The Bahamas is an oasis for any scuba diver. With 2,000+ different diving sites, the Bahamas is the perfect destination for both experienced as well as novice divers. Now, when it comes to exploring these diving locations, people have two different options. Either go on dedicated scuba-diving tours and move from one island to the other or book a complete liveaboard vacation and spend 7-8 days on a boat while exploring hidden gems and spending time with like-minded individuals. Of course, if you want to make the best out of your trip, you would want to choose the latter.
Signing up for a liveaboard vacation not only allows you to explore multiple diving sites, but it’s also cost-effective at the same time. If you were to move from one island to the other normally, you would have to bear higher expenses – hotels, meals, transport, diving costs, not to mention all the hassle of finding providers in each location. But, with liveaboards, you have the opportunity to explore different locations by paying a fixed price.
So which Bahamas liveaboard destination/cruise is the right one for you?
You can explore here: https://www.dive-the-world.com/liveaboards-bahamas.php
With quite a few options in the Bahamas, it can get tricky to find the best deal for your diving adventure. So, to help you along the way and make your job easier, we have put together a list of top 5 Bahamas liveaboard destinations and cruises that are worth every single penny/cent/centivo… and must be explored by every diving enthusiast.
1. Grand Bahama (Tiger Beach)
Grand Bahama is one of the most popular islands in the Bahamas. Usually, the island stays crowded with tourists throughout the year, but you can easily escape the crowd and sail into the endless Caribbean Sea by signing up for a dedicated liveaboard vacation.
Tiger Beach is usually the starting point of many of the liveaboard adventures, which is another major attraction of its own. One of the many reasons why Grand Bahama must be on your bucket list is unparalleled shark action. All the diving cruises included in the Grand Bahama liveaboard route will allow you to spot awesome tiger sharks and make the dives more memorable.
2. Exuma Cays
Exuma Cays is another popular liveaboard destination, which is inhabited and is widely popular for its untouched beauty. As opposed to other tourist spots in the Bahamas, the Exuma Cays only attract diving enthusiasts, which means you won’t have to deal with large crowds at all.
For readers who don’t know, the Exuma Cays is a combination of nearly 365 cays and islands, which means you have endless reefs and seabeds to explore. Many tour operators offer liveaboard vacations in the Exuma Cays and it takes anywhere between 7-12 days to hit all the popular diving spots within the cays.
And, since the islands remain inhabited throughout the year and don’t attract thousands of tourists, it’s safe to say that you’ll have the liberty to explore untouched coral reefs.
3. Bimini
Bimini is the westernmost island in the Bahamas and is considered the nearest destination to the United States. Though, as with the Exuma Cays, Bimini isn’t inhabited, the community has still tried its best to preserve the natural beauty of the island. This 80-kilometer stretch comprises multiple small islands and makes the perfect destination for a week-long liveaboard Bahamas adventure.
Some tour operators include Bimini with Grand Bahama and you can explore both the destinations on the same trip. But, if you are planning to cut down the overall expenses, you can also sign up for individual Bimini liveaboard trips. One of the key attractions of Bimini’s liveaboard adventures is the never-ending bed of shipwrecks. In addition to this, you can also spot dozens of sea creatures including stingrays, hammerhead sharks, turtles, etc.
4. Phoenix Liveaboard
Not particularly a diving destination, but the Phoenix catamaran is a dedicated tour operator that offers Bahamas liveaboard packages to both beginners and experienced divers. The cruise mainly focuses on comfort and only provides packages for smaller groups (maximum of 6-8 individuals). This means you can enjoy the entire liveaboard vacation in complete private comfort.
With Phoenix, you have the liberty to choose between 250 different diving sites in the Bahamas. Customers can even customize their package and add multiple diving sites to explore a wide variety of locations on the same trip. In addition to the standard 4 dives each day, you can also include other activities such as snorkeling, sailing, and exploring different islands.
In a nutshell, the Phoenix liveaboard will give you a complete scuba diving experience that’ll remain with your memory for several years.
5. Aqua Cat
Aqua Cat is also a popular Bahamas liveaboard cruise that’s ideal for large groups. Unlike the previous boat, the Aqua Cat is a 31-meter long boat and can accommodate as many as 30 divers at any given point in time. Since the boat houses multiple guests on the same liveaboard trip, you can expect the costs to be cheaper than other luxury liveaboard options.
The cruise has 11 large cabins along with other facilities such as private bathrooms, spacious beds, a saloon, and a dedicated entertainment area. There’s a separate space for content creators on the deck who can utilize their free time to sort daily footage and edit videos.
With Aqua Cat, you can choose from an extensive list of 200 scuba sites and make your diving experience more memorable. Divers can complete up to 26 dives in a week – 3-4 dives every day. Finally, food is another major attraction that makes Aqua Cat the perfect liveaboard cruise. Once you have completed all the dives, you can order cuisine from the onboard menu and enjoy your meals while watching the sun slowly sink over the Caribbean Sea.
Conclusion
The Bahamas is a heaven for anyone who loves exploring the underwater world and wants to add more dives to their experience. With the above-mentioned liveaboard destinations and tour operators, you’ll have a basic idea of which one to choose and how to plan your itinerary to have a great diving experience. So, fire up your laptop right now and book the most suitable liveaboard vacation in the Bahamas.
