Andros Town, Andros, Bahamas

Over the Wall

Over the Wall is one of the signature deep-wall dives offered by Small Hope Bay Lodge off Andros Town, descending past the Andros Barrier Reef edge into the Tongue of the Ocean. After a brief swim across the reef plateau, divers drop over the lip and follow the vertical wall down to recreational limits, with the trench plunging thousands of meters below. The wall is decorated with black coral, deep-water gorgonians, and enormous barrel sponges, and the reefscape feels primeval. Pelagic encounters include eagle rays, large groupers, schooling jacks, Caribbean reef sharks, and the occasional silky shark or oceanic blacktip. The exposure to deep open ocean produces consistently excellent visibility and a sense of vertical immensity rare elsewhere in the Caribbean. Advanced training, good gas management, and current awareness are essential. A classic Bahamian wall dive for experienced divers. The Andros Barrier Reef is the third-largest barrier reef in the world, stretching over 200 kilometers along the eastern shore, and Over the Wall is one of the dive sites that best showcases its dramatic edge. Small Hope Bay Lodge has operated the area since 1960 and pioneered Andros's modern dive scene.