Bahamas Master

The Bahamas Master is a steel-hulled liveaboard of 115 ft (35m) in length and takes a maximum of only 16 divers, meaning there is plenty of space on board. These diving tours focus on some of the Bahamas' big name creatures itineraries including tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks and dolphins.

You can hang out with other guests at the outdoor bar and dining area on the upper deck, or work on your tan on the spacious sundeck. There is an indoor lounge area with comfortable seating and entertainment facilities, however mostly people relax in the outdoor spaces, enjoying the ever-changing Caribbean views. There is plenty of space to find yourself a quiet spot or to go where the action is. Most cabins have windows, allowing in plenty of natural light, and all the cabins, except standard cabins, have private ensuite bathrooms.

The dive deck is large and roomy, featuring individual dive stations and in-built boxes beneath your tank, with plenty of storage space for your bits and pieces. Diving is done from well-organized dive tenders that similarly feature centrally-located equipment stations and compartments for smaller items of equipment. Photographers will appreciate the dedicated indoor camera station on the main deck, where you can relax on comfortable bean bags and watch your new images on TV. There are also separate rinse tanks for cameras and computers.

Covering large areas of the Bahamas and seeking out the best underwater experiences, The Bahamas Master tours Tiger Beach, Grand Bahama, Bimini, The Exumas and beyond. for shark-loving and discerning divers, this is a comfortable, stylish and professionally run option for your Bahamanian scuba adventure.

Notes: Shark diving: You are required to have: minimum Advanced Open water certification or equivalent, minimum 18 years of age, dark colored (black or blue) full length wetsuit, dark colored BCD, hood and gloves, black or dark blue fins, dark colored housing, if using a camera.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, dives (as detailed in the safaris above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (max x divers to 1 DM), tanks, weights and weightbelts.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental: 7 nights - US$ 225, 10 nights - US$ 250, 14 nights - US$ 280, dive computer, hood, gloves, diving insurance (see our insurance program for a competitive quotation), port and park fees: 7 nights - US$ 100, 10 nights - US$ 150, 14 nights - US$ 200. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash in USD or credit card).

Optional extras: Transfers to the boat from the airport/hotel/port, alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers: 7 nights - US$ 150, 10 nights - US$ 200, 14 nights - US$ 250, torch, 15 liter (100 cu ft) tanks. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: Freeport on the island of Grand Bahama is where the Bahamas Master operates from and is the recommended airport of entry and departure. Miami and Atlanta are the main US gateways for direct flights, or you can fly into Nassau and then take a domestic onward flight to Freeport. There are many indirect flights from other US cities and other international starting points. Airlines include Delta, American, Silver and Bahamas.

Lighthouse Pointe, Grand Lucayan Resort, is the departure port for the Bahamas Master. Return flights from Freeport (or Nassau) to the USA are treated as domestic flights, which makes life easier for your onward journey as you can make "domestic" rather than "international" connections.

Arrival/Boarding/Departure: It is recommended you aim to arrive in Freeport on the day before the liveaboard departs. Boarding the Bahamas Master is at 17:00 hrs, for a 18:00 hrs departure to the night anchorage prior to the first dives on Sunday morning. If tides require, departure may be delayed until the early morning of the following day. Return to port is after lunch on the afternoon of the last full day. Check-out is at any time up to 10:00 hrs on the final morning. The crew can arrange to transfer you to the airport or nearby hotels. The last dive of the trip will be at around 10.00 hrs on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Diving Environment: There are almost 2,500 cays and 700 islands (30 uninhabited) in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, which lies around 56 miles (90 km) off the coast of Florida. Map of the Caribbean Sea. A 3 to 5 mm full length wetsuit is normally the exposure suit of choice for Bahamas water temperatures: Summer 78-84°F / 25-28°C, Winter: 75-80°F, / 24-27°C (possible 72°F /22°C drop in January). Diving is conducted from the stern of the mothership. The variety of sharks is one of the Bahamas trump cards. You may encounter hammerheads, Caribbean reef sharks, blacktips, tiger sharks, nurse sharks, bull sharks and lemon sharks. You can expect walls and reefs teeming with marine life: stingrays, eagle rays, groupers, possibly dolphins and certainly plenty of macro critters. The macro possibilities include batwing coral crabs, spotted sea hares, flatworms, squat anemone shrimps, Caribbean reef octopus, Bahamian spiny lobsters and Caribbean hermit crabs.

Non-diver rate: 10% off the full published price. However, many Bahamas sites may not be suitable for snorkeling due to chumming activity.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travelers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 65% of the normal published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 7 guests and 1 additional person can join the cruise in the Standard cabin free of charge (total 8 or more guests). See whole boat charter rate below, which is equivalent to pay for 14 guests and 2 additional persons can join in the Standard cabin free of charge (total 16 guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): See group discount policy above.

There are 8 cabins on board Bahamas Master: 2 Premium cabins on the main deck with double beds and private ensuite bathroom. On the lower deck there are 2 Classic twin bed cabins with ensuite bathrooms. Also on the lower deck are 4 Standard twin bed cabins which share 2 bathrooms. Most cabins, even those on the lower deck, have large windows.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 8 / 8 - hot water