Monday, March 26, 2007
025-43.080 N
079-18.900 W
[The following descriptions were copied from various web sites]
Atlantis Road
The Atlantis Road, or Bimini Road is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bimini because of the mystery surrounding the site. In the 1930s, an American psychic named Edgar Cayce reported that he had spoken with a person who had lived in the Lost City of Atlantis in a former life. This Atlantean told Cayce that Atlantis had been near Bimini. Cayce predicted that portions of the temples of Atlantis would become visible near Bimini in '68 or '69. When a private pilot flying over the waters near North Bimini reported seeing a strange parallel structure in shallow water, many people believed these were either walls from Atlantis or a mysterious road leading to Atlantis. And thus the mystery of the Atlantis Road was born.
Since the 1970s, the structure has been explored by thousands of visitors, filmed for several TV specials, written about in books and magazines and drilled into by geologists. Eugene A. Shinn led a team of geologists who core-drilled the rocks and determined that the stones are submerged, natural beachrock that is the same as the beachrock found on nearby North Bimini. In spite of his findings, there are still many who believe that the two rows of parallel stones were placed in the "road" formation by intelligent beings.
The rectangular stones lie in 15 feet of water just a mile offshore of North Bimini. The stones are straight and certainly look as if they were placed in a wall or road. The site is a regular stop on all the dive charters. It is easily explored by snorkelers and divers. Whether you believe the stones are linked to the Lost City of Atlantis or merely just an interesting natural rock formation, the Atlantis Road is a fun divespot.
Novice
Bimini Barge
The Bimini Barge sunk in the late 1980s during a hurricane. The 120-foot vessel sits upright on a sandy bottom just on the edge of the continental shelf. The sandy bottom is about 100 feet and the top of the barge can be reached at 65 feet.
The barge is completely overgrown with corals and sponges making it a beautiful artificial reef. Huge grouper, jack, barracuda and sharks have been spotted swimming through the hull. Divers can penetrate the wreck and swim among the big fish, but beware of fire coral. Passageways are narrow.
Visibility is usually fantastic and marine life is abundant. There can be an extremely strong current.
75-100' Advanced
Bimini Trader
The Bimini Trader sunk offshore of South Bimini in 1992. The ship is lying upside-down at a depth of 85 feet. The Trader is not far from the Bimini Barge.
Divers report seeing large grouper and often some sharks. The current can be very strong as this area is close to the continental shelf and gulfstream.
Advanced
Continental Shelf
Bimini is famous for this spectacular dive "off the wall". Just off of South Bimini, is a great spot to experience a very deep dive on the rim of the continental shelf. The shelf is a sheer cliff that drops from 145 feet straight down 2000 feet.
This is a dive that will leave you staring into an abyss of water in more shades of blue than the Crayola box! Large fish, such as jacks and mackerel, will have a look at you as you enter their deep water world.
This spot is a drift dive for very experienced divers. There is no mooring buoy.
Extremely Advanced
Hawksbill Reef North
Although this reef is named after a turtle species, it's rare to see Hawksbill turtles on the reef. You can expect to see some large jack, chub, parrotfish and maybe even a reef or nurse shark. The Foundation for Ocean Research filmed the television series "The Last Frontier" at this reef.
The reef lies off of North Bimini with two mooring buoys at North and South ends. This is a pleasant dive at medium depths.
35-50' Novice
Bouy
Hesperus / Turtle Wreck
The Hesperus is a shallow wreck on the Grand Bahama Bank that is a favorite spot for photography and for night dives. It has been called the Turtle Wreck because of the numerous loggerhead turtles that gather on the wreck at night. This cement barge sunk with its cargo, so bags of hardened cement can be seen along the bottom and on the ship. Snorkelers can enjoy the wreck since the top of the structure is less than 10 feet underwater. The ship sits on the sandy bottom at about 20 feet. It is surrounded by sea grass making a nice boundary to keep novice divers from getting lost.
Night divers report seeing stingrays, lobsters, trigger fish, red snapper, kingfish, mackerel, pompano, cobias and grunts, along with the loggerheads. Many divers have also spotted large schools of barracuda, remoras and nurse and reef sharks. Blacktip and hammerhead sharks have even been spotted swimming around and through the Hesperus.
Because the wreck is shallow, there is usually plenty of sunlight which has fostered a burst of colorful coral growth. The coral is packed with hundreds of tropical fish. There is generally no need for a dive light to see the bright splashes of reds, yellows and purples of the reef.
20-35' Novice
Bouy
Honeymoon Harbor
Honeymoon Harbor is a small anchorage on the north end of Gun Cay. This is a favorite stop for boaters looking for an afternoon of sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling. The harbor is generally too shallow for SCUBA diving, but is fantastic for snorkeling. The waters in the harbor are teeming with life! Expect to see stingrays, colorful starfish, conch, and even a nurse shark or two.
