CONCEPTION ISLAND

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Conception Island located 35 miles east of Great Exuma is our favorite island in the Bahamas.  It is an uninhabited National park.  The Wall Diving here is some of the best to be seen in the Bahamas.  Also The “Southampton” reef (which breaks the surface at low tide) runs 3.5 miles to the north of the Island. The interior of Conception Island has an intricate mangrove flat and tidal entry which is home to hundreds of juvenile turtles. Turtles are often seen on the wall dives just outside the creek entrance.  The Walls here start at 50 feet and plunge straight down as for as you can go.  Many swim troughs, tunnels and caves are located on the south wall in 70 to 100 feet.  Nice shallow reefs in the bay and several wrecks on the “Southampton” reef named after the British ship HMS Southampton which sank here in 1812 along with the war prize American Brig “Vixen”.  Conception Island has many great dive sites, but also the island is fun to explore.  A north shore trail to Turtle Bay has incredible vistas.  The interior creek is fun to explore and drift snorkel on the out going tide.  This little island is a Jewel of the Bahamas.  You can easily spend a week Diving just Conception Island, but combine Conception With San Salvador Island 35 miles farther east for a 10 days of diving expedition with a possible stop at Rum Cay along the way.  Conception Island is the first of the “offshore” Islands in the Bahamas chain.  The “offshore” islands set alone out in the open Atlantic Ocean with no large shallow bank around them.  These Far southern reaches of the Bahamas have a different mix of reef fish than the central Bahamas.  The differences are subtle with many fish species the same, but the mix is slightly different and there are a few additions not as common to the northern Bahamas.  Conception Island and San Salvador Island are two places in the Bahamas not to be missed by the serious diving explorers.