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Welcome to the ‘wreck-diving capital of the world’ BERMUDA From the East vs West publishers of magazine! NEED TO KNOW Essential information on the island’s best wreck dives Top 5 things you MUST do in Bermuda FEELING HUNGRY? Insider’s guide to the best places to eat TOP FIVE DINING THINGS YOU MUST DO SIX PLACES TO EAT Visit the town of St Georges, a UNESCO World The Fairmont Southampton and the Grotto Bay Heritage site. The town, established way back Beach Hotel have a good choice of in-house res- 1in 1612, was once the capital of Bermuda. taurants and bars offering everything from snacks Attractions include the National Trust Museum, St to three-course dinners. At the Fairmont Hotel the Peter’s Church and Fort St Catherine. Gastro Pub is extremely popular for evening meals, even with the locals. Grotto Bay offers an all-inclu- Take a tour of BUEI, the Bermuda Underwater sive meal plan option. The weekly barbecue event is Exploration Institute in Hamilton. There is always well attended. 2 a wealth of information including videos, displays and historical artefacts from some of Ber- For the more adventurous there are a number of muda’s most-famous shipwrecks. Treasure hunter top-notch restaurants dotted around the island to Teddy Tucker features prominently throughout. His suit all pocket sizes. Numerous local delights are most-famous find has to be the gold-jewelled cruci- within walking distance of the hotels or it’s just a fix which was mysteriously stolen some years later. case of hopping in a taxi to the capital, Hamilton (the taxi fare from the Fairmont to Hamilton costs The Henry VIII is exactly 15 minutes walk Play a round of golf at the Port Royal 18-hole around $18 each way). Don’t forget to try out a Dark from the Fairmont Southampton. Taxis are PGA Grand Slam course. Bermuda has nine and Stormy, the island’s ‘national’ drink. 3 available at the hotel foyer for the less active. 3 courses in all from nine to 18 holes. Some are Diners can get everything from curry and sushi to a privately owned and for members only. Three are plate of fish and chips. FROM THE WRITER open to the public. As we sped out to the dive site, I couldn’t help but admire the Bermuda blue sea. Sunshine reflecting The Dining Room Restaurant located at Gibb’s back off the coral sand below gave the shallow water an intense turquoise hue. Stephan, our boat For the adrenalin junkies, why not try the Hill Lighthouse is a 15-minute walk (plus a skipper, skilfully slalomed around the shadowy areas which defined the submerged reef system. cliff jump at Admiralty Park, which is also the 4 hill climb) from the Fairmont so a taxi ride is The Harbourfront restaurant, located at BUEI Some patches were just below the surface and others high enough to form breakers. 4 home of BSAC Bermuda. This has become an probably a wise option. This has to be one of the (Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute), Cloud cover momentarily blanked out the sunlight turning the crystal-clear sea completely extremely popular activity. Jumps are between five best spots for a romantic supper. The views are awe- 6 is one of a number of sushi eateries around opaque. Within an instant the treacherous reef had become virtually invisible, even to the polarised to ten metres. some especially when illuminated by the lighthouse the island. It has a great sushi and tempura bar eye. As Stephan eased back the engine throttle, we all heard a faint grating noise from below. beam. The small cosy restaurant really does offer a overlooking the waterfront. There is even a sushi Nobody took much notice and the dive went ahead as planned. When I went into the water, Why not browse around the Royal Naval classy menu. Favourites include the Foie Gras and happy hour. The Maki spicy tuna is a popular choice. Stephan pointed out a jagged gash underneath the hull. A few centimetres shallower and this Dockyard. The 19th century fortress is now a the seared tuna. It’s best to book in advance. could quite easily have been a gaping hole. 5 full-on entertainment complex with shops, Stephan told me about a local fishing boat that recently ran aground and sunk even though restaurants, arts, crafts, cinema and national mu- Bistro J’s main entrance is situated down a the skipper had more than a decade’s worth of navigational experience. This explained why, after seum. This is also the docking point for any visiting discrete alleyway in Hamilton. The back en- several century’s worth of nautical disasters, there were more than 300 shipwrecks scattered around cruise ships. 