When July arrives, away goes the 3mm wetsuits; water temperatures are in the 82 to 84 degree range. Weather is typically calm, winds light with scattered afternoon thunder storms. Visibility is 100-plus feet, which is great for taking photographs while diving in your bikinis and board shorts. Grey snapper still abound, lots of large schools of cero mackerel patrolling the walls and reefs. The lobster are back on the reefs and out in the open as the season does not open until August 1st and they seem to know that. Still sighting spotted eagle rays down on the walls below 100 feet where the water is several degrees cooler, reef sharks and some bull sharks just stay at the shark site year around, providing great photo opportunities. The boiling holes become more exciting on the incoming tide where the water “boils” up. The water coming up from the limestone caverns below is 6 to 8 degrees cooler and very noticeable temperature wise in the summer months.
Safety tip for July: There is no hospital or emergency (after hours) medical facility or hyperbaric chamber on Eleuthera, so get trip insurance with medical evacuation just in case you have a problem in the water or on land. Divers Alert Network (DAN) is an excellent choice, very affordable and can be accessed through our website.
Fun tip for July: Don’t forget your underwater camera, the photography opportunities are limitless.
Diver tip for July: Too long a surface interval is not good for your health, dive early and dive often.
Endless visibility awaits the adventuresome divers, who treasure uncrowded diving, uncrowded beaches and endless dive sites on South Eleuthera.
FORECAST BY: Al J Curry
PADI Instructor # 287249
Ocean Fox Cotton Bay Scuba Diving and Deep Sea Fishing
Davis Harbour Marina
Phone: (242) 334-6300
Email: al@oceanfoxcottonbay.com
www.oceanfoxcottonbay.com