Bimini Islands (July 26 through July 31, 1999)
Author: Jeff Farris

What first attracted me to Bimini was the mode of transportation necessary to get there. You either have to have your own ocean worthy yacht, or take a Grumman Mallard "flying boat" out of Miami. If you have never traveled by seaplane, and if you have an adventurous bone in your body, you owe it to yourself to try this at least once. The fact that the diving in Bimini ranks with any in the Caribbean when you get there is the icing on the cake.

A few warnings about the seaplane operation out of Miami. Chalk's Air Service operates off of Watson Island. The cruise ship docks are across a narrow channel that acts as the runway. Watson Island also hosts several helicopter tour companies and just about every jet ski fanatic in Dade County. If you drive to Miami and plan on flying to Bimini, I would find another place to park. There is no secure parking anywhere, and the traffic on and off the island would make an unattended car an easy mark. We made arrangements with the hotel we stayed in the night before we left, and took a cab to Watson Island. Chalk's flies their fleet of fully restored Grummans to several Bahama locations. But, like most things associated with the Caribbean, they operate on "Island Time". Don't be surprised if they are 20 to 30 minutes late for just about everything they do. Relax, you'll get there. The plane that we were on was immaculately maintained with the latest avionics, modern turbo-prop engines, and a coat of paint that was either a few weeks old, or someone treats these 50 year old beauties like you would treat a similar vintage Ferrari. The plane was loud (to be expected) and, while our ride was as smooth as riding on rails, I imagine that when turbulence pops up, it could be wild. Pack light. If you are a customer of Bimini Undersea Adventures you'll receive a 50 pound per person weight restriction, otherwise the limit is 30 pounds. Excess baggage is accepted at 45 cents per pound on a space available basis. My wife and I were 55 pounds over the limit - she blames my two cases of camera and computer gear, I said it was her extra swimsuit, who can tell?

The staff at Bimini Undersea Adventures took excellent care of us, and made us feel welcome and at ease from the moment we cleared Customs. Melanie met us at the plane, got our gear loaded onto a van, then led us down the street to the BUA dock and gear locker. She gave us a brief over-view of how they run things, then took us across the street to the dive shop for the usual round of release signing. One feature of diving with BUA that I had not seen before was their "safety sausage" program. Every diver gets assigned a marker buoy (or safety sausage) upon registration. These are provided at no additional charge, as long as they are returned upon your departure. I have heard and read of other operations that require each diver to have a marker buoy, but in most cases it seems that you have to buy one. I liked the fact that they did not make you buy a piece of gear that you may not need anywhere else.

Bill and Nowdla Keefe, owners of BUA, project a deep love of this area and a commitment to its continued health and environmental balance. Nowdla has spent several years nurturing a relationship with several pods of Atlantic spotted dolphins. Her knowledge of their habits and patterns makes the BUA dolphin adventure a trip not to be missed. Bill's hands-on approach to running the operation includes making several dives a week as divemaster. His briefings are always informative, detailed, and laced with humor. Melanie and Krista, BUA's divemasters, eagerly share their knowledge of the reefs, the animals, and the history of the area with anyone who expresses an interest. The newest member of the staff, Trimmer, captains the boat, fills the tanks, keeps everything ship-shape, and conducts kayak tours of the island. We did not have a chance to get in on one of these, but we will definitely make the time next trip. Everyone in the organization went out of their way to accommodate special requests. They also went out of their way to explain anything you could question. If they did not have the answer (unusual), they found it. I have never been around a more knowledgeable group of DM's.

I was a little disappointed in the boats and facilities. There was no fresh water rinse anywhere. Not on the boats, not on the dock. One small salt water bucket was supposed to serve several photographers, and the glaring sun kept that at a dangerously high temperature for expensive and delicate equipment. The staff explained that Bimini relies on a series of rain water cisterns for its fresh water supply and that fresh water was just too precious to use for rinsing gear. While the part about the cisterns is probably true, I think the fact that there is no plumbing on the pier might have more to do with the lack of fresh water rinse. No one else on the island seemed as concerned about the water supply. The drinking water on the boats was not always checked before we left, and the temperature was usually just short of warm. The boats seemed to be in mechanically good shape, but cosmetically they needed some attention. Tools, first aid supplies, and other essentials were scattered haphazard throughout the boat, so any minor emergency took on a flurry of activity to find what was needed. When the staff found "it", "it" was usually rusted, broken, or missing parts. Nothing was ever dangerous or life threatening, but everyone would have had a better time and the staff would be less stressed if the equipment were organized and squared away better and if the drinking water supply would be added to their otherwise complete "pre-flight" checklist.

