| What
type of diving do you do in Bermuda? |
Bermuda offers some of the best shallow,
tropical, reef and wreck diving in the Western Hemisphere.
The wrecks are easily reached and
for the most part in shallow depths (20ft - 50ft). The
Hermes (75ft) and The Xing
Da (110ft) are the only artificial reef site.
The other 400 plus known wrecks all found the massive expanse of
Bermuda's reef system just a little too difficult to navigate. The
wrecks are all REAL sites, most of historical importance.
They range in age from the "Sea Venture" in the 1600's
to the 1930's luxury cruise liner Cristobal
Colon.
Don't expect to find fully intact, captain still lashed to the
helm, four masted schooners with decks strewn with artifacts. Bermuda
is famed for REAL WRECKS. Of historical importance. Dive on
a little piece of history.
The wrecks of the Marie
Celeste and the Montana were
confederate blockade runners that helped in extending the American
Civil War by supplying The South with essential arms and supplies.
The Spanish fleets that looted the New World passed through
these water on their return to Europe. Many never made it. Witness
the results of the Privateering of early Bermudian's, who
sustained there economy by marking fake Safe Passage markers
to cause ships the run aground on the shallow reef. More detailed
information
on Bermuda's wrecks can be found in the The
Ultimate Bermuda Shipwreck Guide.
Over 200 square miles of coral reef surround Bermuda. Most of which
has never been dived. Of the 30 regularly visited sites. The average
depths are between 30ft and 50ft. Lot's of canyons, over hangs and
tunnels are to be found. We don't have a Wall in Bermuda.
The bottom slopes gently until it eventually drops off into the abyss
at around 300ft. Further information about Bermuda's reef dives can
be found in The Ultimate Bermuda
Reef Guide |
| Are
there any reefs? |
| Over 200 square miles of near virgin reef can be found in Bermuda. The warm,
nutrient rich waters of the Gulf Stream pass through Bermuda and have
led to the formation of the worlds most northerly coral reef. The reef is very
healthy, and has not suffered the effects of Diver Damage like some Caribbean
locations. Abundant hard corals and sea fans are to be seen, but less sponges
than you'll see in the Caribbean. To compensate for the lack of sponges, Bermuda
has anemones of sizes and variety unheard of south of here. |
| What
type of fish will I see? |
| Most of the fish that can be seen in the Caribbean can be seen in Bermuda. Less
in number than Cayman, but increasing in numbers since the banning of indiscriminate
pot fishing in the early 1990's. The fish tend to be larger in Bermuda and are
all natural. i.e. No hand feeding. You will also find varieties of Angel
Fish unique to Bermuda. |
| How
deep? |
| Most of Bermuda's dives are shallow. 30ft to 50ft on average. Some dives are
deeper. The
Hermes lies in about 75ft, The
Xing Da is in excess of 100ft. Local laws restrict the maximum depth
for commercial recreational diving at 130ft. |
| How
cold? |
| During the winter months the water temperature drops to around 64 degrees f.
18 degrees c. In The summer months the water rises to a bath tub like 86 degrees
See our Bermuda diving temperatures table for full details. |
| What
sort of gear should I bring? |
| Anything you want. Ideally, for the sake of comfort and fit, if you have your
own mask and fins, we recommend you bring them. We have a full line of Major
Brand rental equipment. In a wide variety of popular sizes. If you have your
own equipment, we can offer storage lockers and fresh water rinse facilities
at all our Dive Shops. The diving is not deep and certainly not technical. As
space is limited on boats. We strongly advice bringing only what your are likely
to need for shallow tropical diving. Stage Deco Bottles and Heavy Duty Technical
BCD's may be a little overkill. |
| What
type of wetsuit will I need? |
| June to September, bathing suit or 3mm shortie wetsuit. November to April. Full
thick wetsuit - 5mm to 7mm. May and October, somewhere in between. See our Bermuda
diving temperatures table for full details. |
| Is
there any shore diving? |
| Shore diving is available off all the south shore, but can be a long swim. Our
best solution is to check out our UPV underwater scooters at the Elbow
Beach Dive Shop |
| Can
I do night dives? |
| We try to organise at least one boat night dive per
week during the summer months. Weather restrictions and
numerical considerations do apply. It's not by chance
that Bermuda has 400 wrecks. It has a great deal to do with the difficult navigation
through shallow reefs. Shore night dives are excellent. Rent the tanks from our Elbow
Beach Shop and dive the wreck of The
Pollockshields keeping to your own schedule. Or try Church
Bay. An excellent snorkeling beach, is also excellent for night diving as
the reef comes to with in 100 feet of the shore. So no long swims!! |
| When
is the best time of year to dive? |
The best diving depends entirely on the individual. The summer months have the
warmest water temperatures, around 85 degrees f. The winter months have the best
visibility, 150' to 200'. See our Bermuda diving temperatures
table for full details. |
| When
is the best time of year to dive? |
| The best diving depends entirely on the individual. The summer months have
the warmest water temperatures, around 85 degrees f. The winter months
have the best visibility, 150' to 200'. See our Bermuda
diving temperatures table for full details. |