New Snorkel Sights From Shore

In an effort to strengthen his leg after a car accident in Hawaii,. Jeff and his son Brian have been snorkeling from the beach every day before sunset. In doing so, they have found areas of developing coral, and previously developed nurseries that have not been discovered until recently. Next time you come down, ask us where a good spot to snorkel from the shore is, and we'll be happy to show you an area you probably haven't seen yet! Check out this video that Pique made just yesterday!

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Card Sharks

These past few days it's been mighty windy and the raging sea has been crashing down on the rocky shore. Most guests have been relaxing in the lodge by the fire, but no amount of surge could keep our card-playing friends from taking their Bavarian gambling to the waters. Lars, Tom, Phillip and divemaster Claudius take  'Card Sharks' to a whole new level by slapping around cards, coins and downing Kaliks in the water by the dock. Check it out.

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A Season At Small Hope Bay

Another Season Come and Gone...

This year was filled with many great memories. We made new friends and reunited with old ones. We shared many laughs, many beers and many conch fritters! 

Some highlights from our 2011-2012 season

Jeffrey Birch being goofy over Christmas

Crab Fest 2012! 

We adopted another potcake named Izzy!

We created an artificial reef by sinking a plane! 

Ben finished the list...success!

This season at SHBL we were treated to not only one but two of John Rice's famous margarita parties. We enjoyed countless Black Monkey nights at the bar and even got to witness Ben aka 'Evil' become the first to complete every drink on the extensive Small Hope drink menu, not to mention the extras that were thrown in there just for fun! 




We went diving with sting rays and hammerheads, reef sharks and turtles. A pod of dolphins joined us at the Blue Hole and under the dock. We successfully sunk a plane and christened our second new dive site of the season. We watched our crazy divemasters play it up for the cameras on the day dives and dance in the beautiful bio luminescence on our nights dives. We bid farewell to two dear friends and fulfilled their wish of a burial at sea. Patrick Laing and Jim Spencer are missed and will forever be in our hearts. 

Petter, Sam and Laura with instructor Fede 

We went fishing, biking and kayaking. We swam in the blue holes and relaxed in the hammocks. We laughed at our crazy interns, who taught us how to "Bruk it Down" and what NOT to do when driving a golf cart on the dock! In turn they were taught how to rescue an unresponsive diver at the service during their Rescue Diver course, or how to conduct a correct dive briefing during their Divemaster course. 

Wedding party dancing the night away

Our spontaneous dance party was a highlight of the Spring and during the Summer we had one heck of a wedding reception! We battened down the hatches and rode out Tropical Storm Isaac, playing Backgammon and Jenga in the lounge as the rain poured down outside. When the storm cleared we finished out the summer with beautiful weather, spending days snorkeling or beach combing.




It was a great season finished in true Small Hope fashion with a wonderful and hilarious staff party. It was a year of friends, family, and fun and like every year at Small Hope Bay Lodge it gave us memories to last a lifetime. 

Watch this video and re-live some of our more memorable moments from the last year

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Friends and Family

Small Hope Bay Honors Two Very Dear Friends

 Small Hope has been around since 1960. It was built by Dick Birch and the Birch family still owns and operates the resort. Family has always been a fundamental part of life at Small Hope. The Birch family has grown and grown since Dick first arrived on Andros. And it continues to grow to this day. This is because once you come to stay with us you are part of the family here. We are lucky to be a part of so many people’s lives. Like all families we have our share of good times and bad, but we go through these times together.

Small Hope Bay Lodge recently helped to remember and celebrate two very dear friends. 



The Laing’s have been coming to Small Hope for decades. Patrick Laing was a diver, a father and a good friend. His daughter Elizabeth has come to fulfill his final wish of being laid to rest with Small Hope in The Tongue of the Ocean. His ashes and plaque will be placed near Whip Wire Wall and we hope his spirit will roam the ocean forever. Watch Patrick's final dive here and see as he is laid to rest in the Tongue of the Ocean Memorial Dive

Jim Spencer was another good friend of ours. He and his wife Lynndale made us a part of their lives and shared many happy moments here at Small Hope throughout the years. His ashes and plaque will be laid to rest in the ocean Blue Hole, one of his favorite places in the world. His wife, children and grandchildren all came to Small Hope to celebrate his life and say goodbye.

