Best Spearfishing in the Bahamas

The water is cold in Jacksonville now so I figure I would add some content from other areas where spearfishing is still fun in the winter! By far the Bahamas is one of the most exciting places for breath-hold spearfishing. I have spent most of my time off of Guana Cay in Abaco which in my opinion has some of the best spearfishing around.

The large reefs and coral heads on the north end of the island have proven the most successful for us. The reefs come from about 30ft of water straight to the surface. Most of them forming a straight wall. The scenery is amazing. We have found that most of the hogfish are on the shallow side of the reefs generally in areas where there is some grass growing in the sand near the reef. Once we located the right area we were able to get hogfish consistently on each and every dive. The grouper seemed to be thicker on the deep side but were always hard to get to as the hollow coral reef provided a lot of shelter for them to hide in. With a little patience and persistence there are plenty of Nassau and Black grouper to be taken in 15-30ft of water off of Guana Cay, Abaco.

On the south end of the island is the Fowl Cay preserve. Unfortunately this area is a national park and is off limits to spear fishing. It is a beautiful reef area and I would highly recommend you spend a few hours exploring the area. Most of the area has mooring bouys that you can tie off to making it an easy area to move around and explore the coral heads.

We have also had great luck spearing off of No Name Key and Hope Town. Honestly any off the coral reefs near the shores of Abaco should hold some great fish and great spearfishing. Remember, no spear guns are allowed. Only slings and pole spears. It is also a good idea to check the latest Bahamian fishing regulations before going as they seem to be changing as often as the weather recently.

Check out some photos from a trip earlier this year to Abaco: Abaco Spearfishing Pictures. Also, check out some reef pictures from Guana Cay, Abaco.

Abaco spearing and snorkeling pictures from 2006.
Good luck!