Intermediate The Bahamas
The Bahamas
Hundreds of islands on a bank of white sand, and all their waters are a shark sanctuary
The Bahamas banned commercial shark fishing in all its waters and turned the entire archipelago into a sanctuary. The result is noticeable the moment you get in the water: there are sharks at almost every site, and they don't leave.
In this profile you'll find how the archipelago is formed and why the water is so clear, what it means to be a shark sanctuary, what its walls, blue holes, and wrecks offer, when to go, and what level you need.
It's a national shark sanctuary, established in 2011, and a place to see what happens to an ecosystem when its predators stop being fished.
Geography and access
The Bahamas is an archipelago of hundreds of islands and cays in the western Atlantic, north of the Caribbean proper.
The islands sit on enormous limestone and sand banks at very shallow depth. That white sand reflects light and produces the turquoise color and extreme visibility that characterize the archipelago.
Between those banks lie deep ocean channels. At their edges, the bank ends abruptly and forms walls that drop hundreds of meters.
The country declared all its waters a shark sanctuary, banning commercial shark fishing and trade in shark products. It's one of the most extensive shark protection areas in the world.
On several islands there are blue holes: vertical shafts flooded in the limestone, both at sea and inland, some connected to cave systems.
Access is convenient via direct flights from North America, with domestic flights or inter-island travel by boat. Many routes are done by liveaboard.
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