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Dean's Blue Hole
- Thread starterWill
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
My sentiments entirely - no problems with waves, current, water temperature, visibility, boats, lengthy boat rides or surface transfers, and it looks like you could even do dynamic alongisde the beach...
If anyone is keen on doing some serious training over this winter then feel free to contact me, as I may be renting out a whole house, and will need experienced training partners.
For now I am looking for someone who has been there, and can fill me in on a few important details.
Cheers, Will.
If anyone is keen on doing some serious training over this winter then feel free to contact me, as I may be renting out a whole house, and will need experienced training partners.
For now I am looking for someone who has been there, and can fill me in on a few important details.
Cheers, Will.
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Hi Will,
Long Island is one of my favorite places on earth, but you have to know how to take it. There is very little tourist development except on the north end, and that is low key. Most of the population are farmers or commercial fishermen diving for lobster and fish. You will need a vehicle. Car rentals are available, but a little rough by first world standards. Boat rental businesses don't exist. If a local trusts you, his boat might be had. Its probably his livelyhood so they can be a little reluctant. One unfortunate thing, the Bahamas are expensive in US dollars, everything you consume will cost double stateside prices. Rentals vary from very pricy to acceptable.
The best way to do Long Island is get friendly with the natives. There are lots of very good divers there, especially around Salt Pond, and they will be interested in what you're doing. The locals are fantastic people, but the culture takes some understanding. Bahamians don't like to tell you no. Often, yes really means no. You can't push'em. This, the slow pace of life, and limited local resources can make you crazy, if you need something and time is short. Careful planning helps a lot.
The ocean diving is outstanding, but access is tricky. Get someone to take you to Millers, the best structure is just south of the tiny harbor. You can dive the reefs from shore, but that involves a pretty good swim in Very sharky water. I don't reccommend it. For some reason, the reef sharks there can be aggressive as heck. Unless you are in Clarencetown, which has a big harbor, a small skiff in the back of a pickup launched off the beach is by far the best way to handle it. Some of the reefs off Stella Maris (northern end) have suffered much in recent years, I'm not sure about Millers or Clarencetown. Diving out of and just north of Clarencetown used to be fabulous, , 30 meter plus vis(40 m at times), big ledges, sharks sleeping in caves. Acres of huge staghorn in 50-60 ft of water, unbelievable. I hope it is still like that.
I've not dove that blue hole and can't remember if it is closer to Clarencetown or Salt Pond. Clarencetown has some houses for rent, probably not much in Salt Pond. From the description on the above website, it must be closer to Clarencetown, near the end of a section of coast that is sheltered from the southeast trade winds. That should be real good for ocean diving conditions.
Keep me posted on your plans.
Connor
Long Island is one of my favorite places on earth, but you have to know how to take it. There is very little tourist development except on the north end, and that is low key. Most of the population are farmers or commercial fishermen diving for lobster and fish. You will need a vehicle. Car rentals are available, but a little rough by first world standards. Boat rental businesses don't exist. If a local trusts you, his boat might be had. Its probably his livelyhood so they can be a little reluctant. One unfortunate thing, the Bahamas are expensive in US dollars, everything you consume will cost double stateside prices. Rentals vary from very pricy to acceptable.
The best way to do Long Island is get friendly with the natives. There are lots of very good divers there, especially around Salt Pond, and they will be interested in what you're doing. The locals are fantastic people, but the culture takes some understanding. Bahamians don't like to tell you no. Often, yes really means no. You can't push'em. This, the slow pace of life, and limited local resources can make you crazy, if you need something and time is short. Careful planning helps a lot.
