Scuba Dive Eleuthera and Harbor Island Escape The Crowds

Scuba dive Eleuthera and Harbor Island for an unforgettable dive vacation. Face it, the world’s best dive destinations generally fall into one of two groupings. You have destinations that are very remote, making them very expensive and difficult to get to. Some diving locations in Indonesia can take you almost a week to get to, as well as Gallipolis islands and islands off Costa Rica. On the other side are destinations that are relatively easy to reach, such as Cancun and Cozumel in Mexico. The problem here is that everyone heads there. You can see as many divers on a reef as fish. Well, maybe that is stretching it a bit, but not by much. Eleuthera in the Bahamas offers you a very relaxed, uncrowded environment that can be reached in about the same amount of time as reaching Cozumel.

Eleuthera Sunset by Trish Hartmann, Creative Commons

Where is Eleuthera, and How Do I Get There to Scuba Dive?

How to get there questions normally are at the end of an article, however, since it is not a well-known destination, let’s talk a little about where it is first. Eleuthera is in the eastern portion of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Divers should note that the western coast forms a portion of the Grand Banks, while the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Reefs surround the islands. The island is about 110 miles (ca 180 km) long, and about 50 miles (ca 80 km) from Nassau. Other than the northern and southern tips, the island averages 1 mile (ca 1.6 km) wide. Harbor Island is incorporated into the island of Eleuthera. There are also several small islands that generally fall under the term “Eleuthera”. There are 22 settlements connected by one main highway, the Queen’s Highway, that runs the length of the island. The local population is around 11,000 people. That is the same population you will find in New York City, in one square kilometer (ca .38 square mile).

The island is also the home of three airports. North Eleuthera Airport (airport code ELH) is in the north part of the island and is the busiest of the three. Most of the flights are to Nassau. You will also be able to fly directly to this airport from a couple of Florida airports. Governor’s Harbor airport (airport code GHB) is near the middle of the island and has a few daily departures to Nassau. Rock Sound International Airport (airport code RSD) also has a few daily departures to Nassau. There are occasional scheduled flights between the three airports. All three airports are within 230 nautical miles (ca 425 km) from Miami International Airport, well within range of even single-engine propeller private aircraft.

You can also take a ferry if the schedule fits your plans, the crossing is less than 3 hours.

What Can I Expect Scuba Diving Eleuthera?

What type of dive sites can you expect scuba diving Eleuthera? The most common answer would be wrecks, reefs, walls, and drift dives. You will also find several cavern dives, cave dives for those who are qualified and even a few inland sinkholes aka cenotes. Water temperatures will be around 88 °f (31°c) in the summer, with the air being between 75 - 91°f (24-33°c). The winter gets “cold” with the water ranging from 75 - 80 °f (24-27°c), and the air 65-77°f (18-25°c). The reefs are colorful and in pristine condition, you will find the marine life varied and plentiful. Visibility is generally excellent. The dive operators here operate smaller dive boats and there is a large selection of dive sites, so it is likely you may be the only dive boat on a site at the time. That said, there are a few “must-do” sites where you may have other divers around, but still it will not be crowded. Another possibility to explore is the liveaboard boats. The liveaboards will take you to dive sites that no one else is diving. Given the distance between the different portions of the island and limited interisland transportation options, if you want to dive in more than one section of the island, then a liveaboard is the way to go. Liveaboards are available, leaving from Eleuthera as well as Nassau.

Some Leading Dive Sites

Given the size of the area, liveaboards doing exploratory dives, and dive operators having their own “special” dive sites, it is difficult to give a number of the dive sites available. Cape Eleuthera found in the southwestern coastal region has over 20 dive sites, many of them drift dives along deep colorful walls. There are over 45 documented wrecks that can be dived, many in the area called the Devil's Backbone. The entire coastline is host to reefs. Being an island primarily made of limestone, you will find many underwater tunnels and caverns.