All of us at Small Hope feel so proud and privileged to have been a part of such special moments. That these men loved Small Hope and our beautiful ocean so much that they have chosen to spend eternity with us says it all. We are moved and so thankful to have touched the lives of these families.

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The Discovery of a New Dive Site

Al's Cooler

A New Dive Site for Small Hope Bay

A new dive site has been officially added to the Small Hope Bay Lodge site roster. A multilevel dive, this site takes divers South along a beautiful section of the wall then comes up to a large sand patch and some lovely plate coral. Both sharks and turtles have been spotted out over the wall but the real attraction at this site is the old 'fish pot' that is now and will forever be known as Al's Cooler. Here is a little history about the discovery and naming of our new site.... 

Al and Alison Scheflow have been coming to Small Hope Bay Lodge for many years. Ever since their first visit in the summer of 2003 they were hooked. Avid divers, they have been diving everywhere from the Florida Keys to Bonaire, but when they were looking for some more diversity and the opportunity to experience some different dives they decided to try the Bahamas. Andros Island, home to the third longest barrier reef and just minutes from the tongue of the ocean was the perfect choice. So they packed their bags and took the short flight over to the beautiful and secluded Small Hope Bay Lodge. 

The diving at SHBL is unlike the diving found in other places. Whether it is a cavern, a wreck, a wall or a blue hole you are never disappointed and as Al and Alison discovered there is always something new to see. This was particularly true on their latest visit to the lodge as they were given the opportunity to explore some never before seen areas of the reef with a few of the Small Hope divemasters.  

It was on one of these exploratory dives that they happened upon the new site. The plan was to anchor and travel along the wall until they found an interesting spot. It was clear however that where they anchored was just perfect. They cruised along marveling at the beauty of the wall and at the magnificence that is the tongue of the ocean. Few things are as spectacular as a 6000 foot drop to the bottom of the deep blue. As the divers came up over the top Al and Alison made the discovery of an old fish pot that had long since been forgotten. Everyone knew that they had found a wonderful site.

But what to call it? Many different names were tossed about, however after some consideration the name that seemed most fitting was Al's Cooler. 

To understand how the site got its name "Al's Cooler" it is important to know a little more about the Scheflow's and their time at SHBL. As members of the Small Hope family Al and Alison have implemented their own Small Hope traditions whenever they come. Al, a serious advocate for drinking only seriously cold beer not only created the Small Hope Beer Koozie but also the tradition of serving beer out of a cooler of ice at the bar.

 "Straight from the cooler to the koozie and the beer stays colder longer".

So when Al discovered the old fish pot on the mystery dive he said it was like finding himself an underwater cooler. Divemaster Dennis joked that he could have cold beer...even on a dive! Believe it or not that is just what he did. To christen the new sight Al and Alison brought down a few beer bottles to put in the "cooler" and even cracked one open and took a sip before tossing it in. Everyone had a great time finding, naming and making the new site official. 

Small Hope would like to send out a BIG thank you to divemasters Dennis, Sam and Laura and especially Al and Alison Scheflow for all the their help with the new site. Last week the first official group tried out the site and all the divers agree it is a beautiful place! 

Check out The Christening of Al's Cooler here and watch how Al and Alison pay tribute to the new site! 

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Summer Vacation in The Bahamas

Come to Small Hope Bay Lodge in August for a Perfect Summer Getaway

 

White sandy beaches, a relaxed and friendly atmosphere,  great fishing, beautiful snorkeling, world class diving and an open bar. Small Hope Bay Lodge has everything you need to have a great summer vacation! 

Take advantage of the amazing weather and beautifully calm water that we get in August and come for some fun in the sun! In addition to the perfect weather you don't want to miss the awesome specials we are offering for travel in August! It is difficult to think of a reason not to come to Small Hope Bay this summer for a great trip! 

