Did you know that ice diving is a thing? That brave, adventurous human beings plunge into –the 2°C/28°F waters of Baffin Island in Canada, and float in front of other-worldly icebergs? Or head to the Magdalen Islands of that same country in late February, to watch baby seals swim for the first time?
You are probably thinking that while these ice divers see some unforgettable things –you’d rather dive in waters without icebergs, even in waters that are pleasingly warm. You don’t want to know if it is possible to dive in The Abacos in February, but if you will want to.
Well, it is never too cold to dive in The Abacos. Here’s why:
When it gets cold, it’s not that cold
January is historically the coldest month of the year in The Abacos – But the diving is cool, as in groovy, not as in shivering. Seatemperature.org is a reliable online source for water temperatures in oceans and seas on our planet, so let’s look at the water temperatures for January for The Abacos:
As you can see, the average temperature in Abacos water in 23.3 °C or 73.9°F: At Scuba Diving, they officially recommend a 5 mm to 3 mm full suit for diving in water that is 22.2°C or 72.0°F, and that, folks is the coldest it gets. For the average temperature of 73.9°F, the same magazine recommends a 3 mm to full suit to a 2 mm shorty. Have a look at the chart below, which we created from data found at Seatemperature.org, with January dates running across the bottom and temperatures on the vertical left side, and you’ll see that there are no significant dips in temperatures in January, the water temperature is predicable.
The sun shines a lot
Historically speaking, and yes, we are including very recent history; the sun shines about 340 days a year in The Abacos. The sun heats up the shallow waters of the Abacos Sea, which sits between Great Abaco and Little Abaco and the remainder of the Out Islands. If you want to dive in the Abacos Sea in, say, March, you will be embraced by waters averaging temperatures of 27.4 °C or 81.3 °F.
The tropical climate does its part
Tropical climates are not into drama, the trees don’t shed leaves in fall and shiver in the winds that will soon cover them in the whitest of white snow: A tropical climate is all about being predictable, about it being sunny and warm when you wake up on Monday morning, and low and behold, when you walk out your front door on Tuesday, it is more of the same. Divers like predictable weather, and they love The Abacos.
But you know what you like
Diving in The Abacos, at any time of the year, is comfortable: The climate is tropical, the sun is usually shining and the dives shallow. But you might be a diver who digs the absence of a wet suit, or perhaps you are willing to squeeze into one that is 1 mm but no thicker. And so you show in The Abacos in June. Or July.
But know that if you feel secure in your ability to handle the relatively warm winter water in The Abacos, that you will be diving in some of the clearest water you’ve ever been in – yes, it has been compared to gin. And January and February are perfect months to swim with the sharks.
Links
Dive Abaco
Bahamas
Dive Time Abacos
My Out Islands
Dive Report