There are dive sites that are perfect for novice divers that will still interest experienced divers, and dive sites just for experienced divers. Some sites are ideal for Open Water Divers, and others for those who like going deep. Visibility is excellent year-round, with only a few that have slightly less visibility. Each dive operator will have their favorite sites, so when you are making your plans, reach out and find out how many sites they normally dive each week.

• Current Cut: Are you the type of person that comes off a wild rollercoaster ride and yells to your friends “let’s do that again”? If you are an experienced diver, then Current Cut is your diving equivalent to a “let’s do that again” rollercoaster ride. The name says a lot about the dive site. The cut is a channel between two islands, North Eleuthera and Current. The channel averages about 60 feet (ca 16 meters) deep and is only about .6 miles (ca 1 km) long. Still, the word current plays into the channel as well. When the tides are changing, the current rips through the cut as strong as 10 knots (ca 11.5 mph or 18.5 kph). Your dive can be less than 10 minutes long, plenty of air left to “let’s do that again”. Most dive operators will bring you back on board, and head back to where you started for a second or even a third run. As you fly through the cut you will see sea fans, sponges, and corals. Sharks and eagle rays may be drifting alongside you. Keep your eye out for critters hiding in the rocks waiting for the current to slow down. Generally, on your last pass through the cut, you will have time to find a hole for yourself for a few minutes. After that last pass, you may be able to use the rest of your air along the nearby reefs.

• Devil’s Backbone: considered one of the best snorkeling and shallow diving areas in the world, Devil’s Backbone is a very shallow and jagged reef about a mile off the coast and has the honor of wrecking more ships than any other in the Bahamas. Even with modern technology, many visiting boaters will opt to bring a local pilot onboard to reduce the risk of damaging their boats. While the reef itself is a specular dive with generally over 100 feet (ca 30 meters) of visibility, it is the over a dozen shipwrecks that attract most divers. One small reef outcrop has itself claimed three victims, who now lay in about 35 feet of water, all within arm’s reach of each other. Among the wrecks is a train. In 1865, a barge carrying a train was driven by a storm onto the reef, where it sank.

• Cave Rock: If you are diving in the Cape Eleuthera region, then Cave Rock should be high on your list of must-do dives. Take a break from the drift dives for this peaceful, relaxing dive. Around 50 feet (ca 15 meters) you will find several large caves and swim-throughs. Most of these “caves” will qualify as caverns. Marine life is plentiful and great for macro and wide-angle photography. You will not only see numerous species of reef fish but also lobsters, eels, and crabs hiding in the reef. Pelagic species such as eagle rays, reef sharks, and barracudas will cruise by as well.

• Cobia cage: This is a man-made dive site but is unique. Cobia is a large fish generally weighing between 10 and 50 pounds (ca 4.5 to 22.6 kg) and can grow to 6 feet (ca 1.8 meters) and 150 pounds (ca 68 kg). The cage is a 3,000 sqm (Ca 32,000 square foot) enclosure studying the feasibility of “farming” these fish. The enclosure is made of shark-proof netting, that will keep the large fish contained, or in the case of “visitors” kept out. Water and small fish will freely pass through. It also acts to draw other fish to the area. An advanced dive at 70 to 100 feet.

• Sapphire Blue Hole: This is one of the more difficult sites to arrange a dive, mostly because it is so popular for other activities. This is a cenote and technically not a blue hole. (a blue hole is similar to a cenote in structure and development, however, it is in the open ocean as opposed to a cenote which is on land)The name comes from the sapphire blue water within. Snorkeling is very popular here, as is jumping into the water from the surrounding 20-foot cliff.

Let’s Go Diving

Tourism is the main income for this island, The long coastline offers over 150 beaches, some of which are pink sand. Boating, scuba diving, and snorkeling are the draw for most of the tourist. However, it is still an uncrowded destination. Simple connections from Nassau and Florida airports allow a rapid start to your vacation. Watch the longer video "In Love with Eleuthera", that the video above is a part of, and I am sure you will be motivated to add this island to your diving bragging rights.