A Diver’s Paradise The Bahamas are known in the global dive community as one of the best places on the planet for underwater experiences. Throughout the country’s chain of islands, extensive dive options include everything from the exploration of shipwrecks to shark diving, black holes, coral gardens, reef diving and vertical-drops. At Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama, the waters are known for reliable tiger shark sightings as well as nurse sharks, lemon sharks and, occasionally, hammerheads. It is the island of Bimini, however, that boasts the greatest chance of hammerhead sightings. The island is also known for its famous underwater rock formation known as The Bimini Road, believed by some to be part of the lost city of Atlantis. Southeast of Bimini, the Andros Barrier Reef off of Andros Island provides stunning, steep-wall dives that likewise occur on the sister islands of San Salvador and Long Island. Since colonial times, the shallow reefs of The Bahamas have sent many ships to the bottom, where they are now popular dive sites. Bahamian shipwreck dives fall into three categories – shallow, moderate and deeper dives – which means that there is essentially a shipwreck site for all dive skills. Among the most popular for its shallow depth and visibility is the SS Sapona, a cargo steamer that went down off of Bimini during a hurricane in 1926. A favourite among the dive community is the Maravillas, a Spanish ship carrying gold, silver and jewels that sank in 1656. Overall, according to a Smithsonian report, at least 176 wreck sites have been identified in The Bahamas region. Swimming with Pigs As unusual as it might seem, swimming with a colony of feral swine is a big Bahamian attraction. There is more than one place in The Bahamas where people can swim with pigs, however, the most famous is Pig Beach on an uninhabited island among the several cays off the island of Exuma. While there is no factual account of how the pigs ended up there, there are various theories: they were marooned there following a shipwreck; they were dropped off by early sailors who planned to return, but never did; and some say that they were put there as part of an intentional tourist scheme. Whatever the case, one thing is certain – swimming among pigs and piglets is highly popular. Tourists galore regularly jump into the sea and swim with the porkers that are famous for their love of the water. Generally friendly and playful, about 20 pigs and piglets are living the good life with daily visits from both Bahamians and tourists. There’s little chance that they will ever leave their hospitable waters where they are regularly fed by both tourists and neighbouring island locals. Getting to swim with them typically involves booking a tour or excursion. 18 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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