Bimini · Bahamas · Reef · Drift
Moray Alley
A long reef drift on the lip of the Gulf Stream drop-off
Area photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Moray Alley is an extended stretch of reef off the west side of Bimini, lying in 15 to 21 m just inshore of the Gulf Stream drop-off. The coral heads are medium to high profile, and a northbound current runs often enough that the site is normally dived as a drift rather than as a circuit from a mooring.
Where it is and how deep
25.7583° N, 79.3143° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef runs for a long way off the western side of the island, sitting in 15 to 21 metres of water just short of the point where the bottom falls away into the Gulf Stream. The coral heads are medium to high profile, big enough to break up the flow and to give some shelter on their down-current sides, which is where the easier part of the dive is spent.
Current here is usually northbound and often strong enough to set the shape of the dive: crews run the site as a drift, dropping divers in at one end and letting the reef pass beneath them. Little swimming is needed, and the work is in holding depth over an uneven bottom and staying with the group along a site that is long rather than compact.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Bimini: Great hammerheads are most consistent December–March; September–October bring peak hurricane risk to the northern Bahamas.
Know before you go
- Northbound current is common and can make returning to a fixed point impractical, so the dive is planned one-way from the outset.
Sources
- Moray Alley — Scubago
More dive sites in Bimini
Reef
Coral heads standing 8 m off the sand, full of swim-throughs
Wreck
A 60 m barge upright on sand at the Gulf Stream's edge
Reef
Rows of beachrock slabs in 6 m, argued over since 1968
Reef
Resident female reef sharks over a maze of coral heads
Sand slope
Great hammerheads on open sand at roughly 6 m
Reef
Coral patches worked as a mild north-bound drift
Wreck
A shallow seagrass wreck with resident loggerhead turtles
Reef
Research cables and old anchors scattered over white sand
Similar dives elsewhere
Drift over a 12 m to 18 m plateau, then the drop
Coral fingers and sand channels, usually with some current
650 m of coral heads and shifting sand valleys
A strong south-to-north drift over shallow reef, to 17 m