Paradise Island - Bahamas

These are underwater photos taken while diving around Paradise Island in the Bahamas July 2002. All photos were taken with an Ikelite Aquashot-3e camera using the external substrobe, water correcting lens, macro kit, flash deflector, and 200 speed APS film. Once again, I stayed at Club Med.

Paradise Island is very nice. Much more populated than most of the other islands I've been to. Club Med has a very nice beach on one side of the property and a ferry that will take you into Nassau across the channel on the other side. Big claws!

It was unexpected that Club Med was offering diving. Apparently they had brought over the boats from the Columbus Island club that was closed during our visit. You could not purchase the SCUBA package in advanced but you could buy a package once you arrived. Apparently it is being advertised to the Europeans but not to the Americans since they were not setup to handle very many divers. If you plan on going to this club and are interested in diving I suggest you call the club directly to find out if they are offering diving. This Caribbean Spiny Lobster came out to greet the divers and then retreated under some steel plates of a shipwreck.

Eels peering out from wherever they can hide.

The chance of a lifetime - diving with sharks! This is one of the main reasons to go to the Bahamas. I dove with Stuart Cove's for their Two Tank Shark Dive. The dives included a shark wall dive and a shark feeding dive. The first dive is the wall which was very nice. The sharks escort you on the dive and come within about 6 feet as you swim along the wall. After a surface interval, the videographer gets everyone kneeling in a circle on the bottom near the anchor. The sharks again swim within 6 feet around you until the feeder jumps into the water. All the sharks swim up to the feeder and follow him closely to the center of the circle. In this picture the feeder is bringing down the food in a basket.

You're told to keep you arms crossed and not to wave or do any movements the sharks may mistake for someone feeding them. As the feeder settles in the sharks start to move in and out of the circle. They start to brush up against the divers as they go to the feeder to check out the food. One of the major things they point out during the briefing was not to try and pet the sharks. Sounded kind of silly at the time but once I get up close with these beautiful creatures that is exactly the first thought that goes through my mind. I resist the urge and keep my hands to myself.

Dinner begins, but I can't see the feeder because there are TO MANY SHARKS IN THE WAY. Now the sharks are EVERYWHERE! The feeder is pulling out fish with a metal rod and offering it to the passing sharks. The sharks swim over my head and by my side. The sharks fight like dogs for a scrap of food and attempt to pry there way into the box of fish. The videographer swims freely around taking video of everyone with the sharks. The videographer and the feeder both have chain protection suits on but not once do I see a shark try and bite anyone.

I spent most of the dive with my camera against my chest. The sharks come so close and are so fast trying to hold the camera out and frame the subject seems futile as well as a little scary to have your hands exposed. The sharks are everywhere!

They have no interest in anything but the food that the feeder is pulling out on the box.

Almost all of the sharks have some type of scar or wound. One shark even had its dorsal fin half ripped off. Someone on the boat speculated it may have happened during mating. Unfortunately a few sharks had fish hooks wedged in there mouths. It was so sad to see such a beautiful creature dragging along a fish line and sinker from the hook in its mouth.

There are a few big groupers that also hang out during the feeding and will compete for anything that the sharks miss. One of the divers said his wife had been bitten by one of the groupers during the shark dive on their last trip to the Bahamas.

When all the food is gone the feeder heads back to the boat with the empty box. As fast as the sharks came they disappear. They have no interest in any of the divers who now scour the sea floor looking for shark teeth that might have fallen out during the feeding. What a beautiful experience.

Club Med does not offer shark feeding dives but they did take us to a dive site where Stuart Cove's does feed them. Even though we had no food the sharks did show up just to make sure. I booked the Stuarts Cove's dive as an excursion with Club Med. They picked us up at the club and it was about a 45 min ride to their shop. If I went back I would want to do Stuart Cove's flying wall dive where they teach you to use an underwater scooter. Overall a wonderful trip.