South Eleuthera Scuba Diving Conditions and Forecast: January 2016

In January, the visibility is usually greater than 100 feet. PHOTO CREDIT: Ocean Fox Cotton Bay.
In January, the visibility is usually greater than 100 feet. PHOTO CREDIT: Ocean Fox Cotton Bay.

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]anuary is a great month for diving in South Eleuthera, water temperature is in the mid-70s, so don’t forget your hood to complement your long sleeve shorty or full wet suit, 3 or 4 mm is fine. Remember most of the heat loss is through your head. With typically little or no rain in January, the visibility is usually greater than 100 feet, with cooler temperatures and Nassau grouper season closed from November 1 through February 28, the grouper tend to come up on the reefs. Besides great coral formations and marine life, there is also some outstanding shark diving. Shark feeding – shark interaction diving with up to 16 sharks is available on the south end of Eleuthera. Winter brings in the pelagic fish and the spotted eagle rays along the wall, creating lots of opportunity for great photography.

Safety Tip for January: A safety stop is a decompression stop that is not required by either the dive tables or your computer because you are still within model limits. Studies have show, that a stop of as little as two minutes reduces detectable bubbles in the body by a factor of five.

Fun Tip for January: Review the “best beaches” on the interactive map on the website and see who has visited the most beaches http://oceanfoxcottonbay.com/eleuthera/interactive-map.html .

Diver tip for January: Don’t forget to charge your GoPro the night before the dive.