Bahamas · Atlantic Ocean

Tiger Beach

Main shark-diving season outside the hottest summer stretch.

Tiger Beach is a sand flat off Grand Bahama — the world's most reliable encounter with tiger sharks at recreational depths, often with lemon sharks and Caribbean reef sharks alongside. Baited dives in shallow, clear water.

Good season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

October–January is peak tiger season. Lemon sharks year-round.

Trip duration

3–5 night liveaboard from West End, Grand Bahama.

Dive style

Baited shark dive in 5–8m on sand; no current; spend the dive kneeling on the bottom.

Dive level

Advanced + shark-dive comfort. Most ops require previous shark dive experience.

Reef health

What you’ll actually find
Mixed

Some loss since the 2010s, but the reef still has plenty to dive. Pick depth and shoulder-season carefully.

Coral reef health

How is this calculated?
A decade ago
Survey 2014
30%
Today
Survey 2024
22%

On current trend, no live coral by ~2052. Losing about 0.8% cover per year — roughly 28 years of reef left to see if nothing changes.

Heat stress right now

No stress

No abnormal heat right now. Corals stay coloured.

NOAA Coral Reef Watch · updated May 2026 · 0 °C-week heat dose

What to expect on a dive

Shark dive — coral isn't the point. Sand-and-rubble bottom in shallow water.

Sources, methodology, and the raw numbers

Raw observed numbers

  • Coral cover: 22% (survey Sep 2024, Perry Institute / AGRRA Bahamas survey)
  • Bleached: 18%
  • Recent mortality: 6%
  • Bahamas — observed condition reflects the thinning regional pattern.

Raw thermal numbers

  • NOAA CRW alert level: No stress
  • Degree Heating Weeks: 0 °C-wk
  • SST anomaly: +1.2 °C

How we summarise this

Observed coral cover, bleaching, and mortality come from named in-situ surveys with a stated date and method — they describe one snapshot of one reef and do not extrapolate to neighbouring sites. Current thermal stress is satellite-derived from NOAA Coral Reef Watch at ~5 km resolution; it indicates risk, not observed coral damage. We deliberately separate observed condition, current thermal stress, and projection — and we never publish a projection without a documented model and uncertainty.

Sources

Reef condition changes year to year. If you visit, consider supporting responsible-travel and conservation operators on the ground.

Pressure on this reef

Protection · fishing · what you can do

Protected-area status

Multi-use MPA

Inside a designated MPA that permits regulated fishing and other uses. Worth checking which zones at this location are no-take.

Fishing pressure

Moderate fishing pressure

Dominant pressures

  • shark tourism management
  • cruise impact
  • limited MPA enforcement

1 Green Fins-verified operator known at this location.

What you can do

Bahamas has banned commercial shark fishing nationwide since 2011 — a major win. Coastal-zone enforcement is patchier; cruise-port locations bear the brunt.

Protection status sourced from Protected Planet / WDPA and refined with Marine Protection Atlas. Fishing pressure proxy is Global Fishing Watch AIS data. See the methodology for what these sources can and can’t prove.

Dive sites here

1 curated

Gear

What to bring

Basic kit

Site-specific add-ons

Some dive sites here call for extra gear. Check the individual site page for full context.

What divers say

A 4m tiger shark sliding past your shoulder at arm's length, knowing she's choosing not to bite — most intense calm I've ever felt.
Photographer