I always had an impression that Bahamas is a paradise. True enough, Bahamas has the clearest, brightest, bluest water I have ever seen. It was during our snorkeling tour with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas where we saw the pristine waters of Bahamas and swam with bright, colorful fishes and sharks. In fact, this amazing tour is one of the highlights of our 8-day vacation. Now, if you’re planning to go to Bahamas, here’s a tip for you, join Stuart Cove’s snorkeling tour or any of its underwater tours!
You know how much you enjoyed a trip when you can’t stop talking about it. Well, that’s the case for us with our snorkeling tour with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. It was the first tour in our trip but we were still talking about it and reliving the experience until the last day of our vacation. We loved the experience so much that we would do it all over again!
Pick-up and Drop-off
One of the many things we liked about Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas is the complimentary transfer (pick-up and drop-off) for guests staying at any hotel in Nassau or Paradise Island. This is greatly convenient for us since the tour location is far from our hotel in Paradise Island (45-min drive). We also just wanted to relax during the long rides especially at the end of the tour.
Their buses are clean, comfortable and well-maintained. The seats are covered in plastic so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.
Checking-in
Upon arriving Stuart Cove’s location, we headed to their shop to check in, give our prepayment confirmation, and submit the signed waivers. It is a quick process. We were then introduced to our tour guide, Kaream, and he escorted us to our boat.
Snorkeling Stops
1 – Hollywood Bowl
Our first stop was at the famous Hollywood Bowl. It has earned its name after being filmed for several movies such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest” and “Into the Blue.”
Hollywood Bowl had the brightest and clearest water among the three stops. It’s unbelievably stunning!
There were fishes with different sizes and colors – bright yellow and silver, black and neon blue, and some are even larger than my arm!
Our tour guide would throw fish food at the water and they would swarm at one area. When we were going back to the boat, Kaream threw fish food at my direction and the fishes were all over me! It was crazy and hilarious because I couldn’t help but squirm. There were also some large reefs around the site that housed more marine life.
Unlike the other 2 stops, this is shallower, making it a good start for us. When we returned to the boat, they allowed us to jump from the second floor of the boat to the water.
2 – Elkhorn Coral Reefs
The second stop did not have as much fish as the first one but it also had beautiful coral reefs. The water in this stop was deeper and darker.
On our way to the third stop, they took us to the man-made beach and private island where the Scooby Doo movie was filmed. Can you recognize these?
3 – Sharks
Up to now, we still couldn’t believe that we swam with sharks! When we checked in, we were asked to sign a waiver that mentioned the word “shark.” I asked the lady about it before signing and she said that we could encounter some sharks. Little did I know, we would actually swim with the sharks!
Mr. C and I didn’t give it a second thought. When Kaream asked who would like to go in the water with the sharks, we immediately volunteered. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience so it was hard to pass. Everyone has the option to go in the water or stay on the boat.
Kaream gave our group instructions when going in the water. We all had to hold unto the rope and we were not allowed to make any splashes. There wasn’t any cage like in the movies!
A bait box was lowered down to more than a dozen of sharks. They were circling around it while our group was several feet away, observing them. It was quite scary but our tour guides were careful. Everytime one of us wants to go back to the boat, they would take the fins off to make sure there wouldn’t be a splash. We even saw a group of scuba divers swimming really close to the sharks!
It was an amazing and thrilling experience. I didn’t think that I would see a shark outside an aquarium, let alone swim on the same water with dozens of them!
Excellent Customer Service
The service we received from our tour guide, Kaream, and our captain, Christopher, was impeccable. They were helpful, entertaining and informative all throughout the tour. We were assisted with our fins and vests without being asked. They were also always asking if we want our pictures taken which we really appreciated. Traveling as a couple, we rarely have proper photos together.
All in all, they made it an unforgettable experience for us! 🙂
Rates for the Snorkeling Tour with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas
$79/Adult
$39/Child (4-11 yrs old)
Activity Duration: 1/2 day
Reminders for the Snorkeling Tour with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas
- Bring towel and sunscreen – With more than 1 stop, the sunscreen will be washed away. You might need to reapply your sunscreen.
- Bring an underwater camera – You would want to capture the beauty of Bahamas and relive your experience.
- Contact the dive shop upon arrival on the island – Confirm your transfers to make sure that you will not be missed.
- Snorkeling gear, fins and vest are available on the boat
- Bring some pocketmoney if you want to buy some snacks or drinks after the tour
Other Underwater Tours
They also offer tours for scuba diving, shark diving, subs (self-contained underwater motorcycle). We will have to learn how to scuba dive first but we want to try all of their tours! 🙂
Thanks to Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas for accommodating us on our visit to Bahamas and for sharing this amazing experience! As always, all opinions are my own.
For more info on the snorkeling tour with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas and its other tours, click here.
snorkeling tour with Stuart Cove’s | snorkeling tour with Stuart Cove’s
Stuart Cove’s snorkeling tour looks like a perfect trip to take whilst in The Bahamas, i like the fact they provide a free shuttle to and from your hotel. I can’t believe how clear and turquoise the water is, your underwater pictures are unreal. I’d have to visit the Hollywood Bowl as Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favourite movies!
What a truly wonderful experience this would have been! The water looks just so pristine and a beautiful bright blue. I loved your post, your photos and the video. It was hard to believe how close you were to the sharks – I’m not sure I would be that game, but I suppose the tour operators are pretty experienced at managing that.
That looks amazing! The color of the water is out of this world, especially in the Hollywood bowl. And the fish are so colorful and how cool to see all those sharks. Your outfitter sounds like they really have it dialed.
I recently learnt to dive so I am always looking for awesome places to go next. This dive spot/school looks amazing. Always wanted to go there too so I think I need to plan it!
You could absolutely do the scuba diving tour! We wanted do that too but we still have to learn how to dive.
What a great tour! And you’re right – they are some of the bluest clearest waters I have ever seen! I’d love to dive with the sharks here – to be so close and share the water with these incredible creatures would be such a rush!
OMG! Love your photographs with half above water and half underwater! Just Wow!
I haven’t done snorkeling so far and would love to do it! Just look how clear the water is! Just pristine!!
Good to know that they provided pickup & drop as well!
I loved the pictures of turqoise blue waters . It is so clear and clean. I will remember those two names Kaream and captain, Christopher for my future tours. You saw sharks and that too from so close.. really adventurous.
OMG I’m so jealous that you could swim with the fish. The pictures of blue sea are so stunning! I’m so in love with your photography skills!
Thank you! 🙂 It’s actually not that hard to get good photos because the water and the snorkeling spots Stuart Cove’s Dive chose were already stunning.
These pictures are stunning. Looks like an amazing experience!
Thank you! It definitely is. We’re planning to go back soon! 🙂
Wow! These photos are amazing! It looks like you had so much fun! My kids love snorkeling!
Wow these pictures are amazing 😉 Beautiful fish and sharks!!!! 🦈. Such a rare ability to swim with them! I have only done it once with out a cage myself but they were just little sand sharks those look pretty sizable 😳