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Most of the ocean around the Bahamas is quite shallow - but not all of it. The Tongue of the Ocean is an area of much deeper water in the Bahamas that separates the island of Andros, Great Exuma, and New Providence. The Tongue of the Ocean offers a glimpse of the deep abyss of the ocean just a short distance from the islands. The ocean floor plunges from only 120 feet to 6,000 feet between the islands.
Andros island is the largest of the 700 or so islands of the Bahamas (it has around as much land as all the other islands combined). New Providence Island is the most populous island with the main city of Nassau and around 70% of the island nation's population.
Why The Bahamas' Tongue Of The Ocean Is So Special
The Tongue of the Ocean (appreciated "TOTO") is in a U-shape measuring 20 miles by 150 miles (or 30 kilometers or 240 kilometers). The tongue is around 3,600 feet or 1,100 meters deep in the south and around 6,600 feet or 2,000 meters deep in the north.
- Depth: 3,600 to 6,600 feet or 1,100 or 2,000 meters deep
- Width: 20 miles by 150 miles (or 30 kilometers or 240 kilometers)
The deep exposure of the Tongue of the Ocean to the open sea is at the northern end. Other than that deep northern outlet, it is surrounded by shallow seas dotted with the islands of the Bahamas. It is surrounded by reefs and shoals. Its high peripheral shelter isolates it from the wider ocean and its disturbances. Being sheltered, it is a popular hunting ground for some of the ocean's cetaceans like the Cuvier's and Blainville's beaked whales.
The bank surrounding the Tongue of the Ocean is a carbonate bank called the Great Bahama Bank.
It is one of the two main branches of the Great Bahama Canyon (the other being the Providence Channels). It is a submerged geological feature that has been formed by erosion when the sea level was lower during the eons. The Tongue of the Ocean's deep blue waters stands in stark contrast to the shallow turquoise waters around it.
The wall of the Tongue of the Ocean offers superb diving for people visiting the Bahamas. The habitat is home to many healthy corals and large pelagic species. It is also only 20 miles from Green Cay - one of the finest and most pristine diving destinations in the world.
Andros Barrier Reef - The World's Third-Largest Reef
Lining one of the sides of the Tongue of the Ocean is the Andros Barrier Reef. It is the third-largest fringing barrier reef in the world (the largest is the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and the second largest is the Mesoamerican Reef just off the coast of Belize, also in the Caribbean).
- Size: Third-Largest Reef In The World
The reef is dramatic, with water plunging from around eight feet on the Andros Island side to around 6,000 feet to the bottom of the Tongue of the Ocean. The reef can be divided into five major zones - the lagoon, the back reef, the reef crest, innerfore reef, and outerfore reef.
The Andros Barrier Reef is home to around 164 species of fish and coral and offers a glimpse into a completely different and alien world. Some of the specific species that live in the reef are the Sharp Nose Puffer, the Rock Lobster, the Queen Trigger, the Flying Gurnard, the Green Turtle, the Blue Tang, the Reef Shark, the Black Hamlet, the Black Jack, the Spanish Hog Fish.
Diving The Andros Barrier Reef & Tongue Of The Ocean
There are plenty of diving tours to the Andros Barrier Reef and the Tongue of the Ocean. The closest base is from the resorts on the large Andros Island. One of the main organizations offering diving tours is Andros Diving, and they also dive into the Blue Holes on the island.
Plunge under the waves of the ocean and see spectacular reefs, dramatic walls, wrecks, marine wildlife, and much more.
They offer both private and group scuba diving courses. Their pricing for all-inclusive Bahamas diving is:
- Diver: $549 Nightly / $3,695 Weekly
- Non-Diver: $399 Nightly / $2,795 Weekly
The resort is open year-round and offers diving out of season as well (diving prices are likely to be higher for non-resort guides).