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The Bahamas: a diver’s paradise

The Bahamas are a chain of islands in the Caribbean, off the coast of Cuba and Florida. The word “Bahamas” may refer strictly to the islands, but more commonly this designation is used to indicate the country of the Bahamas. This country is made up of more than three thousand different islands, some of which are extremely small and uninhabited.

The Bahamas are inhabited by between 300,000 and 400,000 permanent residents. These residents are some of the wealthiest people in the Western world, after Americans and Canadians. Much of the wealth of the Bahamas comes from foreign countries, which for the small island nation are often just a hop, skip and a hop. About half of the workforce is employed in jobs related to tourism or tourism construction. Due to this foreign income, the tax system of the Bahamas is quite different from that of the United States. While the United States gets much of its tax revenue from income tax, the Bahamas does not. Instead of taxes on income, capital gains, or corporations, the Bahamian government is financed largely by taxes on imports and exports. Payroll taxes are also in effect.

The climate of the Bahamas is decidedly tropical. Temperatures have never been recorded below freezing, although it has rarely reached the mid-30s. This makes the area ideal for outdoor activities such as snorkeling, fishing, diving, parasailing and other marine activities.

Snorkeling can be done with minimal equipment. Divers need a mask and snorkel, and optional items include swim fins and a wetsuit or rash guard. In warm waters like the Bahamas, the wetsuit or rash guard will be primarily for protection from the intense sun. Snorkel gear is not all the same. The cheapest snorkels are single tube with a mouthpiece. Better quality snorkels have a sump valve below the mouthpiece, to allow water to drain if it flows over the top. Snorkel masks also often have a valve in the nose piece, to allow water to escape. The diver simply holds the mask firmly against the head and then exhales through the nose. As the air leaves the valve, the water is removed from the mask.

An excellent place to dive in the Bahamas is in and around the SS Sapona. This concrete ship ran aground in the 70s, in Bimini, the closest island to the United States. In subsequent years, the military used the wreck for target practice. That and several storms took their toll, and today, the ship is more a system of steel ribs than an actual hull. The structure attracts fish and other marine life, and since it’s close to the surface (half in and half out of the water), snorkeling is a must.

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