Cover Story

Dive Abaco!

by Paige Welch & Melinda Rogers
Since 1978, DIVE ABACO! has been conveniently located in the heart of Marsh Harbour at the Conch Inn Resort & Marina, approximately three miles from Marsh Harbour International Airport. When founder Skeet LaChance decided it was time to retire, he put the shop up for sale. By coincidence, Keith Rogers, was visiting and decided to buy the place. Keith said, “I loved the people, the area and the diving was some of the best, most relaxing and diverse that I had done anywhere in the world.” So in 1991, Keith went home to Canada, turned in his resignation as a nuclear power plant inspector, got his affairs in order and packed his bags before heading south...back to Abaco permanently.

Keith is at the dive center, captaining the boat, leading underwater tours or teaching lessons on a daily basis. Born in the United Kingdom, he immigrated to Canada as a child. He became interested in diving by watching the T.V. program Sea Hunt. “As a lover of the water, I was fascinated with diving but thought that only rich movie stars could afford it. Then in the early 70s, I saw a sign at our local community center in Oakville, Ontario saying ‘SCUBA LESSONS, $50.00 (including equipment)’, so I signed up along with my brother-in-law, who was also a water lover.”

After his lessons, it didn’t take long for Keith to become active in the SCUBA world. “In 1975, I joined a SCUBA club that was just getting started and needed some help. I set up their first training program and, along with another member, enrolled in the NAUI Dive Master program, then the Assistant Instructor program. A year later, we completed the NAUI Instructor course in Buffalo, New York and began teaching the courses for the Ajax Scuba Club near Toronto. The main type of diving I did back then was on the shipwrecks in the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.”

For over 30 years now, Keith has been a SCUBA instructor. He is certified to Instructor level with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), and the World Underwater Federation (CMAS). If you’ve never been on a dive before and want to experience it, DIVE ABACO! offers lessons, which includes approximately two hours of pool skills and then two dives out on the world’s third longest barrier reef. Keith, along with Marvin Sands, a Bahamian and veteran PADI SCUBA Instructor for over 10 years, offer full open water certification courses and advanced certifications.

No special certification is required for you to be able to go on a diving trip. Provided individuals are in relatively good health, especially their heart and respiratory systems, and are able to equalize pressure in the ears and sinuses, diving should not be a problem. Of course, a reasonable comfort level in the water is also an asset. The skills learned in the resort and full certification courses generally increase a person’s comfort level dramatically. Certainly after completing a pool lesson, an individual will know if SCUBA diving is right for them. Prior to beginning SCUBA diving, individuals complete a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ medical questionnaire. Depending on the answers, some may be required to obtain a medical letter from a physician stating that they have no conditions that prevent them from diving.

On top of being a full service dive/snorkel center, DIVE ABACO! specializes in hotel packages. They have recently expanded their inventory of accommodations to include many private homes and cottages. Think of them as ‘one stop shopping’. Their reservation office will gladly assist in customizing a package to meet your vacation requirements, air transportation, diving, snorkeling, lessons, island tours, sunset cruises, day sailing, fishing, golf, rental boats, kayaks and cars. According to Keith, the diving in Abaco is good to great all year round, however the winter months tend to bring periods of poor diving conditions, generally lasting only a few days at a time. April/May through September/October tends to provide us with the best and most stable conditions. During less favorable weather, DIVE ABACO! has inland blue hole and drift sites which are accessable by car.

DIVE ABACO! provides guided underwater tours on the world’s third longest barrier reef. Whether you are just learning to dive or are a world traveler, DIVE ABACO! has something to offer. With nearly two-dozen dive sites ranging in depth from 25 to 130 feet, the area extends from Whale Cay in the north to Little Harbour in the south. This includes the Fowl Cay Undersea Preserve and Sandy Cay Reef, which is part of the Pelican Cay Land & Sea Park. The Preserve is approximately five miles, a 30-minute boat ride, away. Dive/snorkel sites are determined the day of the trip taking into consideration the experience level of the divers and snorkelers and prevailing weather conditions, etc. In addition to brightly colored tropical fish and magnificent marine life (lobster, turtles, shrimp, crabs, sting rays, spotted eagle rays, sharks, barracuda, moray eels and dolphins) the reef is riddled with coral encrusted and sponge covered tunnels, swim-throughs, caverns and a mini-wall. “The area of the Fowl Cay Preserve probably has the greatest number of sites and the widest variety and abundance of marine life. In this area, we have a site called Independence Reef and another called Coral Meadows. The abundance of healthy coral at these sites is amazing. Grouper Alley is also among my favorites. Guess what you see there? And then there’s The Towers, a beautiful site where eagle rays, turtles and sharks are often sited. This is because DIVE ABACO! began the shark observation dives in this area in 1997. Prior to that, you were lucky if you saw a reef shark, in the distance, once or twice a year,” Keith explained.

The custom designed dive boat, 30’ long with a 12-foot beam, offers spacious and stable travel to and from your dive site. It is powered by a 3208, 320 HP Caterpillar turbo diesel engine and cruises up to 20 knots. Although the vessel is certified to carry 22 passengers, we rarely carry more than 12. The vessel offers shade and sun, toilet and freshwater shower. A swim platform and ladder provide easy access to and from the water. Standard safety equipment includes GPS, VHF radio, personal flotation devices, and first aid and DAN oxygen kits. Our rental equipment provides top of the line quality by SCUBAPro.

In many places, the reef rises to the surface, so both divers and snorkelers can enjoy the underwater world together. Non-divers are welcome to ride on the boat. The rate is the same for that of a snorkeler, as many are enticed by the lure of the water and join in the water activities, either swimming or snorkeling, or sitting on the swim platform and watching the divers through a glass bottom viewer ‘bucket’. For those individuals on charter or private vessels, arrangements may be made for a designated offshore rendezvous for diving and snorkeling trips. Inland blue holes of Abaco are on the dive list, as well as night, wreck and shark observation dives.

The resort boutique offers SCUBAPro dive/snorkel equipment, swimwear, resort wear, REEF sandals, sun care products, sunglasses, souvenirs, accessories and more. In other words, if you arrive and your luggage doesn’t, stop by, DIVE ABACO! may have just what you need.
Abaco is a great destination if you’re looking for a true Out-Island experience. You can do as much or as little as you desire during your get-away. DIVE ABACO! continues its tradition of offering a friendly, fun and relaxing diving experience the way diving should be!