LONG ISLAND: GOOD DIVE SITES Conception Island At Conception Island, divers can investigate over 30 shipwrecks and tours are arranged from the Stella Maris Resort Club at the north end of the island. .and the deepest blue hole around, at 600 feet into the ocean floor, Conception Island provides the wild pristine sites that dive legends are made of. Vertical walls, in perfect condition, begin as shallow at 45' and plunge to inky blue depths. Underwater visibility ranges between 150-200'. The population of health fish, sponge and soft/hard coral life is tremendous. 9-mile South Hampton Reef, with depths of 10-100', has snagged some 200 wrecks over the past two centuries! Conception Island compares favorably with any Caribbean dive “hot spot”! The island, uninhabited and part of a Bahamian Nature Park System, is simply beautiful, with great bird-watching, too. Flocks of beautiful white-tailed tropicbirds often circle the dive boat. For more info, go HERE...... See Pictures taken of a Conception Island Dive Dean's Blue Hole Dean's Hole is situated in a marvelous setting: About one hour south from Stella Maris, north of pretty harbour village Clarence Town, it sits right at the Atlantic's edge, well protected by high cliffs, enjoying inland bordering by a gorgeous beach and bay. While swimmers and snorkelers can readily enjoy the uniqueness of this site, above and underwater, for a diver, putting on a tank and going in is a must ... this type of Blue Hole is diving for mystique, diving for depth (caution - naturally we advocate limiting this to safe depths!). It's diving for 'feeling' ... for intensity of awareness: Of sound, of stillness, of the look down, the look up. Yes - you will see some small reeflife along the upper edge ... and you may encounter an occasional turtle, or perhaps a small school of tarpon. Yes - we have seen Porpoise here ... but only by chance. The real thrill is this: You will have been in the World's deepest known Blue Hole - and the World's second largest, waterfilled, cavern body! And the World's eighth largest cave body of any type! Dean's Blue Hole lies just offshore. For more info, go HERE REEF DIVES Barracuda Heads Favored for its rich populations of marine life such as schooling horse-eye jacks, groupers, grunts, and, of course, its namesake, barracuda. Grouper Valley A spur-and-groove coral formation noted for the probability of pelagic marine life and massive congregation of schooling Nassau groupers that come here to spawn in November. Southampton Reef Shallow fields of elkhorn and staghorn corals decorate the remains of at least 150 wrecks. Rum Cay and San Salvador, well within the Sol Mar III's reach, are well known for their quaint island scenery and superb diving. Highlights there include the Rum Cay southwest wall, its historic wreck site of the Conqueror (1848), and San Salvador's wonderful west wall, starting at only 40' depth.