Bahamas TIGER BEACH Shark Safari
Tiger, LEMON, GREAT HAMMERHEAD, Caribbean Reef, and nurse sharks
2ND to 9TH MAY, 2020 on the Bahamas Aggressor
double or twin occupancy cabins: $2995 PP
Early BIRD discount: $400 off
Free photography coaching from a pro
The Location
The West End area of Grand Bahama. is rarely visited by guests and is home to many creatures – both large (sharks and dolphins) and small (grouper, snapper, assorted other reef fish). At least one day during the trip will be dedicated to a dive at the area know as "Tiger Beach" where we will try to attract sharks using a "scent triangle" filled with bait. Caribbean Reef sharks, Lemon Sharks and Tiger sharks are known to frequent the area, as well as the occasional Great Hammerhead and Bull shark. In recent years a large female Great Hammerhead know as patches has made this spot her favourite hang out. Tiger Beach is excellent for photography. Only 20 feet (7 metres) deep, with clear white sand to make for great lighting, you can stay down for a long time just watching the dozens of sharks swimming around you.
As well as Tiger Beach, there are some other cracking dive sites in the area that we will dive multiple times.
Fish Tales – Another great location for shark spotting: lemon, Caribbean reef, nurse and tiger sharks. Very close to Tiger Beach but a little deeper with the same shark action.
Lighthouse – Just off of West End, Grand Bahama Island, this is a great shark spotting point. You may find great hammerheads, tiger, nurse and lemon sharks; even bull sharks have been reported to pass by sometimes.
Sugar Wreck – This shipwreck is a 110 metres (330ft) steel vessel that sunk about 100 years ago, carrying molasses. It features the resident green moray eel, enormous schools of snappers, loggerhead turtles, octopus, and nurse sharks. As it sunk in shallow water; 7 metres (20ft), you will have plenty of time and opportunity to fully explore it.
Mt Olympus and Garden of Eden- The tops of the reef (or peaks of the mountains) are 40 feet / 13 metres deep, and the sides slope down another 50 feet / 17 metres to a sandy bottom. The sides have small caves, overhangs, and gullies with plenty of reef life and coral coverage, and having over a dozen Caribbean Reef sharks here is not uncommon.
El Dorado - another place for sharks, besides being a simply gorgeous reef in 45-70 feet of water; this shark dive can be one of the most exciting. Here you can see anywhere from ten to over twenty Caribbean Reef sharks.
White Sands Ridge, Bahama Banks
Hotspot for swimming, freediving and snorkeling with pods of wild Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins. If the dolphins stay around, we may even get to dive with them. An experience not to be missed!
The West End area of Grand Bahama. is rarely visited by guests and is home to many creatures – both large (sharks and dolphins) and small (grouper, snapper, assorted other reef fish). At least one day during the trip will be dedicated to a dive at the area know as "Tiger Beach" where we will try to attract sharks using a "scent triangle" filled with bait. Caribbean Reef sharks, Lemon Sharks and Tiger sharks are known to frequent the area, as well as the occasional Great Hammerhead and Bull shark. In recent years a large female Great Hammerhead know as patches has made this spot her favourite hang out. Tiger Beach is excellent for photography. Only 20 feet (7 metres) deep, with clear white sand to make for great lighting, you can stay down for a long time just watching the dozens of sharks swimming around you.
As well as Tiger Beach, there are some other cracking dive sites in the area that we will dive multiple times.
Fish Tales – Another great location for shark spotting: lemon, Caribbean reef, nurse and tiger sharks. Very close to Tiger Beach but a little deeper with the same shark action.
Lighthouse – Just off of West End, Grand Bahama Island, this is a great shark spotting point. You may find great hammerheads, tiger, nurse and lemon sharks; even bull sharks have been reported to pass by sometimes.
Sugar Wreck – This shipwreck is a 110 metres (330ft) steel vessel that sunk about 100 years ago, carrying molasses. It features the resident green moray eel, enormous schools of snappers, loggerhead turtles, octopus, and nurse sharks. As it sunk in shallow water; 7 metres (20ft), you will have plenty of time and opportunity to fully explore it.
Mt Olympus and Garden of Eden- The tops of the reef (or peaks of the mountains) are 40 feet / 13 metres deep, and the sides slope down another 50 feet / 17 metres to a sandy bottom. The sides have small caves, overhangs, and gullies with plenty of reef life and coral coverage, and having over a dozen Caribbean Reef sharks here is not uncommon.
El Dorado - another place for sharks, besides being a simply gorgeous reef in 45-70 feet of water; this shark dive can be one of the most exciting. Here you can see anywhere from ten to over twenty Caribbean Reef sharks.
White Sands Ridge, Bahama Banks
Hotspot for swimming, freediving and snorkeling with pods of wild Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins. If the dolphins stay around, we may even get to dive with them. An experience not to be missed!
