Bimini SCUBA Diving Conditions and Forecast: May 2014

Wild spotted dolphins in Bimini waters. PHOTO CREDIT: Jillian Morris Brake.
Wild spotted dolphins in Bimini waters. PHOTO CREDIT: Jillian Morris Brake.

May could possibly be the most perfectly balanced month of the whole year throughout the Biminis. The summer weather patterns sink in, allowing for mild east winds and flat calm days. The water and air temperatures often match in the low 80s, and visibility remains great, often surpassing the 100 foot mark.

With all the windy days of April behind us, May marks the official full swing start of Wild Spotted Dolphin season in Bimini. Locals, dolphin tour operators, and private boats will begin to be a very common sight on the Little Bahama Bank, just north of Bimini. These waters are teeming with spotted and bottlenose dolphins year round, but the calm seas that May and the rest of summer provides, really makes locating the pods of dolphin so much easier. By far the friendliest and most curious of all the big animal safari headliners, the spotted dolphins are known to spend hours in the water singing, spinning, and jumping all around some lucky guests. As always the more animated you can be in water, the longer you can hold the attention of these playful mammals.

May also marks the first month we consistently begin exploring the southern reefs of Gun and Cat Cay. By far the best diving in the Biminis, but arguably some of the best in the Bahamas. One of my favorite sites is “Krispy Kream”, sitting just off North Cat Cay. Resting on the edge of the Continental Shelf, this wall dive instantly goes from 100-feet at bottom to 2000-feet plus. Overloaded with virtually every kind of reef fish the Bahamas has to offer, big canyons, and an increased chance to see pelagic fish, I often hear “if I was a fish, this is where I would live” from guests.

All in all, I would not be lying if I said May was my favorite month in Bimini, and it doesn’t even get real busy until the end of the month. So dust off that scuba gear, and head over to Bimini, where the water is clear and warm!