Scuba in Nassau

[mac66]

Our December cruise itinerary was changed from Roatan to Nassau due to a propulsion issue on the Allure. That's a bummer because we really only booked that cruise to go to Roatan and dive.  Airfare has already been purchased and is non refundable so the cruise is on. Now I have to decide on getting another dive in and it looks like Nassau is it. Been to Nassau numerous times but have never dived there.

 

So can anyone (Harris) recommend a dive operation in Nassau?

[omeinv]

Mac,

 

I dove in Freeport, never in Nassau.  Stuart's Cove seems to be the go-to there, an dI believe people have said they offer port pick-up and return, and often are the cruise ship's excursion provider. 

 

I'll be there in November and may dive then.  If I do I'll let you know something more concrete. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

 

[Pat.D]

Stuart's cove is basically the only game in town in Nassau.  Diving is across the island from the port and getting there can be an adventure (traffic is awful with 6 ships in port) while on a cruise.  Stuart's cove is the cruise ship operator for most (if not all) of the cruise lines.

 

I've dived with them 3 times... twice was typical cruise ship big boats with loads of divers.  Last march I got lucky, we were only 3 fairly experienced divers on a small boat so we got to do 3 wrecks and tons of sharks.  Note that the water is a bit cooler in Nassau than Roatan so bring (or rent) a 3mil wetsuit.

 

 

[Capt_BJ]

https://stuartcove.com/transfers/

 

Stuart Cove’s is a contracted activity provider for

Holland American Cruise Lines

Disney Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines

 

 

All our guests receive complimentary activity transfers. That means we will pick you up and bring you back! Our bus schedules may vary by 5-10 minutes either way, based on the number of guests we must pick up and if your fellow passengers are punctual. Generally, a driver will spend a few minutes trying to locate a passenger. If that’s the case, then the remaining stops will be behind schedule.

Likewise, our dive trips may vary slightly due to weather and water conditions. If a captain picks a particular site and after anchoring determines that conditions are not appropriate, he will relocate to another site. As such, that boat will now return slightly later.

With numerous boats and buses, we are usually able to minimize any inconvenience for most of our guests. Your patience is always appreciated as our goal is to simply try and meet the needs of all our guests. To that extent, the times listed below are our normal day “plans” so that you can plan accordingly as well.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[snownow]

Like all the above, Stewart cove is about it. We dove with them in November and booked directly with them.   They do have a free shuttle going to and from them. Be advised they are super unorganized in this area.  The had a list of people, some were on it some were off it. They over packed our van, we  had one couple with is girlfriend sitting on his lap.  Had the van wait for someone who never showed up. Over all getting there sucked. 

 

Once you are there, they were much better. Our guide was awesome, check in was very easy, and the boat was steps away. My daughter wanted to do the shark dive, my wife and I were a little hesitant. So we just did their two tank dive.  One open reef, saw 1 shark (made her happy), and one wreck dive. The wreck dive is near the shark dive location. I was first in the water, and no less than a dozen reef sharks swimming around under the boat. My daughter was ecstatic.  Over all both dives were worth the crappy van ride. The ride back was better. Yes it is a cattle call boat, i think we had 12 on ours. But they showed us a good time. 

 

 

[mac66]

Thanks for the replies.  Now the question is whether to go through the ship or book directly with stuart's cove?  The ship's excursion is quite pricey,  booking directly not quite as much but I wonder if they allow one to book directly?  I sent them an email to ask.

[mac66]

Times don't match up to book a private dive through Stuart's Cove, will have to book them through the ship.  The ship excursion is $194 right now which seems kinda steep. Perhaps it will go down.

 

There is an outfit called Bahama Divers.  They don't pick up at the port so transport is on your own. Getting across the island in time would be tight with 8 am docking time.

[Pat.D]

Don’t forget booking thru the ship includes transportation and they’ll wait for you if things stretch long.   Getting a cab across the island will cost you a pretty penny and it’s a long drive (don’t underestimate the traffic). It’s usually around 40-45 mins (to Stewarts) but I’ve has it take an hour and a half on a full port day last year. 

 

Just a few things to think about.  

[mac66]

Still thinking about it. I do want to get in another dive or two on this trip. May have to bite the bullet.

[The 1 Pirate]

I know I'm digging up old posts. Sorry.

I absolutely loved diving with Stuart's Cove a couple years back. Yeah, that van ride from the port was CRAZY. But man the diving was exceptional. Our boat had about 8 divers and 1 student finishing up her open water. We started off on a reef dive and our second dive that day was a small wreck. My first wreck dive, so it was pretty special.

Anyone in the future looking for a great dive spot in Nassau, don't miss out on Stuart's Cove.

[mac66]

In that the times didn't match up with a private dive I decided not to go diving. Then the ship's dive excursion went down in price by $30 making it more palatable so I booked it.

 

  Don't know why diving in Nassau is still $30-40 more expensive that other Caribbean islands.

Edited September 22, 2019 by mac66

[DarkJedi]

There are actually a couple of different dive operations on Nassau, although Stuart's is the largest and best known. They dive only the southern side of the island and have several famous dive sites as they are tied in to the movie industry.

 

Very good operation and do recommend them. When we have stayed on Nassau to dive we use them, almost every dive will have sharks. If you are a more advanced diver and comfortable with being a bit "away" from the crowd, let your DM know that you will be on the edges. You still have to stay with the group, but they won't hassle you about staying in a clump as long as they know you are diving safely. I've let them know I was dropping down in the Tongue and they have just waved bye and checked that I was OK when I floated back up and it was no big deal, they just need to know where you are and that you are safe.

[mac66]

Update.....

 

I ended up diving with Stuart's Cove on a ship excursion. The price dropped and with Roatan dropped off the itinerary I really wanted to get in another dive. 

 

As was said, the drive over to the other side of the island was long. The water was very, very rough and the boat captain had to go slow. It took a long time to get to our first dive site which was a reef. There were 14 on our boat including a female dive instructor off our ship Allure. The dive was good. Saw plenty of sharks and dived along a wall. Second dive was along some coral formations and was just meh. Long, long ride back to shore and we didn't get back to the ship until 3 PM. Normally it goes to 1pm.  

[airbusdrvr]

Nassau is one place it's better to just book through the ship. The main reason as others have said is the long drive to and from Stuart Cove's. It's a 45 minuet drive on an average day and last September it took us almost an hour and a half to get back to the ship due to traffic. We got to the ship 25 minutes before the all aboard time and that would have been a nail biter if we weren't on the ship's excursion.