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Friends from the Netherlands

Here at Small Hope we are lucky to meet so many differnet people from all walks of live and from all over the world. Renctly we meet Caterina, Annika & Michael from the Netherlands. Here are a few words from them in both English and in Dutch

Cabins right on the beach

After our first visit to SHB two years ago one thing was clear: we would return here. This time we, Caterina and Annika, also brought son and brother Michael along. On arrival we were truly welcomed as family members by everybody. A lot of the staff was still there and some of the staff was new, even from as far away as the UK and Australia. We settled in our cottage and took of our shoes for the rest of our stay.

We spent the days diving, eating well and socializing with everybody around, guests and staff. The dive staff is wonderful, the guests get to pick the dive site most of the time and everything happens in an extremely relaxed way. Always special are the night dives and the Shark Emporium. But also the shallow reef dives are our favourite because of its coral and lots of little fish. And the temperature of the water is just unbelievable.

Michael and Annika decided to go for their Advanced Open Water certification under the expert guidance of Loren. Caterina was too lazy to go for it but will consider it for the next time. It was our first time to dive Over the Wall and experience some nitrogen narcosis. Fortunately we were watched closely on this deep dive by the dive staff.

The evenings were fun, we got to know everybody in just a few days. The dinners from Denise and Michelle are so good, we will sorely miss them at home.

Michael started out at little tense because of his upcoming first year in college but had completely mellowed out by the time he left for school. Caterina and Annika got to stay another day.

On the last day we were invited to a lovely and intimate wedding on the beach carefully orchestrated by Jeff. We were happy to be part of that wonderful experience.

Back home in the Netherlands now all we can do is to plan our trip back to Small Hope Bay. Annika would actually just like to live there permanently as part of the dive staff!




Caterina Birthday


Dutch Version

Na ons eerste bezoek aan SHB twee jaar geleden was een ding duidelijk: we zouden hier terugkomen. Deze keer namen we, Caterina en Annika, ook zoon en broer Michael mee. Bij aankomst werden we door iedereen binnengehaald als familie. Veel medewerkers waren er nog, sommigen waren nieuw, zelfs vanuit GB en Australië. We betrokken onze cottage and trokken onze schoenen uit voor de rest van ons verblijf.


We brachten de dagen door met duiken, lekker eten en gezellig avonden met de gasten én de medewerkers. De duikinstructeurs zijn geweldig, de gasten mogen meestal de plek uitzoeken war gedoken wordt en alles gebeurt op een heel ontspannen manier. Altijd bijzonder zijn de nachtduiken en de Shark Emproium. Maar ook de ondiepe rifduiken zijn favoriet om het mooie koraal en de vele kleine visjes. En de temperatuur van het water is gewoon ongelooflijk.

Michael en Annika besloten hun Advanced Open Water certificaat te halen onder de deskundige leiding van Loren. Caterina was er te lui voor maar overweegt het voor een volgende keer. Het was onze eerste keer dat we Over the Wall doken en wat van de nitrogen narcosis meekregen. Gelukkig werd er door de duikinstructeurs goed op ons gelet bij deze diepe duik.


De avonden waren leuk. In korte tijd leerden we iedereen kennen. Het eten van Denise en Michelle is zo goed, dat gaan we thuis absoluut missen.


Michael startte de vakantie een beetje gestresst in verband met zijn aankomende eerste jaar in de universiteit maar hij was totaal relaxed tegen de tijd dat hij vertrok voor school. Caterina en Annika mochten nog een dag blijven.


Op de laatste dag werden we uitgenodigd om een kleine, intieme trouwerij op het strand bij te wonen, zorgvuldig geregeld door Jeff. Het was een bijzondere ervaring en waren blij dat we er bij mochten zijn.


Het enige wat we nu terug in Nederland kunnen doen is onze volgende reis naar SHB plannen. Als het aan Annika ligt gaat ze er voor goed wonen als duikinstructeur.

Caterina, Annika & Michael

Netherlands

What a view to wake up to

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Small Hope Staff Party

To celebrate the close of the 2008-2009 season, the entire staff at SHBL had their annual meeting and staff party. The entire staff - dive, maintenance, kitchen and housekeeping got together to enjoy a delicious Bahamian meal and a fishing expedition.

First, we had to take care of the serious stuff and Jeff went over the customer exit surveys for the year. We learned that for the fifth year running, we have scored 100% in the customer service category! Thank you to everyone who returned a survey this year. We do read them and we do learn from them!