The Yacht
The Bahama Aggressor II will be a 125’ yacht with a wide beam. Built and powered for comfort, safety and stability, she is diesel-powered, cruises at 12 knots and has 110-volt power onboard. All staterooms are equipped with standard US outlets and USB ports for charging electrical devices. Accommodations include 9 Deluxe cabins with a double or twin configuration . All staterooms have climate controls. The Bahama Aggressor II will sleep 18 guests in privacy and comfort.
She features a roomy, air conditioned salon and dining area, sun deck complete with a hot tub, lounge and deck chairs, stereo and CD player, shaded wet bar and grill, a complete photo center with a digital video and still photo editing computer.
Diving amenities include Nitrox (unlimited Nitrox is $100 for the week), individual dive lockers, camera table with low-pressure air hoses, and two hot, fresh water showers.
Food
The menu onboard is varied and plentiful, with a variety of American feasts, barbecues and local cuisine. You will awaken to fresh fruits, hot entrees, cereals and juices. Lunches are buffet-style, featuring hot soups, homemade breads, salads and sandwiches and/or entrees. Dinners are chef prepared and served each evening and include salads, vegetables, seafood, beef or chicken with a fresh homemade dessert. Once onboard, please speak to the chef about any special needs.
Drinks
The selection includes fruit juices, soft drinks, iced water, iced tea, coffee, and a limited selection of local beer and wine, which are complimentary. Due to the high duty charged on liquor, we suggest you bring your special brands with you. Drinking and diving do not mix. Once you consume alcohol, you become a snorkeler until the next day.
Life on board
All staterooms are air-conditioned and fitted with private toilets, showers and sinks. Breakfast (cooked to order), buffet lunch and an elegant chef prepared dinner with tableside service are served in addition to fresh mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. Beverages (soft beverages, local beer and wine) are complimentary while onboard. The yacht is equipped with hairdryers in each stateroom. Linens are changed mid-week and fresh towels are placed in each stateroom as needed. Filled tanks, weights and weight belts are included.
The Bahama Aggressor II will be a 125’ yacht with a wide beam. Built and powered for comfort, safety and stability, she is diesel-powered, cruises at 12 knots and has 110-volt power onboard. All staterooms are equipped with standard US outlets and USB ports for charging electrical devices. Accommodations include 9 Deluxe cabins with a double or twin configuration . All staterooms have climate controls. The Bahama Aggressor II will sleep 18 guests in privacy and comfort.
She features a roomy, air conditioned salon and dining area, sun deck complete with a hot tub, lounge and deck chairs, stereo and CD player, shaded wet bar and grill, a complete photo center with a digital video and still photo editing computer.
Diving amenities include Nitrox (unlimited Nitrox is $100 for the week), individual dive lockers, camera table with low-pressure air hoses, and two hot, fresh water showers.
Food
The menu onboard is varied and plentiful, with a variety of American feasts, barbecues and local cuisine. You will awaken to fresh fruits, hot entrees, cereals and juices. Lunches are buffet-style, featuring hot soups, homemade breads, salads and sandwiches and/or entrees. Dinners are chef prepared and served each evening and include salads, vegetables, seafood, beef or chicken with a fresh homemade dessert. Once onboard, please speak to the chef about any special needs.
Drinks
The selection includes fruit juices, soft drinks, iced water, iced tea, coffee, and a limited selection of local beer and wine, which are complimentary. Due to the high duty charged on liquor, we suggest you bring your special brands with you. Drinking and diving do not mix. Once you consume alcohol, you become a snorkeler until the next day.
Life on board
All staterooms are air-conditioned and fitted with private toilets, showers and sinks. Breakfast (cooked to order), buffet lunch and an elegant chef prepared dinner with tableside service are served in addition to fresh mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. Beverages (soft beverages, local beer and wine) are complimentary while onboard. The yacht is equipped with hairdryers in each stateroom. Linens are changed mid-week and fresh towels are placed in each stateroom as needed. Filled tanks, weights and weight belts are included.
Images below are of the current boat, which will be replaced at the end of 2019.
Diving
The crew of the Bahama Aggressor, with their unique combination of talents, offers the ultimate service. While onboard, you may pick a buddy of your choice, or dive with one of the crew members. The yacht offers up to five dives per day (one on the last day) including night dives. There is ample storage space for your diving equipment in your personal locker. The Bahama Aggressor provides 80 cubic ft. tanks, weight belts and weights. The stern and platform area is very spacious. The boarding ladders were designed for convenience to allow divers easy entries and exits.
Enjoy fresh water showers on the back deck after your dives and dry off with a warm towel. All diving onboard the Bahama Aggressor should be within the limits and standards of the training agency that certified you. All dives should be planned no decompression dives.