The ocean diving is outstanding, but access is tricky. Get someone to take you to Millers, the best structure is just south of the tiny harbor. You can dive the reefs from shore, but that involves a pretty good swim in Very sharky water. I don't reccommend it. For some reason, the reef sharks there can be aggressive as heck. Unless you are in Clarencetown, which has a big harbor, a small skiff in the back of a pickup launched off the beach is by far the best way to handle it. Some of the reefs off Stella Maris (northern end) have suffered much in recent years, I'm not sure about Millers or Clarencetown. Diving out of and just north of Clarencetown used to be fabulous, , 30 meter plus vis(40 m at times), big ledges, sharks sleeping in caves. Acres of huge staghorn in 50-60 ft of water, unbelievable. I hope it is still like that.
I've not dove that blue hole and can't remember if it is closer to Clarencetown or Salt Pond. Clarencetown has some houses for rent, probably not much in Salt Pond. From the description on the above website, it must be closer to Clarencetown, near the end of a section of coast that is sheltered from the southeast trade winds. That should be real good for ocean diving conditions.
Keep me posted on your plans.
Connor
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Hi Connor,
Many thanks for the detailed reply - this is exactly the sort of information I need (tried to give karma, but need to spread it).
The blue hole is just west of Clarence Town (see http://www.boipb.com/longisland.pdf for a good map) and we will be staying just around the corner. For this reason I am hoping to get by without having to rent a car, as we should be able to walk/cycle to the shops & hole. I don't intend to do too much diving in the ocean, but some of the freedivers who are coming to train with me have asked about spearfishing, so I will pass on the warning about the agressive reef sharks (strange for the Caribbean).
I am used to the Caribbean 'pace of life' so I should be able to cope with the locals there.
A couple of questions if you don't mind:
- Is the best way to get there using the mail boats, or is it better just to pay the exorbitant sum for a flight via Nassau?
- Am I likely to be able to get internet access in Clarence Town?
- Just how bad are the prices? For example how much would a loaf of bread, or a litre of milk cost?
Cheers again for the help - are you going to be there at any point over the winter?
Will.
Many thanks for the detailed reply - this is exactly the sort of information I need (tried to give karma, but need to spread it).
The blue hole is just west of Clarence Town (see http://www.boipb.com/longisland.pdf for a good map) and we will be staying just around the corner. For this reason I am hoping to get by without having to rent a car, as we should be able to walk/cycle to the shops & hole. I don't intend to do too much diving in the ocean, but some of the freedivers who are coming to train with me have asked about spearfishing, so I will pass on the warning about the agressive reef sharks (strange for the Caribbean).
I am used to the Caribbean 'pace of life' so I should be able to cope with the locals there.
A couple of questions if you don't mind:
- Is the best way to get there using the mail boats, or is it better just to pay the exorbitant sum for a flight via Nassau?
- Am I likely to be able to get internet access in Clarence Town?
- Just how bad are the prices? For example how much would a loaf of bread, or a litre of milk cost?
Cheers again for the help - are you going to be there at any point over the winter?
Will.
Hi Will,
Can't give you any definate, on the spot info, but here is some reasonable guesses.
I drove through Clarencetown two years ago, a lot of development has gone on, quite a few American style houses and the businesses look much more affluent than the last time I dove there (18 years back). I'm pretty sure that someone has internet available. It should work most of the time.
I've never tried the mail boats. They will be cheaper, but food costs and time may remove much of the advantage. If it is coming directly into Clarencetown, the taxi ride will be a LOT cheaper than coming from the airport at Deadmans Cay. The Clarencetown run is open ocean and you might get delayed more than a little, late fall to early spring. The mailboat will be one hell of a lot more interesting for the adventerous type.
Figure prices are about double state side for anything imported from the US. Milk roughly $6.00 a gallon, maybe $2.50 a liter. US bread (often pretty old), $4.00, maybe more. Local bread(if available) will be $3 or $4 and much better. Some things, local Bahamian eggs, Commonweath products (New Zealand butter), etc can be quite cheap. This is pretty approximate for C'twn, so local knowledge is better for specifics. In general, you can count on it being expensive to eat.
More later.
Connor
Can't give you any definate, on the spot info, but here is some reasonable guesses.