After the business was taken care of, the staff split up onto two boats and headed out to the reef to do some fishing. It was a tight competition between the boats to see who could haul in the most catch -- it was especially tight between our two best fisherman, Austin and Terrance!

We then all moved to Goat Cay for some music and relaxation. Gearing up for our 50th season is keeping us busy so the staff all enjoyed our day in the sun!

See you soon!

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Kalsi Family Reunion

The Kalsi family has been coming to Small Hope since 1984. Now that the kids are all grown-up with their own families every year they all get together to see eachother and reunite with the Small Hope Bay. Reunite with each other and the Small Hope Bay Family. It is a right of passage to turn the age 10 within this special family, because at 10 you can learn how to dive. Which the majority of the family have earned their open water certifications here at Small Hope. With a grandmother like Ise, who is extremely experienced in cave diving, it’s not hard to understand that the whole family inherited the “love for diving” gene. To see a testimonial from Ise about specialty diving and her experiences at Small Hope click here. We welcome back the Kalsi’s every year and always look forward to them returning to Small Hope Family. Follow this link for a video from Indra, John, Andrew, Fletcher and Carmen on why they love Small Hope Bay Lodge.
Before leaving, Kalsi, the grandfather wrote us a testimonial about their past and present experiences at Small Hope Bay Lodge:
“We have been coming to Small Hope Bay Lodge every year since 1984, because we have found this place to be the ideal place for family vacation – wonderful diving, snorkeling, hermit crab catching, lying in the hammock, kayaking, watching satellites… and so much,much more! It always feels like coming back to a family home!” Ise and M.S. Kalsi, &family. Pin It Now!

The Young Family Returns

The Youngs, Robert, Kathy, Robbie and Kylie, have been visiting us for 12 years. The Small Hope Bay family welcomed them back during their most recent visit here, where Robby earned his certification as an advanced diver! The family enjoyed diving, snorkeling and visiting the Androsia Batik, where Robert keeps his tradition of buying a new shirt every year and wearing it to work back in the states! Follow this link to see a video from Robert.

“Howdy, We’ve been coming to Small Hope Bay every year since 1997 when Robby was 5 and Kylie was 2 (missing only 1 year visit). This year Kylie dove the backside of the Blue Hole and Robby went Over the Wall at night with Dad for the first time. It has been a great place for the kids to grow up and for us to relax and recharge every year. Now we have the opportunity to visit with friends that we have met in past years as well as all our friends that live on Andros. Share some our memories by visiting www.docrob.fotki.com” Pin It Now!

Caleb's Coconut

Six year old Caleb came down during the last week of July with his family- grandma and grandpa, Charlene and Randy, Mom and Dad, Stacy and Chris, big brother, Ben, Big sister and her boyfriend, Ashley and Cody. Follow this link to read about the family's time here and their testimonial to Small Hope. Caleb enjoyed fishing and SASSY diving with his family in the mornings.

However, His mission for the week was to find and eat a real coconut from the Bahamas! On his last day some of the staff got together to help Caleb find his coconut, crack it open and enjoy the coconut water, and eat the delicious pulp. Click here to watch! Pin It Now!

Welcome Back!!

During last week of July Small Hope Bay welcomed back the McCalls: Randy, Charlene, Chris, Stacy, Ben, Caleb, Ashley and her boyfriend Cody. The family is long-term repeat guests here at Small Hope all whom love to dive here on Andros. Cody started diving for the first time this year while doing his discovery scuba diving course. Ben finished his certification for Advanced Open Water Diver while he was down here, and is planning to come back next year and do his Rescue Diver. Their week was full of diving, fishing, relaxing and finding the perfect coconut for six-year-old Caleb!

"One of the few running jokes among the family and some of the divemasters is when the dive boat motors start, I’m on the boat, so don’t bother asking if I’m diving tomorrow, which is absolutely true. It has been said by many kindred spirits before me that the sea seems to call me, lure me back to it time and time again, especially at Small Hope Bay. The combination of the variety of dive sites, knowledge and experience of dive staff, friendly atmosphere, and beautiful surroundings prove too strong to resist. Every member of our family settles into the island’s rhythm of fun, rest and true relaxation." - The McCall Family Pin It Now!

