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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Hawksbill Turtles in the Bahamas

A Great sighting at Small Hope Bay Lodge

The divers at Small Hope Bay Lodge, after a few days of higher then normal winds, woke up Thursday morning to a perfectly calm sea and they knew it was going to be a great day. Giant staircase, a wall dive, was on the docket for the morning. This dive would take the group over the edge to 120 feet to cruise along a beautiful section of the wall, and then bring them back up to the top of the wall at approx 65 feet to hang out exploring the corals for the remainder of the dive.

The dive started off great, after getting down to their maximum depth of 120 feet a couple Caribbean Reef Sharks cruised by to say good morning. Everyone felt great after seeing the sharks and they would have been more then satisfied with that. Little did they know however that another surprise was waiting for them at the top of the wall.

Once they all made it back to 65 feet an extremely curious Hawksbill Turtle was there to greet them. This turtle was not phased at all by the divers and came very close to say hello and give everyone an opportunity to take some great pictures, and in the case of divemaster Dennis some wicked video footage!

Divers Paul and Axel admire the beautiful Hawksbill Turtle

The Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata is classified as critically endangered on the IUNC (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Redlist of Threatened Species. They are migratory marine reptiles that are found in tropical and subtropical waters. Hawksbill sea turtles, like other marine turtles, have a flattened body shape, a protective carapace or shell and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. They are however easily distinguishable from other sea turtles as they have a sharp, curving beak. 

There are many challenges facing this beautiful species, some of which include;

Direct take: both eggs and adults for food, adults for the tortoiseshell trade

Fishing Impacts: accidental capture and entanglement in nets and long lines

Beach Front Development: alters or destroys nesting beach habitat

Pollution: Injestible platics in the ocean are a huge threat. The turtles will either mistake the plastic for food and injest the harmful trash or young turtles will find themselves entangled in the plastic and unable to get out, they will continue to grow around the obstuction causing restrictions and mutations to their shell.    

Hawksbills are also threatened by the loss of coral reef communities which act as their feeding sites.  Ocean conservation has never been more important then it is today. Our oceans are threatened by pollution, climate change, exploitation and development. If we want to continue to have amazing sightings like the one our divers had at Small Hope Bay Lodge  we need to do our part to protect our oceans and coral reef systems. 

Find out how you can help!  

Visit these sites and do your part to protect our seas and those that inhabit them! 

National Geographic 

The Daily Green 

Save The Sea 

Marine Bio 

 

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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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Learn to Dive in The Bahamas

Learn to dive in the Bahamas this summer!!

With summer just around the corner there is no better time to plan your trip to the Bahamas. Constant sunshine and beautiful flat waters make summer the perfect time to learn to dive. 

Maria took advantage of the warming waters and perfect visibility to complete her Open Water Certification. Here she is with dive instructor Erin completing all her skills. 

                    
 If you have ever wanted to experience the world under the sea now is the time. Summer in the Bahamas means lots of sunshine and a warm calm sea. Summer at Small Hope Bay Lodge means great diving and a whole lot of fun! Our PADI certified instructors will work with you to ensure that your diving experience at Small Hope is not only fun and exciting but also conducted with safety as the main priority. You don't want to miss out. This summer bring the family for a dive getaway and an experience you'll never forget! Pin It Now!