It’s October and the weather is still sunny and warm in Bimini! The water and air temperatures drop just a few degrees making things just a little bit cooler and it sure does feel good. The air temperature is usually averages between 75 and 85 degrees and the water temperature averages between 79 and 80 degrees. A 3mm wetsuit is all that is recommended for exposure protection while diving Bimini in October. The seas are mostly calm this time of year.
As we move into the fall, there is an increased chance of a cool/cold front moving through the Northern Bahamas. When this occurs, there are strong northeasterly winds for a few days. Then, after the front passes, the wind backs down allowing the seas to return to being calm. This time of year the dive sites on the west coast of North Bimini are popular. Most of them are reef dives on what we call “scattered coral heads on a sandy bottom”. There is plenty of marine life to observe and “shoot” if you enjoy underwater photography. Ask your operator about Little Caverns. Little Caverns is a good intermediate dive off of North Bimini. The greatest depth is 80 feet at the bottom of a coral canyon. Huge mountains of coral heads and sponge formations grow up from a white sandy bottom. There are small tunnels and larger swim-throughs to explore.
Hundreds of fish feed along the reef. Expect to see lots of gray snapper, grouper, schooling Bermuda chub and an occasional Caribbean reef shark.
This time of year we also noticed the return of the sharks at our shark diving site. So if this is an adventure you are looking for, it’s great time to plan a shark encounter dive.
October is a great time to visit the Biminis. See you here!
FORECAST BY: Devito G. Bullard
Neal Watson’s Dive Bimini
Alicetown, Bimini, Bahamas
devito@biggameclubbimini.com
Dive shop: (242) 347-3391, ext. 216
Cell: (242) 376-6406