I drove through Clarencetown two years ago, a lot of development has gone on, quite a few American style houses and the businesses look much more affluent than the last time I dove there (18 years back). I'm pretty sure that someone has internet available. It should work most of the time.
I've never tried the mail boats. They will be cheaper, but food costs and time may remove much of the advantage. If it is coming directly into Clarencetown, the taxi ride will be a LOT cheaper than coming from the airport at Deadmans Cay. The Clarencetown run is open ocean and you might get delayed more than a little, late fall to early spring. The mailboat will be one hell of a lot more interesting for the adventerous type.
Figure prices are about double state side for anything imported from the US. Milk roughly $6.00 a gallon, maybe $2.50 a liter. US bread (often pretty old), $4.00, maybe more. Local bread(if available) will be $3 or $4 and much better. Some things, local Bahamian eggs, Commonweath products (New Zealand butter), etc can be quite cheap. This is pretty approximate for C'twn, so local knowledge is better for specifics. In general, you can count on it being expensive to eat.
More later.
Connor
Later,
If you have done much in the lower Caribbean, I would expect the price structure for food and fuel to be fairly similar.
Spearfishing is fine, and should be fairly productive in deeper water. The reefs, when I saw them, were spectacular. The sharks can be aggressive, (much more than in most of the Bahamas) but if you are diving buddies and a boat(with driver) is close, they shouldn't be a serious problem. Its the long swim with no boat that would make me nervous. You might want to rethink diving offshore, there should be some kind of wall diving, a huge vertical drop that starts about 150 ft and goes to a thousand or more. Very spectacular, especially if you have the depth capacity to get below the lip.
One thing for non-local spearos. Big preditors can poison you every now and then. I don't eat big anything, cuda over 5 pounds, black and yellowfin grouper over 15, hogfish over 12, muttons over 6 or 8. No jacks period. Nassau grouper of any size are ok. Ciguatera is not all that common, but is a very nasty, long term, nerve poison.
Right now, I have no plans to be out of the States this winter, but joining you for a week would be a real kick if I can figure out how to do the logistics. Keep me posted on your plans.
Connor
If you have done much in the lower Caribbean, I would expect the price structure for food and fuel to be fairly similar.
Spearfishing is fine, and should be fairly productive in deeper water. The reefs, when I saw them, were spectacular. The sharks can be aggressive, (much more than in most of the Bahamas) but if you are diving buddies and a boat(with driver) is close, they shouldn't be a serious problem. Its the long swim with no boat that would make me nervous. You might want to rethink diving offshore, there should be some kind of wall diving, a huge vertical drop that starts about 150 ft and goes to a thousand or more. Very spectacular, especially if you have the depth capacity to get below the lip.
One thing for non-local spearos. Big preditors can poison you every now and then. I don't eat big anything, cuda over 5 pounds, black and yellowfin grouper over 15, hogfish over 12, muttons over 6 or 8. No jacks period. Nassau grouper of any size are ok. Ciguatera is not all that common, but is a very nasty, long term, nerve poison.
Right now, I have no plans to be out of the States this winter, but joining you for a week would be a real kick if I can figure out how to do the logistics. Keep me posted on your plans.
Connor
...my two cents
I do not advise travel in the Bahamas by mailboat. The run from Potters Cay in Nassau will likely run about 18+ hours and no matter what the departure date and time etc, they are never on time. The vessels are ROUGH and the price not much different from a quick airhop outta Nassau. If departing from the States check out Delta or Continental Connection. They might even fly direct to Long Is.
Re food supply-if you have any special diet needs, take it with you ( except for fruit and the usual ag products). Most of the groceries will be available and while the prices are higher, savings can be had with the ready supply of grouper, lobster and conch. If you are renting a house the property manager will dial you in to most of your needs. Also, the resorts, like Stella Maris etc, can be very helpful in meeting needs in the food dept if you plan ahead. You will find Bahamians very friendly and helpful (I call them the "Happy People"), but 'Island-time' is very real - kinda like 'manana' in the Yucatan.
