Exuma Cays · Bahamas · Drift · Channel & pass
The Washing Machine
A tidal chute that drops you to 12 m then flushes you back to 4 m
Area photo: Thespis377 · CC BY-SA 2.0
A tidal ride through a cut near Highbourne Cay, where the current sweeps divers down a boulder chute into a basin at 12 m and then lifts them back up to 4 m. It is dived for the current rather than the reef, and it is a regular stop for liveaboards working the northern cays.
Where it is and how deep
24.7160° N, 76.8420° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The entry is over sand and grass close to Highbourne Cay Marina, and the timing matters more than anything else you do here: get it right and the tidal current picks you up almost immediately. It takes you down a boulder chute into the basin that gives the site its name, at around 12 m, where the water tumbles rather than flows in one direction and there is no point trying to hold a position.
From the basin the same current lifts you back up to about 4 m and carries you through the cut, tossing and turning you the whole way. Keep one hand at your nose, because the depth changes constantly and you need to equalise on the way down and clear again on the way back up. This is a ride rather than a tour — nobody swims a route here, and the dive ends when the cut spits you out.
The marine life is a bonus rather than the reason to come. When the water lets you look, the rocks and rubble hold octopus, crustaceans, leaffish, cowfish, filefish, gobies and nudibranchs, which is macro work best done at the shallow end once the fast section is behind you.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| 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 Exuma Cays: December–April brings the calmest, driest conditions; September–October is peak Atlantic hurricane season.
Know before you go
- The current runs hard and the depth changes constantly through the chute — keep a hand at your nose and equalise continuously in both directions.
- The route is through boulders with no way to stop or turn back; go with the flow rather than trying to hold position or swim against it.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Washing Machine dive?+
The current takes you down to about 12 m in the basin and then lifts you back to roughly 4 m through the cut, so the whole dive is shallow.
Is the Washing Machine suitable for new divers?+
The depth is easy but the current is strong and the depth changes fast. Divers who are comfortable being moved around and can equalise quickly get the most out of it.
Sources
- The Washing Machine - Bahamas — Scubago
- Exuma Cays Dive Sites — Dive The World
More dive sites in Exuma Cays
Reef
Up to ten reef sharks over a 15 m patch reef
Blue hole
A vertical shaft with side caverns at its 18 m base
Wreck
An intact 27 m patrol cutter at 18 m, with reef sharks circling it
Wall
Canyons and rock passages cut into a wall between 13 m and 30 m
Wall
The Cathedral, a sunlit cavern swim-through at 12 m full of silversides
Wall
A 9 m shelf that slopes to 15 m and then falls into open blue
Drift
A 30-minute tide-timed drift through an Exuma cut at 7.5 m
Similar dives elsewhere
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A shallow drift down a sand path scattered with wreck pieces
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A tidal channel drift you ride rather than swim