One other minor criticism about the operation. After the morning dive everyone's rigs were taken off the tanks and piled up in the middle of the deck. We were asked if we were going on the afternoon dive, then told to leave our rig in the pile if we were. They would set it up on a fresh tank while we had lunch. Sounds great, but, when we got back two and a half hours later the rigs were still in the same pile and our computers were facing straight into the sun. I am not sure that our LCD screens will ever recover. I have to take partial responsibility for this (I should have checked the computers before we left the boat), but when they said that they would take care of our gear, I assumed that they would. Here's a lesson for all of us, whether it's BUA or any other dive shop in the world, check the location of your computer console when your gear is stored out in the open! Better yet, get a quick disconnect and keep your computer with you.

I would describe the diving in Bimini as diverse. There are a few wall sites, many spur and groove formations, a couple of nice wrecks, and the famous "Road to Atlantis". The reefs seemed to be in great shape and the fish were abundant - including a midnight parrotfish that was the largest I've seen. We saw a nurse shark, huge schools of silversides, more flamingo tongues than you can count, and the whole barnyard (porkfish, cowfish, and goatfish). The visibility ran close to 100 feet every day. Certain sites are usually swept by relatively strong currents. The staff prepares you for this in the briefing. Just pay attention to the dive plan they lay out and you won't have any problems. In fact, the Bimini Barge would be an "E" ticket at Disneyland. You go down to the wreck hand over hand on the mooring line. The current keeps you held out at about a 60 degree angle. But, once you're down to the wreck, you can get in the "shadow" and calmly explore. When the dive is over, just grab the mooring line in one hand, your computer or depth gauge in the other and take the "elevator" up. Be sure to monitor your ascent, because it could easily go too fast if you don't hold back a little on the mooring line. The night dive we took on Tuesday was lit by a full moon, we barely needed our lights. All of the usual suspects were out for the night dive including several huge channel crabs. On Thursday we went with Nowdla and Krista on the smaller, faster boat in search of dolphin. Just at the point in the search when I thought we were going to get skunked, Krista spotted a pod of about 10 dolphin that swam with us for about 10 minutes. There were adults, juveniles and babies, all zipping around us seeming as curious about us as we were about them.

All in all, I thought that the diving was exceptional. The largest crowd on a boat at one time was 12 (usually 8 or 10). The reefs were not beat to death by boatloads of resort course divers. The reef fish seemed to be protected by the abundance of off shore species that attracted all of the fishermen. The visibility was breathtaking and the variety of sites kept you from feeling like you had just been here before on the previous dive. All of this just 50 miles from Miami - it's closer than most of the Keys!

The island itself is lazy and laid back. Maybe just a little bit too much so. I was disappointed with the piles of trash on the sides of the streets, half finished buildings that haven't seen work for months (years?), and dumpsters that never seemed to get dumped. A couple of days of dedicated work by civil employees or volunteers would make a huge difference on the impression made on the first time visitor.

We stayed at the Compleat Angler Hotel. Its loaded with charm (Hemingway used to hang there), but we'll look elsewhere on our next trip. The SeaCrest looked to be a bit newer and less noisy. The Big Game Club is supposed to be the deluxe accommodation on the island.

Restaurants were plentiful, but they all seemed to run out of supplies on a regular basis. Our favorite for the week was CJ's Deli. It's also a favorite among the local fishing guides and construction workers. We enjoyed listening to the banter - you know that it's English, but you're lucky if you can make out half the words. Don't miss the "Chicken Breast and Fries" at CJ's. Their chicken would put "The Colonel" out of business completely if they could export it. Prices in restaurants seemed a bit high by Midwestern standards, but not too far from Miami's.

If you're looking for a quick get away that's not too hard on the pocketbook, keeps you off of the cattleboats, and gets you another stamp in your passport, you'll love Bimini. I'll have the photos from this trip on my website in a couple of weeks. Watch for a notice here on the newsgroup.

We left Bimini bound for a week on the live-aboard "Little Cayman Diver II". That trip report will be coming in a few days.

-- Jeff Farris -- farmach@worldnet.att.net

FARRIS MACHINERY Tools for the Woodturner, Cabinetmaker, & Woodcarver. Featuring the TORMEK Sharpening System and Robert Sorby Turning Tools. 1-800-872-5489, fax 816 229-3047.