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Climate
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The reason these islands are so perfectly suited to watersports has much to do with their incredible expanse of warm, clear water, and the diverse underwater attractions contained within. One hundred thousand square miles of Atlantic Ocean wouldn't mean much to the sport diver if it were all cold and deep, but in the Bahamas much of this resource lies between the limits of sport diving at 130 feet and within inches below the surface.
There are wrecks, reefs, walls, and all manner of marine life; from marine mammals to reef tropicals to perhaps the world's most fascinating shark population. The Bahamas is probably the world's most diverse dive destination, but to understand what differentiates these 700 islands, it's important to know what they share. A highly favorable climate is one such common denominator.
The Tropic of Cancer, the traditional determinant of all things "tropical," actually bisects these islands, passing through Long Island and the south end of the Exuma chain. The prevailing climate is moderated somewhat by the influence of the Gulf Stream, a warm oceanic current flowing from the southern Caribbean to the northeastern United States and beyond.
Still, there is a climactic difference between the southern and northern Bahamas, as the islands are spread over 750 miles. In the north it is possible to feel the influence of the same sort of winter cold fronts that might affect South Florida. Occasionally, the air temperatures will dip into the 60's at night, but a more reasonable expectation is daytime highs of 78 degrees dropping to 70 at night and for summer perhaps 10 degrees warmer overall, bringing air temperatures into the 80s both day and night. In the southern Bahamas the temperature year-round might be 5 degrees warmer on average.
For divers, the more viable weather consideration is water temperature and wind velocity, for both affect potential dive enjoyment. In the winter the water temperature may drop to the mid-70s up north to the high 70s in the southern islands. The summer is absolutely idyllic with water temperatures ranging from the mid- to upper 80s throughout the island chain making thermal protection totally unnecessary, except perhaps for multiple dives or night dives.
Wind is a huge variable for divers, however. In the summer, from May through October, the prevailing winds are gentle tradewinds that do little to stir the seas. Days of slick calm become the norm and the difference between windward and leeward sides of the island an irrelevant dive determinant. During this period, water clarity of 100 to even 200 feet in some places can be expected. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that summer diving in the Bahamas is among the best anywhere in the Western Hemisphere.
Winter diving can offer the same stunning water clarity, but not with the same predictability or frequency. In the winter, dive operators are more careful of the dive sites they choose, tending to opt for sites protected from any prevailing wind whenever necessary. It's all relative of course, and when the wind chill is raging at 30 below zero in February in the northeastern U.S., a diver on holiday will find glorious refuge along the Bahamas' coral reef. The choice is pretty clear basking in stunningly clear 75-degree water or shoveling snow and fighting frostbite back home? No wonder the Bahamas are such a popular winter vacation getaway.
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P.O. Box 21707
Fort Lauderdale , FL 33335
Phone: 954-236-9292
Fax: 954-236-9282
Toll-Free: 1-800-866-DIVE
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Home the sharks, wrecks, walls
and the nation's captitol with impressive diving...
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Encompassing many smaller cays, this is
diving paradise...
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Home to dolphins,
wrecks, sharks, reefs and more...
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