Ben’s Cave is an underwater cave that is a popular tourist attraction, located in the Lucayan National Park, on the island of Grand Bahama, within the northwestern part of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. As the park has a land area of some 16 hectares (40 acres), it contains also an underwater cave system where some tunnels are still uncharted and dangerous. Being part of this underwater cave system, Ben’s Cave has been explored quite extensively, and it has been made a safe place for novice divers to explore the hidden underwater world.
As the cave extends some 14 km (9 mi) underwater, it encompasses stalactites, stalagmites, fossilized conch shells, bivalves, and a halocline which is a vertical zone in the oceanic water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth, located below the well-mixed, uniformly saline surface water layer. Named after Ben Rose who is considered to be a scuba diving legend that was part of the scuba tour agency in the Bahamas known as UNEXSO, where in 1982 he also co-discovered new species in the cave.
Still, the upper part of the water in the cave is fresh and floats on top of the lower saltwater, and then once the saltwater begins, it is horizontal caverns as far as the eye can see underwater. Since the exploration of this intriguing place is conducted only by certified dive instructors, it is not possible to dive by you, and all diving expeditions are conducted by a certified diving agency or certified divers. This means that you will need to be diving certified prior to visiting the underwater cave.
In conclusion, despite the potential dangers of diving, with a competent guide, exploring Ben’s Cave will surely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that offers a glimpse into the magnificent underwater blue world of the Bahamas, unparalleled anywhere else on the planet.
