My savvy traveller wife booked this trip for our cruise stop in Nassau. It wasn't offered from the cruise ship, but we booked on line for pick up at the Hilton. They have agreements with the cruise lines, but if you "forget" to tell them you are on a ship, you can book it. You may want to get a taxi for the trip back if you are cutting it close. (We made it because the Disney cruise folks and us filled one bus that went straight back to the pier.)

The snorkelling was great. At the first stop the water was clear and calm. Captain Tavaz and crew fed the fish and there were plenty to see. The instruction they gave to the first timers was great. It was easy to get in (our kids jumped from the upper level of the boat) and out and the crew was always there to help.

Second stop, more of the same fish, but smaller. Nice coral in both places.

The third stop is what makes this a standout. They give a brief safety talk, no jumping in, no free diving, no thrashing about. Then some information about the Caribbean Reef Shark. Yes, SHARK. They lowered a bait box down about 12 feet and the sharks went for it. We slid into the water and held on to the buoy line to watch them feed. Hundreds of sharks going for the bait. After about 10 minutes, we got back on the boat. They finished the show by feeding at the surface, so we could see the sharks come up to the boat and take pictures.

I would do this trip again. Great crew, good equipment, and fun.

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!

The stuart cove divers on the boat (that are responsible for coordinating the whole sub bahamas event) don't seem too enthusiatic or friendly. The excursion itself is over-rated. It was so freaken noisy (from the oxygen tank) that you can't really hear yourself think. It was boring after 5 minutes.

I went with my daughter and her friend both new divers <3 mo.
The hotel pick-up was on time, free and they were very courteous. They boat was not crowded at all (a total of six divers). The divemaster Ed was very patient with the girls and very helpful. He made sure they were very comfortable. The first dive was to a wreck and the wall. It was a very good dive (depth 60) feet. We could have gone deeper but not for new divers. 2nd dive was to a James Bond movie scene an airplane used in Thunderball. 40 foot deep. Lots of fish and good coral. I would highly recommend Stuart Cove's Dive center. Once again Ed was Great!!!