Abaco SCUBA Conditions and Forecast: January 2014

A beautiful brain coral specimen on an Abaco reef. PHOTO CREDIT: DIVE ABACO!
A beautiful brain coral specimen on an Abaco reef. PHOTO CREDIT: DIVE ABACO!
Great visibility makes January a fantastic month for underwater photographers. PHOTO CREDIT: DIVE ABACO!
Great visibility makes January a fantastic month for underwater photographers. PHOTO CREDIT: DIVE ABACO!

A New Year is upon us and here’s hoping the holidays were happy, memorable and your New Year’s resolution is to dive more in 2014! As we begin the new year in Abaco, January is the dry season so the air is cool and there is very little humidity. Daily air temperatures range from a comfortable 66 degrees at night to a balmy 77 degrees during the day. Water temperature is 74 degrees, so a 3 mil shorty wetsuit is recommended. Cold fronts have a tendency to pass through a couple of times during the month, but wind and seas calm down within a day of so after their passing. On those days, we enjoy diving the inland blue holes, which are quite fascinating and a dive very few divers get to experience. On good weather days, the seas are quite calm with little or no current. With no warm water plankton bloom, visibility is exceptional, the reef is abundantly alive, colors are vibrant and marine life is plentiful with tropical fish of all shapes and sizes darting in and out of the coral formations.  Winter brings in the pelagic fish – the cooler, deeper water tends to draw grouper and jacks closer to the reef, along with schools of spotted eagle rays. It is also quite common to see sharks and turtles cruising around.  Nassau grouper are spawning and fishing for them is prohibited from December 1 through February 28.

January is a great time of year to visit, especially if you enjoy underwater photography.

Wednesday, January 15, 11:53 p.m., will bring us the Full ‘Wolf’ Moon, sometimes referred to as the Full ‘Snow’ Moon. This is a great time to night dive, but advanced reservations are a must.

We hope you’ll follow through with that New Year’s resolution and ‘dive in’ to Abaco!