Scuba Dive

Located some 60 miles east of Nassau, Eleuthera and Harbour Island feature both peaceful topside scenery and underwater adrenaline rushes.  Wrecks, reefs, and inland blue holes, make these islands fun to dive, but by far the highlight is the Current Cut, a 10 knot drift dive, the fastest in the Caribbean. Divers are dropped off at one end by the dive boat then fly past large coral heads and colorful filter feeders until the tidal channel spits them out the other side.

There is a concentration of excellent wrecks near Harbor Island. The Devil’s Backbone off nearby Spanish Wells has claimed many ships over the years, and at least one train. The train was aboard a barge that sank during the Civil War and can be dived in 30 feet of water. Other wrecks include a 200-foot freighter from 1919 and the wreck of a 265-foot freighter that sank in 1971.

Other interesting dive sites in Eleuthera and Harbour Island include:

Plateau:   45-100ft. Rolling coral mounds, undercut by ledges
The Arch:  A giant arch of coral that forms a nearly concealed grotto
Current Cut: Divers ride the current through a marine menagerie of fish and Eagle Rays
The Pinnacles: 100 ft. Dive on a cavernous mountain of coral
Carnavon: 35 ft. This intact 200-foot freighter sank in 1919
Smuggler’s Plane Wreck – 70ft. Drug smuggler’s four-passenger plane covered in soft corals and fish

The main island of Eleuthera is a destination for those interested in history and nature. Natural attractions include the Glass Window Bridge, Hatchet Bay caves and Surfer’s Beach in the north, and Ocean Hole and Lighthouse Beach at the south end. Preacher’s Cave on the north end was home to the Eleutherian Adventurers in the mid-17th century, and recent excavations have uncovered Arawak remains at the site.  There is not a lot of nightlife on these islands, but after all of the diving and topside exploring, you’ll be asleep before the sun fully sets.