Divers (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
No, my friends, I’m not taking you back to a cheesy high school prom. I’m really taking you under the sea for today’s edition of Travel Tuesday! If you thought all the adventure you could have in the islands was limited to the size of the islands, you’re sadly mistaken. There’s a huge amount of world out there, down there, for you to explore, given the right guides and the right gear.
Artificial Reef (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
The Bond Ship (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
As part of our honeymoon in the Bahamas last year, we decided to take a diving excursion. Both of us are avid divers and wanted to expand our boundaries beyond that of just the shore, so we hopped on board with Stuart’s Cove Divers and set out to explore a couple artificial reefs just off the coast of Nassau.
We did get an unexpected treat in the process. Look back up at that top photo of us, peering in through what looks like a hole ripped in the hull of a ship. Because it is. Ripped by a torpedo. Go ahead, look.
That’s the ship that was used in the Sean Connery James Bond film Never Say Never Again. I spent way too long looking for a picture or screenshot from the actual scene, but there’s a scene where James Bond is pursued into a sunken ship by a tiger shark. That’s the hole the shark supposedly came through. Since I can’t find a picture, here’s one of Sean in his James Bond prime. Just because.
I guess that kind of solidifies us as total underwater tourists, doesn’t it? Or maybe that we feel the need to throw a shaka at every camera that comes our way.
Shaka (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
Still, the trip into the blue isn’t about us. We are definitely not the most interesting things down there. Dives are a lot more fun when you get a chance to look at some of the indigenous life – and that life gets to look back at you. And you both nod in passing and continue on your merry way without harassing each other. It’s a beautiful thing.
Sea Turtles, mate (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
Sea Turtle (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
Swimming with Turtles (c) Stuart’s Cove Divers, 2012
Getting a chance to not only swim in the warm water of the Bahamas but to scuba dive and tour some underwater movie sets was a definite perk. If you do ever wander down that way and are feeling adventurous, I highly recommend checking out Stuart’s Cove. They’ll show you a good time, give you some good trivia, make you feel at home, and their shop has a killer burger and beer place in it where you can get some grub while you’re waiting for them to burn your photos.
Looking back at these, I can’t wait to get our gear out of maintenance {we figured we should probably get it checked out and cleaned after it’s been in storage since 2010} and get back into the water. Because while the waters of the Bahamas were warm and full of life, they’ve got nothing on Hawaii dives!
Are there any other divers out there? What’s your favorite dive destination? Hawaii? Cozumel? Palau? Share! And if you’re interested in other travel destinations, check out the link-up hosted by Bonnie and Belinda at Travel Tuesday!