Abaco
Dan's Cave (Crystal Caves of Abaco)
Closed to divers
Not on your own: only with a permit and a guide. Off limits to divers: according to Brian Kakuk (Bahamas Caves Research Foundation) these caves are off limits to divers, and anyone who tries to dive them risks arrest (November 2026).
- Max depth60 m (197 ft)
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
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Now at Dan's Cave (Crystal Caves of Abaco)
The dive
These are Abaco's 'Crystal Caves', and they are extremely decorated: you swim through the Crystal Palace, Fangorn Forest with the Airplane Hangar room, the Sanity Room and the Gray Pool.
In this cave: Fangorn Forest (Dan's Cave)
Profile and sections
These are Abaco's 'Crystal Caves', and they are extremely decorated: you swim through the Crystal Palace, Fangorn Forest with the Airplane Hangar room, the Sanity Room and the Gray Pool. The way to the Sanity Room runs through narrow passages into large, richly decorated rooms, with red, iron-rich sediment and Gray Pools whose floor is covered in large crystals. The water is very clear; ~24 °C according to InDepth and Nitrox (IANTD), 19–22 °C according to Scuba Diving. In the rainy season the halocline can sit right over the crystal pools. The narrow Badlands hold the 'Rich's Rub' restriction. One misplaced fin kick here breaks formations tens of thousands of years old.
The system was largely explored and mapped by Brian Kakuk.
Practical: Nitrox (IANTD) described a week of diving in 2026 with Kakuk as guide, in groups of at most two divers; the route from Dan's Cave to the Airplane Hangar took over 4 hours, with long decompression.
- Depth and profile
- Three levels: ~-24 m, -32 to -34 m and -40 to -47 m; deepest parts ~-60 m · Badlands/Goodlands ~-21 m · shallowest parts ~-12 m · system >19.3 km
- Configuration
- Sidemount, open circuit or sidemount CCR. Backmount is no longer guided in the delicate sections. Deco on O₂ at -6 m, nitrox mixes by depth.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Delicate formations and restrictions; no source mentions scooter use
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 60 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
~½ hour's drive south of Marsh Harbour, in the South Abaco pine forest.
Around Dan's Cave (Crystal Caves of Abaco)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
News
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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The caves here are listed as information only: we don't know a dive centre, guide or club yet that takes visitors, so you can't plan a trip here yet. Do you know one, or are you one? Let us know.