So, this post is a little overdue. As one of our last vacation adventures, Jason and I were blessed to spend 8 days on New Providence Island (where Nassau is) in the Bahamas, diving and relaxing (not at the same time.)
Diving was definitely the highlight, and while we were there I dove eleven times and Jason dove fifteen (!) times. We both upgraded our PADI certifications so we now have Advanced Open Water certs, and we just had an amazing time diving with Stuart's Cove.
The best things about diving around New Providence Island are the wrecks and the reefs. There are SO MANY wrecks - most of them placed deliberately - many of them made famous by appearances in James Bond movies, JAWS, Into the Blue and MythBusters. So cool.
Stuart's Cove is also one of a handful of places in the entire world where you can do a "Shark Dive". And when I say Shark Dive, I'm not talking about being in a cage.
Here's how the Shark Dive works. On the first of two dives, they take you to the shark site, and you do a normal dive on a nearby shipwreck so you have an opportunity to get used to the presence of the sharks. That way, they know before the main event if you're going to panic or freak out. So... On the second dive, you add extra weight so that you can sit on the ocean floor without moving or bobbing. They set all the divers up around the "shark arena" and once everyone is set, the shark feeder (in oceanic chain mail) gets in the water with the bait box. Before the bait box hits the water the sharks are already there. They know the time of day that is "feeding" time, but when the bait is in the water? It's on. We're talking 30 FULL SIZE reef and nurse sharks. Occasionally they'll have a hammerhead show up, but on our day it was just reef and nurse sharks. The feeding begins, and they are swimming over and around you, pushing past you, focused on the feeding happening in the arena. I never felt threatened or in danger, and let me tell you... it was SO COOL. The sharks are INCREDIBLE animals. So beautiful, so powerful. It was one of the most incredible moments I have ever experienced, and I am so grateful that we had the experience.
If you are a certified diver and are going to be in the Bahamas, you HAVE to go on the Shark Dive with Stuart's Cove. It is truly incredible!
I wish I could say I'd do a shark dive but I'd be one of those people that freak out in the first dive. LOL! It would be sooo cool though. What an incredible experience. :)
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