On the south side of the harbor is a nice sandy beach perfect for throwing a Frisbee, grilling the catch of the day, or simply relaxing in the sun. On the east side of the beach is a small berm of sand. A short walk over the berm will bring you to another beautiful beach where you're sure to find curious stingrays. They're accustomed to being fed and they'll probably swim right over to you as you wade in the crystal clear shallow waters.
10-15'
Kinks
The Kinks is a scattering of patches of coral heads along a white sandy bottom. It has abundant marine life and good visibility (usually about 75 feet). Many divers come to the Kinks for night dives. The inner edge of the reef is at 38 - 40 feet. The outer edge lies at 42 - 51 feet. With a maximum of 55 feet, the dive is well-lit and very colorful.
At the south end of the reef just below the mooring buoy, you'll find a small ledge that's usually home to either a big crab or a small nurse shark. Local divers report that the crab and the shark are fighting a turf war, and the ledge changes ownership frequently. The day we visited this site, the nurse shark was there.
Sea creatures to look for are green morays, spotted eels, hawksbill turtles, lobster, crabs, hogfish, damsels, squirrelfish, and angelfish of all kinds. The occasional shark and remoras have also been spotted at the Kinks.
[Geoff's comments: This was my second dive site in Bimini. I had previously dove at The Strip and I found this site much nicer. The coral was in better shape and had a lot more height to it. There was less algae and more sponges. There also appeared to be a larger variety of fish.]
50-60' Intermediate
Bouy
Little Caverns
Little Caverns is a good intermediate dive off of North Bimini. The greatest depth is 80 feet at the bottom of a coral canyon. Huge mountains of coral heads and sponge formations grow up from a white sandy bottom. There are small tunnels and larger swim-throughs to explore.
Hundreds of fish feed along the reef. Expect to see lots of gray snapper, grouper, schooling Bermuda chub and an occasional Caribbean reef shark.
55-85' Intermediate
Bouy missing as of 3/2007, Caves
Moray Alley
This site off of North Bimini is appropriately named as many divers report interacting with the green moray eels that make this reef their home. But even if you don't spot a moray, there are plenty of beautiful fish to see. There are parrotfish, tangs, French Angelfish, black durgeons and trumpet fish swimming among the coral heads and sea fans. and it attracts numerous grouper, yellowtail snapper, hogfish and schoolmaster. Southern Stingrays are numerous in Bimini and have been seen in Moray Alley frequently.
50-75' Intermediate
Bouy
Nodules / Nodule Wall
The Bahamas lie along the edge of the continental shelf and are well-known for spectacular wall dives. Generally these dives are all over 100 feet, but at the Nodules, divers can reach the wall at 75 feet. The flat surface can be explored at about 65 feet. Spur and groove corals and tube sponges lead the diver to the sheer drop of the Wall. The current and depth make this an advanced drift dive.
Visibility is incredible thanks to the sweeping current. It's not uncommon for divers to stare more than 200 feet into the brilliant turquoise and deep blue waters of the abyss. This dive will take your breath away. Divers will see large grouper and jack and may even encounter a marlin or blacktip shark. Nodules is a dive that you won't soon forget!
75-200' Advanced
Rainbow Reef
One of the most colorful, shallow reefs in Bimini is the Rainbow Reef. Shallow reefs are great nurseries for young fish. Expect to see juvenile damselfish, sergeant majors and other tropicals hiding among the ledges. Look closely and you may see fish guarding a nestful of eggs. The reef is a protected marine park with more than 100 species of fish. At one time there was a statue of Christ, but recent hurricanes have destroyed the statue. All that remains is the base on the sandy bottom. On the deeper parts of the reef divers may see turtles, huge schools of fish and often nurse sharks.
15-25' Intermediate
Sapona
The 270-foot Sapona was built by Henry Ford in 1911. She served as a troop transport for just one trip during World War I. After the war, the Sapona was used by rumrunners between the Bahamas and Florida during Prohibition. Some say she was anchored and turned in to a private drinking and gambling club or simply a storage warehouse for rum. A hurricane in the late 1920s drove the ship aground between South Bimini and Cat Cay, where she only partially submerged.
Today, the Sapona is very popular with divers and snorklers. A large portion of the ship remains above water. With such a shallow depth it is a great place for beginning divers to practice wreck-diving.
Part of the stern was ripped and submerged during the 2004 hurricanes. The twisted metal and numerous holes attract a good deal of marine life. Divers will see trigger fish, grunts and large lobsters. The bow is the easiest to penetrate safely. Look for a grouping of orange cup corals in the bow. The engine room is open enough for a diver to stand. The huge prop is a cool sight. Divers are still finding bullet holes and ammunition left from U.S. Navy and Air Force target practice during World War II.
There can be shallow breakers and odd currents also.
