Runway Wall
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
Named for the airport runway it faces, this stretch of New Providence's southern wall rolls over at about fifteen meters and keeps going into the Tongue of the Ocean's abyss. The face is cut with sand chutes and crevices holding lobsters and channel clinging crabs, black coral bushes appear surprisingly shallow, and the blue beyond produces reef sharks on almost every dive, with the occasional eagle ray tracking the edge. It is Nassau's honest wilderness counterpart to the arranged shark arenas, and dawn dives here, before the day boats arrive, are the island at its best.
The moment you come for: True abyssal wall minutes from shore, unbaited shark traffic
Topography: Coral-crusted wall dropping into the Tongue of the Ocean
Current: Gentle drift along the lip on most days.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Bottomless wall; monitor depth constantly and keep the reef in sight in blue water.
Nitrox: Worth it here: profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Great Barracuda
Caribbean Reef Shark
Hawksbill Turtle
Garden Eel
Spotted Eagle Ray
Nurse Shark
Lionfish
Green Sea Turtle
Also recorded nearby
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)