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World | Diving Bermuda:
Bermuda overview
Wrecks:
Reefs:
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Scuba Diving Bermuda
Water temperature: |
26 - 28°C (78 - 82°F) |
Suit needed: |
5mm wetsuit |
Water visibility: |
20 - 30 metres (70 - 100 feet) |
Type of diving: |
Reefs and wrecks |
Marine life: |
Parrotfish, wrasse, octopus, lobster, grouper, angelfish, barracuda and tarpon (seasonal) |
When to go: |
Summer months may be preferable due to warmer sea and air temperatures, although an algae bloom does occur in July, which will reduce visibility. Tarpon congregate in September for the mating season |
How to get there: |
Zoom and BA fly direct from London, and flights from the US go direct from several main airports |
Located in the North Atlantic approximately 1000km off the US coast, Bermuda (or the Somers Isles) is the oldest remaining British over-seas territory. Bermuda is made up of approximately 138 islands connected by a series of bridges and causeways. Bermuda has British, American and Caribbean influences but is too far north to be considered part of the Caribbean. It also has more interchangeable seasons, with a definite summer and winter.
In terms of when to go diving, there are different factors to consider. Summer months may be preferable due to warmer sea and air temperatures, although an algae bloom does occur in July, which will reduce visibility. Tarpon congregate in September for the mating season.
Above water Bermuda offers a host of water-based activities as well as land-based activities such as golf and historical forts and towns to explore. Diving is generally at dive sites not far from the shore and so if you do two dives a day you will be back for lunch with a free afternoon or time for a third dive.
Accommodation & Transport
Accommodation in Bermuda can be expensive as many of the hotels are 5 star golf resorts, however there are cheaper options. Check the location of your accommodation when booking and ensure it is fairly close to one of the dive centres, it can take while to travel around the island, just over 1 hour to drive end to end. Travel around the island is fairly easy by bus, ferry or scooter, there are no cars available for hire and taxis are proportionally expensive.
Dive Operators
There are three main dive operators in Bermuda covering the east, west and south of the island. We dived with the centre located to the west (Blue Water Divers) and the centre located on the south beaches (Dive Bermuda). The two are very different set-ups, Blue Water cater for cruise ship numbers – for example over 30 divers with 2 guides – whereas Dive Bermuda have a far quieter and more personal operation with about 12 divers and 2-3 guides on the boat. Both run 2-dive morning packages from a hard boat leaving direct from their launch locations. Dive Bermuda additionally run afternoon dives and offer a great unlimited-dive package for a weeks diving.
Each centre will access the dive sites in reasonable proximity to their land location so if you have a particular wreck you wish to dive we’d advise checking with the dive centres if they go there. Depending on the sites you want to dive may also determine where you stay on the island and which centre you dive with, however for overall facilities, central location and relaxed diving we would recommend the south beaches resorts. If you dive at this centre you may also make use of the hotel beach facilities, including bar, sun-loungers and showers, an ideal place to leave non-divers in your party.
Diving Overview
The diving in Bermuda is predominantly wrecks and reefs, the coral reef that surrounds the island lies in shallow waters and drops away a few miles out to sea. As the reef drops away from 30+m there are no walls as such to dive and so there is little chance of seeing any large Atlantic marine life (sharks etc). The real highlights are the many historic wrecks to dive and most are within shallow waters of about 20m. Good visibility will mean you can guide yourself around the sites if you’re qualified and do not wish to dive with a guide. The reef also lies at shallow depths of 6m to 30m and in many parts is like a giant cheese, in that it is riddled with lots of holes, caves, tunnels and swim-throughs. On Sundays Dive Bermuda have a club trip that will run to further a field dive sites, this is worth checking before booking.
The variety of marine life in Bermuda is poor when compared with the Red Sea or some parts of the Caribbean, Due to the large fluctuations in sea temperature experienced around Bermuda many of the less hardy tropical species can not survive. However you will see plenty of life including large parrotfish, wrasse, octopus, lobster, grouper, angelfish, barracuda and tarpon (seasonal). Turtles were seen from the shore but are not commonly seen by divers. Corals are a mixture of soft and hard corals, with brain coral seeming prolific.
There are occasional annual trips to further dive sites out to pinnacles in the Atlantic, however unless you specially arrange this prior to your trip there is little chance of getting out this far with the main dive centres.
Jenny Pickles
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