Diving in the Bahamas

A storm came through the islands just days before we got there which must've forced these large mutton snapper from their typical hiding spots because we'd never seen fish of this size trying to fit in tiny reef head like we did. It made for one heck of a dive day!

Being from Florida has it's perks. My favorite of which is that the Bahamas is our backyard. We can literally jump on the boat and be there in a couple hours. My father's side of the family, being Cuban, has kept the island lifestyle alive since before I was born by making the Abacos our summertime home. Whether it be fishing, freediving, or just merely island hopping, we know how to do the islands right. "You really know how to exhaust the resources around you," is what Captain Mark always said about me. He meant that in the best way possible, meaning taking advantage of every available opportunity. There's rarely a dull moment.

My father being the spearfishing leader of our clan has never failed to provide food for the table. Following in his footsteps I decided to take to the spear a few years back and I share in his excitement. Our weekend jaunts to the islands finds us anchoring out on the boat and diving off the tender for our meals. From snapper to grouper to lobster we are always well fed. With sharks keeping us on our toes and storms chasing us from one dive spot to the next we live for this excitement and wouldn't trade it for anything.

A word about lionfish. They are not native to the Caribbean and are a major threat to the reef fish. Some say it was Hurricane Andrew, back in 1993, that caused several lionfish to escape into the waters where they've been thriving. This invasive species eat just about everything and nothing eats them in return, due to their highly venomous spines. To learn more about how to help manage the influx of them in Bahamian waters and why they pose such a threat please read here. 

Doing our part to manage the lionfish population