:rcard :naughty I apologize for not writing a report on this sooner. I hadn't logged into this site since March of 2007 and I had received a personal message from a fellow freediver asking me about my experience diving Mayaguana in the Bahamas. My girlfriend and I traveled there back in March of 2007. We took a small prop plane via Bahamas Air that really felt more like an Aerial Bus then anything else. For instince the plane services all out islands and you have to land at several of them and let more passangers on and off before you actually arrive on Mayaguana. The island has NO tourists. NO luxary western style hotels and the "Mayaguana Airport" consists of an old U.S. military air strip that was all cracked with weeds growing up all over the place, one hanger (that served as the 'terminal') and when your landing you can actually see the wreckage of other prop planes in the bush around the airstrip, which is an encouraging sign. :hmm But anyways, the islanders are just terrific people, really they are. They are some of the most friendly people you will ever meet and they know how to cook grouper and conch like nobodys buisness, seriously, it was some of the tastiest grouper I've ever had. We stayed at a place called the Mayaguana Inn Guest House at Abrahams Bay, run by an old man named Cap and his lovely wife. I had the impression they receive very few visitors here. We got there and Cap had a picture of himself, his wife, and the test team for the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, no joke! Although Cap seemed to think the test team were other tourists, as he kept refering to them as such (that must have been what they told him). When we arrived, they showed us the whole island, including the small school there, of which the people there seem immensly proud. Cap lets you rent his RAV4 by the day so your free to explore the whole island. This place is paradise. Beautiful is an understatement when describing the beaches. There are salt marshes complete with Flamenco. But most importantly the Reefs are untouched. I did some conch fishing which is simply a matter of diving down, closing your eyes, sticking your knife out and grabbing one (they are everywhere!). Cap's wife was happy to prepare the conchs that I caught as well, she was such a good cook I can't stress that enough. There are some very very healthy Reefs that surround most of the northern and eastern part of the island. Some of these Reefs are almost too healthy, as brazen reef sharks were a common site. The other thing I was taken aback by were the barracuda I saw there. I've seen my share of these fish, and they are usually a pleasant site, but these things were monsterous! I mean 4-5 ft. might not quite describe some of them, and they were way too curious. I remember one dive, they took a keen interest on my girlfriend, I was wearing my Finis comp. monofin and I actually had to shoo them away by swimming towards them and harassing them! :martialThe best place on the island both for reef diving and for beautiful serene beaches is the North Shore. Nobody lives there, but there is an abandoned house that had marble floors old spanish style fascade, was gorgous, yet abondoned. Unfortunately, the best part of the coral reef system was a bit dangerous. I didn't have access to a boat, that would have made things MUCH easier. As it was, I had to wade out in this bay (a beautiful site for pictures btw) in about 4-6 ft. for, seriously, over a mile. The transit while carrying my mask and fins took about 40 minutes. I quickly found out that the best way was to wade across the bay to an inaccessable point via rode. There the distance to the reef is much shorter, under a quarter mile (see Google Earth). This Reef, while being the best on the island, is an Advanced Freedive. There is a hedge of dead coral which creates some big breakers, and if one is not an experienced freediver or is not careful, the waves will quickly slam you around and smash you repeatedly into dead coral and jagged rocks. This is not an exaggeration. To dive here safely one should be experienced and have some good technical equipment, like a pair of Cressi long fins. However, once you get out far enough, it becomes WELL WORTH IT. The reef here absolutely opens up at about 30 ft. of water and extends down well past 100 ft. I'm talking extensive coral gardens, overhangs, finger reefs, and a reef wall that must go down to at least 130 ft. If your craving healthy reefs; that explosion of color and creatures, you will not be dissapointed here. It was almost like a jewel that you have to work hard for, like Indiana Jones or something. The easier diving on the island was in and around Abraham's Bay. However, the islanders have been conch fishing there for some time and it shows. But once you travel to North Shore and see the abundance of life there, you get dissapointed with everything else. I didn't have enough time to fully explore the eastern part of Mayaguana. We stayed on the island for six days and I only got to dive the eastern side once, it was a close second to the North Shore. I got the impression diving the east side that if I had a second or third day to explore it could proove to be a hidden gem. It's actually quite possible the eastern reefs could be better then the North Shore, I simply don't know, but according to Cap, his son, and some of the other islanders I talked to the North Shore reef is the best. The eastern part of the island is a trek, only accessible from an unmaintained dirt road on the south shore. You need need an SUV for sure, one with AWD. If I went again, which I would in a heartbeat, I would be carrying a speargun with me [and I mean for protection]
thats how I would descride diving Mayaguana. A healthy reef ecosystem with a full complement of Tertiary Predators that are eager to find out who/what you are and possibly how you taste. Overall, the lack of amenities and other people is compensated for by the quality of the diving here. I hope I've said everything I can think of and not too much. I apologize to the person who requested I write a report on this back in May of 2007 :naughty I will be an active part of this forum from now on, and again I apoligize for the inactivity in sharing this experience. I hope this helps anyone lloking for more info. on Mayaguana in the Bahamas. Good luck with your diving and most importantly, stay safe. -- James H. Stewart
thats how I would descride diving Mayaguana. A healthy reef ecosystem with a full complement of Tertiary Predators that are eager to find out who/what you are and possibly how you taste. Overall, the lack of amenities and other people is compensated for by the quality of the diving here. I hope I've said everything I can think of and not too much. I apologize to the person who requested I write a report on this back in May of 2007 :naughty I will be an active part of this forum from now on, and again I apoligize for the inactivity in sharing this experience. I hope this helps anyone lloking for more info. on Mayaguana in the Bahamas. Good luck with your diving and most importantly, stay safe. -- James H. Stewart
