North Eleuthera Scuba Diving Conditions and Forecast: May 2016

Goldentail moray eel on shipwreck. PHOTO CREDIT: George Gross.
Goldentail moray eel on shipwreck. PHOTO CREDIT: George Gross.

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]i all!  Water temperatures are warming up at 77°F to 80°F for May and a skin or shorty should suffice. Air temperatures will average 80°F to 90°F degrees. That suggests lots of fun in the sun and under the waves to enjoy our beautiful ocean.

North Eleuthera continues to offer exciting diving and snorkeling opportunities to get close to marine life and cool coral structures. One of my favorite dives off Harbour Island is The Arch. It’s a dive that starts at 65 feet and has a massive coral archway as a swim-through that can bottom out at 115 feet. Look for large grouper, snapper, stingrays and sharks as you make your way along the slope. Some of the coral whips are holding tiny shrimp that are translucent!

Another favorite is Split Head reef off Current Island with a huge coral bommie (structure) in 50 feet of water with untouched coral formations, tons of marine life (sharks, turtles, barracuda, and jacks) as well as thousands of garden eels in the sand surrounding the coral reef. Swim-throughs here are so much fun!

One more dive I’ll share today that I favor is the Arimoroa shipwreck near Egg Island. Over 300 feet long and still showing part of the wreck above water its teeming with life both large and small. Look for sharks, turtles, lobster, schools of goatfish and barracuda, as well as crabs, flounders and basket stars.

The beaches around North Eleuthera are pure white sand and the Harbour island beach is pinkish! Lots of fun activities to be had with great local food and beverages.

See you on the ocean!