You’ve chosen a LiveAboard vacation for the diving freedom that it offers. While in the water, you and your buddy are in charge. Every dive starts with a dive briefing from the yacht staff. However, as a certified diver, you and your buddy are responsible for planning and conducting your own dives within the limitations set forth by the briefing. The staff will be on the dive deck providing surface support for divers as well as staff in the water offering support, u/w photography and videography, and critter spotting services as well. On some dive sites a staff member will offer to lead a group and assist them in locating specific points of interest. However, they do not offer direct supervision of dives. If you start out with a group, as long as you and your buddy remain in contact with each other and are ok – you may follow your own dive plan.
Arrival/Boarding/Departure
The boat will dock in and out of Old Bahama Bay Resort. Guests will fly in and out of Grand Bahama International Airport, (airport code is FPO). It is a 30 to 45 minute taxi ride to Old Bahama Bay and approx. $75. Transfers are not included. Boarding is at 4 pm on the 2nd and the yacht departs for its first anchorage at 6 pm so everyone must be onboard. Check out is at 8 am on the 9th. Dinner is not included the last night of the trip, however, there is a restaurant at Old Bahama Bay Resort.
Flights
There are direct flights from Atlanta, Georgia; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and Miami, Florida to the Grand Bahama International Airport (FPO).
Extended Stay
We can arrange extensions post or pre-liveaboard to other Bahamian islands for more diving or some well-earned R&R.
Taxes & Fees
.All fees are paid onboard at the end of the charter. Transfers are not included in the charter price.
Includes
7 nights full board, 6 days diving, up to 5 dives a day on 5 days, 1 dive on the penultimate day, cylinders and weights, optional free photography coaching.
Does not include
Nitrox, dive equipment rental, transfers. Port fees for 7 nights is $110.
Photography coaching
Provided by Indigo Safaris’ founder and underwater photographer Christopher Bartlett. Christopher’s work has been published round the world, and over the last decade he has had more than 100 articles published on a range of diving and marine conservation subjects, and to date has a dozen dive magazine cover shots to his name. Latest images here .
The crew of the Bahama Aggressor, with their unique combination of talents, offers the ultimate service. While onboard, you may pick a buddy of your choice, or dive with one of the crew members. The yacht offers up to five dives per day (one on the last day) including night dives. There is ample storage space for your diving equipment in your personal locker. The Bahama Aggressor provides 80 cubic ft. tanks, weight belts and weights. The stern and platform area is very spacious. The boarding ladders were designed for convenience to allow divers easy entries and exits.
Enjoy fresh water showers on the back deck after your dives and dry off with a warm towel. All diving onboard the Bahama Aggressor should be within the limits and standards of the training agency that certified you. All dives should be planned no decompression dives.
You’ve chosen a LiveAboard vacation for the diving freedom that it offers. While in the water, you and your buddy are in charge. Every dive starts with a dive briefing from the yacht staff. However, as a certified diver, you and your buddy are responsible for planning and conducting your own dives within the limitations set forth by the briefing. The staff will be on the dive deck providing surface support for divers as well as staff in the water offering support, u/w photography and videography, and critter spotting services as well. On some dive sites a staff member will offer to lead a group and assist them in locating specific points of interest. However, they do not offer direct supervision of dives. If you start out with a group, as long as you and your buddy remain in contact with each other and are ok – you may follow your own dive plan.
Arrival/Boarding/Departure
The boat will dock in and out of Old Bahama Bay Resort. Guests will fly in and out of Grand Bahama International Airport, (airport code is FPO). It is a 30 to 45 minute taxi ride to Old Bahama Bay and approx. $75. Transfers are not included. Boarding is at 4 pm on the 2nd and the yacht departs for its first anchorage at 6 pm so everyone must be onboard. Check out is at 8 am on the 9th. Dinner is not included the last night of the trip, however, there is a restaurant at Old Bahama Bay Resort.
Flights
There are direct flights from Atlanta, Georgia; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and Miami, Florida to the Grand Bahama International Airport (FPO).
Extended Stay
We can arrange extensions post or pre-liveaboard to other Bahamian islands for more diving or some well-earned R&R.
Taxes & Fees
.All fees are paid onboard at the end of the charter. Transfers are not included in the charter price.
Includes
7 nights full board, 6 days diving, up to 5 dives a day on 5 days, 1 dive on the penultimate day, cylinders and weights, optional free photography coaching.
Does not include
Nitrox, dive equipment rental, transfers. Port fees for 7 nights is $110.
Photography coaching
Provided by Indigo Safaris’ founder and underwater photographer Christopher Bartlett. Christopher’s work has been published round the world, and over the last decade he has had more than 100 articles published on a range of diving and marine conservation subjects, and to date has a dozen dive magazine cover shots to his name. Latest images here .