The lodge is owned and run by Geoff, son of Dick Birch the diving legend, who left the snows of Canada in 1960 for a new way of life on Andros. Dick's record for deep diving on compressed air, to 462 feet, remains unbroken. The lodge is delightfully informal with twenty palm-shaded cottages right on the beach. Each cottage is hand-built of rock and Andros Pine and decorated with Androsia Batik fabrics. When not diving, guests are free to snorkel on the reef or from the shore, enjoy an afternoon eco-tour, look for the wild dolphins at Fresh Creek, go on bush and mangrove walks, relax on the beach, go fishing, get a massage, bike to the batik factory or to an inland blue hole, do some birdwatching, sail and windsurf.
Children are welcome and baby-sitters are available.
The tuition at Small Hope Bay Lodge is first class. There are introductory scuba and snorkelling lessons for beginners as well as PADI Open Water Course and Advanced Open Water Certification Courses. Referrals are gladly accepted from all certifying agencies. The boats go out twice a day on scheduled dives and visit three sites. Dive site selection is geared to divers' abilities and preferences and aim to show the widest variety of sites.