Sinking a Wreck at Small Hope Bay Lodge

Another Awesome Dive Site

Small Hope Bay Lodge takes pride in the diversity of our dive sites and we are constantly on the lookout for new ones.

A friend of Jeff Birch, Anthony Fowler had a mishap with one of his rental planes earlier this summer. The plane was headed for the junk yard when it was suggested that it be used by Small Hope.

Early start, going to pick up the plane

Jeff loved the idea of creating an artificial reef and a sunken plane would make for a very interesting dive site. Jeff sent a crew out on the boat to retrive the plane and bring it back to Small Hope. Once at the dock, small repairs and adjustments were made to the plane to ensure that she would be safe and secure once at the bottom of the blue. 

From left; Tony, Abba, Fede, Austin, Lonnie, Eddie, Byron

Early last week the Small Hope crew took the plane out on Big Boat to the carefully selected site and made the drop. It was not an easy task by any means however with a little ingenuity they were able to land the plane in exactly the rght spot. 

The new site, which features a number of small sand patches surrounded by beautiful coral gardens is in approximately 30-40 feet of water. Baraccuda and quite a few angel fish have been spotted hanging around the wreck.


The site will be used as one of the shallow dives, as well as for the dsd and open water dive students.

Our plane on it's way to the new dive site!

everyone is very excited about the site, officially named "The Landing Strip" and can't wait to start diving it next season. 

Click here to see the plane's journey from junk yard to dive site!

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Ellie & Aniela from Europe

We were lucky enough just recently to have a visit from Ellie who is from Switzerland and Ellie who is from Germany. They were very kind to do testimonial for us in German. 
They both enjoyed there time here at Small Hope where they enjoyed the diving,learning to dive for Ellie,the staff, the food and the large amount of things Small Hope had to offer like bonefishing,cycling and kayaking, also how it was a great place for relaxing and family's

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Overcoming Fears

When she arrived at Small Hope Bay Lodge, Kacey wasn't even sure she was going to be able to snorkel, much less scuba dive. She had never been into the water deeper than her waist but she overcame her fears and did a snorkeling lesson around our dock. At the end of the lesson, she was hooked and signed up for the resort course Discover Scuba Diving lesson the next afternoon. Before the end of the week, Kacey (along with her boyfriend Warren) had completed three open water dives!

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A week of certifications at SHBL

Doug and Jess came down here for their first time. They came down with (little) Doug‘s stepfather, (big) Doug who came down to Small Hope to teach a 7 day IDC course our full time staff member, Ashley, our summer intern, Tanya and Jeff Birch’s son, Brian.
During Doug and Jess’s stay, Doug completed his rescue diver certification, and Jess completed her open water certification as well as her advanced open water! They dove almost everyday, and were ecstatic that they were able to do two shark dives at our signature Shark Emporium dive site.
“Small Hope Bay is the epitome of a nice, down to earth resort with the relaxation and comfort of a five star resort. The diving is an absolute glorious experience I have not seen anywhere else. All the staff makes you feel like your family, and belong on the island. I would recommend this resort to anyone that wants to experience total fun in combination with relaxation.” – Douglas
“This was one of my favourite vacations. Fun in the sun, diving, kayaking, diving, bicycling, and of course diving! The staff is amazing!! So personal na ddown to earth. They don’t feel like strangers, they feel like family.” – Jess


Congratulations to Ashley, Tanya and Brian for completing a grueling 7 day course. Now they are off to write their Instructor’s exams in the states, in order to be fully certified as diving instructors. Thanks to Course Director, Doug, to come down here, bring his family, and dog “stuart little”. It was a great experience! Pin It Now!

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!