15-20' Novice
[Geoff's Comments: After bashing my way out to the Sapona via my dinghy, I was quite happy to find a visually interesting wreck that is easily accessed by divers of all skill levels. When I first arrived the vis was quite poor, but by the time that I left it was great. The hold and the engine room provided some great photos/video as did the propeller. There were large schools of fish on the exterior of the hull. I very much liked this dive.]
The Strip / The Line
Just north of the channel between South and North Bimini is a narrow reef known as The Strip or Line. Plenty of marine life is packed onto this skinny strip of coral heads. It is a very colorful dive day or night. The Strip is a favorite of underwater photographers and a popular night dive for the Bimini dive charters.
The bottom is at 40 feet, but the coral and rocks extend up pretty high. Among the thousands of fish you may see octopus, Atlantic squid, eels, banded shrimp, crabs, lobster, rays, turtles, and nurse sharks. Fish that are in abundance include parrotfish, queen triggers, puffer fish and flounder hiding in the sand. Visibility is usually quite good.
[Geoff's comments: If you're looking for schools of Grunts, this is a good place to go. Quite a few Parrot Fish and some big Dog Snappers. The coral is surviving and there are some sponges and soft corals. Vis was only 30'. We're diving off our dinghy & hope that it gets a lot better than this.]
25-40' Novice
Bouy
Tuna Alley
The Tuna Alley is often called one of the best dive sites in all of the Caribbean. It is a pristine, healthy reef system off of North Cat Cay, one of the Bimini Islands. Magnificent, high profile corals have formed walls at 45 feet that gently slope down to 80-100 feet. Divers can swim along a canyon with numerous crevices, caverns, and swim-throughs that exit 100 feet or more down the wall.
The Gulf Stream currents wash through and keep the system healthy and vibrant. When the current is running this site is a great drift dive. The name, Tuna Alley, comes from the scores of tuna often found schooling along the reef. In the deep, blue water divers may also encounter loggerhead turtles and a reef or nurse shark.
50-100' Intermediate
Bouy
Turtle Rocks, North
Turtle Rocks is one of the most popular snorkel and dive sites in Bimini. Don?t expect to see turtles here; this reef earned the name Turtle rocks for the large brain corals that peek out of the water at low tide. The corals look like the backs of giant sleeping turtles.
This is a relaxing and easy dive or snorkel spot. There is seldom much of a current and the dense coral formations attract hundreds of tropical fish. Angelfish, file fish, parrotfish, spotted drums, and yellowhead jawfish are some of the fish often seen on Turtle Rocks. Lobsters make their homes on this reef too.
The North end of Turtle Rocks is fairly shallow. The reef begins at 12 feet. As you move South along the reef the depth gradually increases to a maximum of 35 feet. There are three areas known as North, Middle, and South Turtle Rocks.
12-35' Novice
Turtle Rocks, South
Turtle Rocks is one of the most popular dive sites in Bimini. Don't expect to see turtles here; this reef earned the name Turtle rocks for the large brain corals that peek out of the water at low tide. The corals look like the backs of giant sleeping turtles.
This is a relaxing and easy dive spot. There is seldom much of a current and the dense coral formations attract hundreds of tropical fish. Angelfish, file fish, parrotfish, spotted drums, and yellowhead jawfish are some of the fish often seen on Turtle Rocks. Lobsters make their homes on this reef too.
At the South end of this the reef the depth is 30-35 feet. There are three areas known as North, Middle, and South Turtle Rocks. The North end of the reef is shallower with depths averaging 15 feet.
[Geoff's comments: This was my 4th dive while here and I was quite disappointed. Basically it was just low coral with tons of grunts. It reminded me of The Strip. The buoys are behind the Turtle Rocks, which makes for a non-surgey dive in strong easterlies. There are 5 buoys.]
30-35' Novice
Victory Reef
Victory Reef is a five-mile stretch of reef line off of North and South Cat Cay. Within the reef system are several fantastic divespots. Many divers consider the Victories to be one of the best dives in all the Caribbean. The reef runs along the edge of the Gulf stream which means divers can expect to see a variety of deep water marine life such as turtles, rays, sharks and tuna. On the reef you will see tangs, parrot fish, angelfish and spade fish.
When the clear waters of the Gulf stream current are sweeping through the visibility underwater can be over 100 feet. When the current is ripping it's best to do a drift dive. Divers can explore the reef line as it sloped from 30 feet down to 80 feet. Along the way there are cliffs, swim-throughs and caves. Well-formed hard corals and thick sponge communities grow here. When the current is slack divers can see juvenile fish as well as the large pelagics. Special spots along the reef are Rainbow Valley, Cathedral, and the Sponge Gardens. Tuna Alley is very close by.
There are three mooring spots on the Victories.
40-85' Intermediate
Log ID: 942