Message in a Bottle

Last night while walking the beaches on Small Hope Bay Lodge, one of our guests noticed a bottle washing up on shore. Cody who is here with his girlfriend, Ashley and her family Ben, Caleb, Chris, Stacey, Randy and Charlene, ran into the water and snatched the bottle. The group quickly came back to the bar where they popped the cork and pulled out the message to read in front of everybody.
The message was from a couple living on a Catamaran on the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas. The letter was written three weeks ago and cast into the Ocean. It gave us an email address to contact, and we are still awaiting the reply!
Needless to say this was an eventful night and it was quite neat that the bottle washed up onto the shores of Small Hope rather than the many isolated uninhabited islands we have here in the Bahamas! Pin It Now!

Check out Small Hope Bay Lodge on the Real Bahamas webisode on Andros Island! We always knew that Andros was the place to be for diving, snorkeling, eco-tours and world class bonefishing. Now the rest of the world can see it too!

Rate the video and leave a comment about how much you love Small Hope Bay Lodge! Pin It Now!

Wick-Blais Family Fun

“Small Hope Bay is like having a home and family in the Bahamas. Add the natural beauty of Andros and the surrounding reefs and it’s an unbeatable combination! We look forward to seeing the staff and all our friends as much as we look forward to the diving, relaxation, and good food. The relaxed atmosphere and many activities make every visit enjoyable and memorable.” Chip Wick

“Small Hope is so nice, so simple, it’s like a dream. It seems magical. A dream I never want to wake up from!” Audrey, age 12

“Small Hope = :) I love SHBL. I can’t wait to come back in 2010. I always make a new friend here!” Hayden, age 10. Pin It Now!

Secret Messages

It's not an unusual thing for families to come to Small Hope Bay Lodge year after year at the same time. Kids grow up together, spending a week each year hanging out and catching up.

Sam and Caroline started a fun tradition with the kids they met here at SHBL and hang out with every year. It all started with a coconut and ended up being notes left in a certain book on a certain page. Starting in 2006, Sam, Caroline and friends made a memory page and stuck it in this book (which we won't divulge to preserve their game). Each year they find the book in the library and leave a new note.

Here is a picture of Sam and Caroline with their little legacy of memories...

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40 Years Later

40 years ago, scuba diving was in its infancy and diving lodges were few and far between. Bill and Jean from Canada loved diving and everything that came with it and made it down to Small Hope Bay Lodge in 1969 to do some diving -- double hosed regulators and all! They came to the Lodge for three consecutive years and then spent forty years away from Andros - raising six children and living in happy matrimony (53 years and counting!)

Bill and Jean decided to vacation back in time this year and came back to SHBL for a two week stay. Besides enjoying the sun and sitting by the fire reading their books, they told guests and staff alike stories about how the Lodge was forty years ago, when Jeff and Margo were just tykes and our fearless founder, Dick, was doing wonderful things for the sport of diving.

And from what we gathered, things haven't changed much! We are still a family friendly, eccentric and fun way to get away from it all! Pin It Now!

Setting Sail at Small Hope Bay Lodge

Some of our intrepid guests decided to give our windsurfer a try this week. After a short lesson from Jeff, the guests headed out to try their hand at windsurfing. There was a lot of splashing, tons of laughter and eventually, we had some windsurfing pros out on the water.

We still don't think anyone learned how to turn around though... Pin It Now!

Training at Small Hope Bay

Members of four families set out to learn how to dive and to learn more about diving during their trip to Small Hope Bay Lodge. We have all four member of the Burton family, who did their book work back home and came to Andros to do all of the water work required for Open Water certification (you can do the same by doing Elearning with PADI!). Three other kids, Louise, Eric and Jill are doing all their homework and water work here and will leave as Jr. Open Water Divers! Pam and Huge are continuing their diving education by pursuing their Advanced Open Water certification, which requires 5 different specialty dive experiences!

While the smaller kids and moms are diving, beaching, shelling, snorkeling and relaxing, the older kids are swimming and getting certified...and the dads are off fishing and diving too!

Take advantage of our free Advanced Open Water and Nitrox certifications and free casting lessons. Contact our office for details. Pin It Now!