Hope this helps.
B
I do not advise travel in the Bahamas by mailboat. The run from Potters Cay in Nassau will likely run about 18+ hours and no matter what the departure date and time etc, they are never on time. The vessels are ROUGH and the price not much different from a quick airhop outta Nassau. If departing from the States check out Delta or Continental Connection. They might even fly direct to Long Is.
Re food supply-if you have any special diet needs, take it with you ( except for fruit and the usual ag products). Most of the groceries will be available and while the prices are higher, savings can be had with the ready supply of grouper, lobster and conch. If you are renting a house the property manager will dial you in to most of your needs. Also, the resorts, like Stella Maris etc, can be very helpful in meeting needs in the food dept if you plan ahead. You will find Bahamians very friendly and helpful (I call them the "Happy People"), but 'Island-time' is very real - kinda like 'manana' in the Yucatan.
Hope this helps.
B
Hi Connor and Blumon, cheers for the great advice. As I am bringing my Italian girlfriend I will probably take your advice and not risk the mail boats. Good to know which fish are safe as well - does the trick with the ants work in the Caribbean as well? I will keep you informed as to our plans and let you know if there is a week when a room is free.
Must fly - am off to Sicily tomorrow for the Rosanna Maiorca memorial comp.
Cheers, Will.
Must fly - am off to Sicily tomorrow for the Rosanna Maiorca memorial comp.
Cheers, Will.
HI,I live in the bahamas. I practically live in longisland.
I kno everything about how u can get ther, where u can stay, some good eatin places, a good massage therapist if u need one after diving lolz...some nice people..why only dive...we have caves..some with water caves...and there is so much to do ther...u can e-mail me..lique_gonewild@hotmail.com
I kno everything about how u can get ther, where u can stay, some good eatin places, a good massage therapist if u need one after diving lolz...some nice people..why only dive...we have caves..some with water caves...and there is so much to do ther...u can e-mail me..lique_gonewild@hotmail.com
Hey hey hey ...Divers...i kno exactly where u can find the blue hole out turtle cove lolz...u found ur angel
:wave :girlie Well contact me and i'll even see if some of my family can show u the spot...and while ur thee...get a tan and pick up a cold kalick(beer) and some slang
lique_gonewild@hotmail.com
:wave :girlie Well contact me and i'll even see if some of my family can show u the spot...and while ur thee...get a tan and pick up a cold kalick(beer) and some slanglique_gonewild@hotmail.com
After arriving a week ago I can confirm that this blue hole is without a doubt the best place in the world for freediving training. I literally step off a beach into 203 meters of clear calm water. I am trying to post photos, but there is a problem between my memory stick and the internet cafe computer.
We arew staying in a large 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house on a hill, 5 minutes walk from the hole. If anyone is interested in coming in November or later for serious freediving training please PM me.
Many thanks to Seb Murat, who put me on to this place back in August.
We arew staying in a large 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house on a hill, 5 minutes walk from the hole. If anyone is interested in coming in November or later for serious freediving training please PM me.
Many thanks to Seb Murat, who put me on to this place back in August.
Will said:
I am a good cook! Can i come as housekeeper/fin caddy??
Sounds great Will.. what is the exact location and how do you get there? I am still keen to have training lessons but it won't be this year now
It sounds like an ideal place to set up a regular meet/course location once or twice a year...Connor, what's a mailboat? Can you point me to a website where i can check this out?
Edit: (sorry just found it in previous post) that's just heaven on earth..
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The Blue Hole is about 1km from Clarencetown, on the north (Atlantic) side of Long Island. Flights from Nassau are $85 one way ($170 return) to Deadman's Cay, from where we can come and pick you up. If you are interested in coming then let us know a period, and we will let you know how much the rent will be (probably about $100 - 150/ week). Food is reasonably expensive, but fish is easy to catch!
