If you're coming to The Bahamas and you have never done any diving before then Stuart Cove's Dive is a great place to have your first experience!
Having never dived before, we booked the 'Sub Bahamas' experience, which is a kind of half-way house between snorkeling and scuba-diving.
We decided to book online, and we're glad we did as the subs were fully booked for the week when we arrived! The booking process was straight-forward, but we were a little concerned when we phoned to confirm we arrived on the island and they had no record! They said to get on the coutesy bus anyway so we did. Stuart Cove runs a number of purple coloured buses (all with the Stuart Cove logo so you can't miss them) that pick customers up from all the main hotels on the island.
On the bus you'll be given some forms to fill in - one of which absolves Stuart Cove of all liability!! There is a tick box for a wetsuit (another $10), but as we dived in June you really don't need one - the water was fine.
Arriving at the centre it was clear that this was a fairly large operation with many large boats being prepared to go out for the day. Everything had a relaxed, but professional feel to it - we were all given a training course before we boarded the boat and headed off to the diving location, about 20 minutes away. The ride was good; the boats were pretty fast given their size.
Our group was 24 people so we split into 3 groups, one taking the subs and the rest snorkelling (this is complimentary with the sub package).
Essentially the 'sub' is a personal submarine unit that allows you to dive about 15-20 feet below the surface, with air provided automatically into a large 'goldfish bowl' that you place your head into. There are controls for left/right movement and a kill switch for the motor. Underwater the units move slowly and gracefully - they are noisy because of the air bubbles and you will find it tricky to take photographs (you can buy disposable underwater cameras at the centre for about $20).
If you don't have a camera, don't worry; the whole experience is filmed - there is a diver with a top of the range underwater camera who takes footage of every member of the party then edits everything into a 20 minute film ready for purchase ($40) about 1/2 hour after you get back to he centre.
In the subs you are not really allowed to go where you want, instead the divers guide the group around a pre-prepared course, which includes the wreckage of a light aircraft that was apparently used in a Jaws film.
The whole experience takes a complete morning or afternoon - so remember to bring some water and suncream!




