be extra careful not to disturb the delicate ecological balance here. There are umpteen groups of yellow snappers and grunts here.
Three sisters reef are full of small fish…they offer a good snorkeling option for beginners.
Photo: Matt Kieffer, flickr, cc by-sa 2.0
The Liz lee shoals is an easy to navigate shallow reef with lots of soft corals and brain corals surrounding it.
Reefs around Duck Cay have incredible variety. There are shallow reefs to the south which hosts colorful marine flora while the unusual reef formations in the north have huge schools of snappers and other colorful fish.
The famous Three Sister’s Rocks are actually reefs that are one of the best snorkeling zones in Exuma. There are loads of small fish which teem around these reefs.
Loaded Barrel reef has huge beds of staghorn corals and tropical marine life. Amberjack reef is known to be a top dive site... it offers options of shark diving along with reef diving (about 20 grey reef sharks inhabit these waters).
Photo: Matt Kieffer, flickr, cc by-sa 2.0
Operators
Many tour operator offer day trips that combine diving and snorkeling in Exuma.
Robert Island Adventures
Phone: 242-357-0224
Robert’s Island Adventures is one of the best known names when it comes to tours in Exuma. The vessel is a 33 Go Fast Avanti which takes in 15 passengers in one shot. If your group is larger, Captain Robert Thompson (and his team) will tie up with other boat rentals too. Island adventures offers reef fishing, spear fishing, eco touring, and Exploration of Exuma Cays, snorkeling in blue holes and hiking. The boat is very comfortable and Robert pitches in with the cooking too…overall the food and cocktails are super nice.
They have a daylong Exuma Cay tours which commences on Barraterre Government docks and takes you on most of the famous experiences described above. You need to pre book…Robert and his team are high in demand….prices vary seasonally but they will be cheaper than the tours your resort will arrange for you.
Exuma Water Sports
Phone: +1 242-357-0770
Unlike their name…these tour providers deal in all kinds of experiences right from fishing to swimming with the pigs and diving along with proficiency in water sports. The lightbourns …a true blue Bahamian family operate this tour group and they have showed off the Exuma to celebrities like Taylor swift, Irina Shayk, Muhammed Ali, Royal Family of Qatar, Mike Tyson etc. they have also made an appearance on NBC Extra and City TV Breakfast television…. so you know which tour operator to choose if you are fond of the glamor quotient.
They basically offer 3 types of tours…Ocean safari concentrate on swimming pigs with cay explorations and snorkelling too. The wave runner Jet Ski tour is all about water sports…guests will ride brand new Yamaha wave runners (they will be trained on the spot) and explore rocks, blow holes, aquatic life and some extraordinary coves along with swimming pig’s experience. You can also hire private charters from these guys…the schedule and excursion points are customisable that way. They organise beach events, weddings and photo-shoots too.
Sugar Adventure Company
Phone: +1 242-524-8093 / +1 242-524-8094
These guys offer half a day or full day boat tours (8.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. / 5 p.m.) aboard a 32 feet Contender. Experiences offered are snorkel tour at Thunderball Grotto near Staniel Cay, swimming with nurse sharks at Compass Cay, feeding the swimming pigs at Pig Beach, feeding iguanas, cay exploration etc. along with activities like swimming, snorkelling, deep sea/ spear fishing and lunches on private beaches. The commencing point is Barretarre government docks and the captain is the very experienced Horace smith…he goes by the nickname Sugar….his son Sugar Junior is on the team too!!!
Coastline Adventures
Phone: (242) 524 TOUR (8687); (242) 524 4276
These guys offer all the usual experiences like swimming pigs, iguanas, nurse sharks apart from some other lesser known experiences like starfish picking, celebrity island tours, sand bar retreats etc. which can be very enjoyable. They specialize in day packages that begin from pickup from airport/ hotel and then the day tours along with lunch at Black Point Loraines or Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Lots of personalized attention and island information is shared by Captain Bob Smith.
Island Boy Adventures
Phone: (242) 422-2697 OR (242) 357-0459
This operator offers full day or half day private tours of Exuma cays….and their tours are well known for being always on time. The experiences include swimming with the sharks, pigs, iguana feeding and secluded beach tours apart from swimming, snorkelling and fishing experiences. They are accommodating and will customize the schedule and these are private tours so you won’t feel crammed up with strangers.
The captains are Evvie Munnings and Deon Rolle who have loads of local knowledge and sailing experience. The cons are absence of snacks and refreshments and lack of proactive verbal information about the tour spots….unlike other operator’s local knowledge and intriguing history of the islands is not shared freely.
You can check with the hotel that you are staying in….mostly they will have tie ups with their own tour operators, guides and boat rental agencies so what you get is pretty much a package deal.
Dive Exuma
They operate daily dive, snorkel and chartered trips to many sites inside the park. They specialize in small groups of up to 8 and take the divers and snorkelers in their 36ft Twin Vee catamaran. They are located at the Government Dock, George Town.
Phone: 242-336-2893; 242-357-0313
Exuma Yacht Club
In case you are interested in learning the art of diving and snorkeling, then go for a PADI 5 Star Dive facility. There is one operated by the Exuma Yacht Club in Georgetown and PADI Courses right from beginning to advanced level are offered along with Scuba, Boat tours and water sports. You can call (242) 336-2893 to make bookings.
About the Author
By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj has been writing about Bermuda since 2008, when he launched bermuda-attractions.com, one of the longest-standing independent guides to the island. A Certified Bermuda Specialist (Bermuda Tourism Authority), his work draws on personal visits, local contacts in Bermuda, and questions and trip reports from thousands of readers over the years.
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