5 trance through the kitchen and up the stairs Bermuda’s coastal waters. From wooden sailing ships to giant iron-clad luxury liners, they had all is a far more novel approach! The restaurant has a suffered a similar fate. NB: Hire cars are not allowed on Bermuda, so great atmosphere and comfortable surroundings. As the old saying goes ‘one man’s loss is another man’s gain’. This has created the perfect transportation options are limited to local buses, The menu changes daily and usually includes a fish, wreck-diving playground. Just to make life even more interesting, most of the wrecks are steeped in taxis, mopeds or peddle bikes. meat and a veggie option. This really is a hidden history and there’s still a chance of finding buried treasure among the broken remains. gem. During my recent visit to Bermuda I managed to explore the top dive sites at both the east and west end. The west end is serviced by Dive Bermuda, based at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel, and Triangle Divers, located at the Grotto Bay Beach Hotel, look after the east end. Each dive centre The Swizzle Inn is less than a five-minute walk offers a variety of wreck dives from historical to modern day at depths between 3-25m. This is from the Grotto Bay Beach Hotel. Quiz nights complimented with a variety of reef dives where several species of parrotfish, grouper, horse-eye 1are extremely popular events. The menu jacks and even turtles can be sighted. Finally, there are swim-throughs, caves and canyons to satisfy includes curry, pizzas, chicken wings and burgers. the most-discerning scuba diver. Does this all sound tempting? A jug of Rum Swizzle is recommended but the after In my mind, Bermuda makes a superb all-round diving holiday effects can be lethal. destination for all experience levels, but don’t expect anything too taxing - this is chilled-out wreck diving. Underwater photographers Wahoo’s Bistro and Patio is located in St will definitely have a field day, especially on the Hermes and the King George’s just a five-minute taxi ride from George (dredger). The following pages will give divers an insight into Stuart 2 the Grotto Bay Beach Hotel. It offers a really what’s on offer - and don’t forget to ask for the special wreck Stuart Philpott nice selection of fish dishes. Wahoo is obviously certificates after each dive! Sport Diver contributor the main attraction. The chowder and tacos are definitely worth a try. BERMUDA SUPPLEMENT NOVEMBER 2012 www.sportdiver.co.uk www.sportdiver.co.uk NOVEMBER 2012 BERMUDA SUPPLEMENT TRIANGLE DIVING DIVE BERMUDA HERMES WEST BERMUDA alking down to the beach from the Grotto Bay Beach Resort on the north-eastern side of Bermuda, just ten minutes’ drive from the W historical town of St Georges, Triangle’s dive shop is right there on ive Bermuda is a PADI five-star IDC, which is located on the south shore the dock. As you enter the dive shop and look around, you get the sense of a of the island on the property of the Fairmont Southampton Hotel. With long history of diving. There are pictures of divers and dive sites on the walls, D its roots established in 1981, it is the only Instructor Development Cen- artefacts from old shipwrecks, nautical charts and diving helmets, as well as a tre located in Bermuda. With over 30 years’ experience of offering diving trips, Kirby Morgan dive helmet and mask that harks back to owner Graham Mad- snorkelling tours and PADI training courses, from beginner to instructor level, docks’ life as a commercial diver. You soon realise that you have walked into a their location on the private beach at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel is diver’s dive shop. ideal for short journey times (usually under 15 minutes) to the dive sites, and Triangle Diving was set up by Graham, a Bermudian dive-industry veteran, also their partnership with the hotel guarantees a very high level of facilities in the wake of Hurricane Fabian in 2003. When you get talking to Graham, it’s and service. Non-hotel guests are very welcome to join them at East Whale he Hermes was built in Pennsylvania and used easy to understand why Triangle Diving has become so popular with locals Bay to participate in all of their offered activities. as a US Coastguard buoy tender until the and tourists alike. “It’s my staff,” he says, “They’re all my friends, but to me, Dive Bermuda has been under new ownership since April of 2012 and T end of World War Two. She then relocated to they’re family. Triangle was built from their love of diving and their dedication maintains its focus on customer service, having received two Excellence the Philippines as a freighter carrying mixed cargo.