After a brief 25-minute flight
we landed in a protected bay bisecting North
Bimini (Alice Town) and South Bimini (home
to Scuba Bimini). Customs was an easy affair,
and moments later I was outside standing on
the road experiencing a bit of irrelevant déjà vu.
It was right on this very spot that Hannibal
Lecter stood in the final scene of the movie
Silence of the Lambs. Unlike Dr. Lecter, I
was expected rather than on the run, so I discovered
a 30-foot Island Hopper named Deep Respect
idling at the dock to take me across to South
Bimini and my room at the South Bimini Yacht
Club.
(Note While
I flew to Bimini via Chalks' out of Miami, a
more economical option is via Bimini Island Air
out of Ft. Lauderdale. This small, regional airline
utilizes conventional fixed-wing aircraft rather
than seaplanes, and lands at the airstrip on
South Bimini. Actually, for most guests, the
Ft. Lauderdale hub is an easy connection and
the Bimini Air flight is probably more convenient,
as well as being less expensive. Ask about air
options when booking your Scuba Bimini holiday.)
South Bimini is primarily residential and much quieter overall than North Bimini,
especially on a boisterous Saturday night when the sportfishing fleet is in port.
After navigating a circuitous canal, past some modest homes and a dilapidated
dock left over from the ravages Hurricane Andrew, Deep Respect pulled into the
dock in front of the South Bimini Yacht Club.
Those expecting some kind of grand resort as might be assumed from the name will
be disappointed. Those expecting a clean and comfortable accommodation with friendly
staff, good bar and restaurant, and a very convenient dive service directly adjacent
will be right on the mark. The South Bimini Yacht Club offers 16 rooms, each
with a private bathroom and air-conditioning (no TV, no telephone). The bar and
restaurant is downstairs, and it is here that most of the social apres dive activities
happen, whether shooting pool, watching videos, or dining. I should emphasize
both the quality and the extremely reasonable prices of the food in the restaurant.
In a recent chat with Bobby Epstein, owner of Scuba Bimini, he commented that
the restaurant constantly gets rave reviews from their guests. In his words, "all
of our guests say it is the best and most reasonable on both North and South
Bimini!"
Those conditioned to checking their e-mail daily will be in communications deprivation.
There is only the pay telephone outside the restaurant and nary a dataport to
be found. However, slow down and immerse yourself in the more relaxed pace of
this island. Your e-mail will be waiting for you when you return, and your blood
pressure might be a bit lower besides. Unless of course good diving elevates
your blood pressure, in which case you might be in for a pleasurable spike in
your systolic.
The Scuba Bimini dive shop is a casual affair as well. Located right on the dock
beside the resort it offers a bit of retail merchandise, and there is a classroom
for the open water certifications, specialty instruction, and Discover Scuba
courses they offer. But mostly it is about recreational scuba diving, and they
have the gear necessary to make that happen conveniently and reliably. In addition
to the diesel powered 30-foot V-hull dive boat Deep Respect, the Scuba Bimini
fleet also includes the Deep Desire, a 40-foot fiberglass v-hull. Both boats
are ideally configured for diver convenience, with the obligatory tank racks,
camera rinse tanks, marine electronics, and dive platform with extended ladder.
The newest addition to the fleet is the Deep Admiration, a 30-foot Delta fiberglass
yacht, complete with a 420 horsepower engine capable of running 30 knots, thereby
making those pristine dive sites to the distant south all the more accessible.
Instructor/boat captain Paul Gyles was eager to show me some of his favorite
dive sites, so we got an early start even on my day of arrival. The Chalks' flight
landed in Bimini at 8:10 in the morning, but by the time I'd cleared customs
and checked into the hotel it was a bit late for the morning trip. We did manage
to get in two dives even that first day though. In fact, I was in the water diving
off Bimini after only about 4 hours from the time I stepped aboard the Chalks
flight in Miami. (Similar or greater time economies are available via the Bimini
Island Air flights out of Ft. Lauderdale as well.) Without doubt, Bimini is one
of the most accessible of the Bahamas, whether by plane or private yacht. Our
first dive was to a site known as Moray Alley. Here in about 75 feet of
water scattered coral heads provide refuge for grouper, yellowtail snapper, schoolmaster,
and hogfish. Unlike so many dive sites named because some divemaster one time
saw such a critter passing by, Moray Alley actually does have moray eels generally
in residence. I spent considerable time with a friendly green moray at a cleaning
station, and at least saw a spotted moray as well, although this particular eel
was a bit camera-shy.
This had the feel of a place that would make an awesome night dive, and I mentioned
this to Paul when we came back to the boat. He concurred regarding the quality
of the night dive here, but said they generally prefer to go to shallower reefs
for the final dive of the day. The walls are deep off Bimini, and the medium
depth reefs offer considerable opportunity to soak up nitrogen, so Paul indicated
one of the 35 to 40 foot reefs were ideal for the night dive enthusiasts.
Since it was winter and the days short, after all this night dive chat we decided
to forgo the second afternoon dive and visit one of their prime night dive sites.
Typically Scuba Bimini offers small groups aboard the boats, so it was easy to
gain a consensus and change the plan. No one wanted to go hungry however, so
we headed back to North Bimini for a round of conch salad and soda. We packed
up our snacks and headed out to a small sandbar between the two islands. It was
low tide, so lots of powdery white sand was exposed. We sat there enjoying world-class
conch salad as the sun slowly set and the seagulls eagerly swooped down on any
little bit of cracker we tossed to the breeze. Now it was just 7 hours since
I left Miami, and already I was pretty well into this island way of living.
Our night dive was to a site called The Strip. Actually I was pretty familiar
with this dive already since it had been on our itinerary on my recent Blackbeard's
live-aboard adventure, but that was day and this is night. Big difference. Here
in only 40 feet of water was a narrow bank of high profile coral heads situated
parallel to shore. This oasis of life amid a sand plateau concentrated the marine
life considerably, and made the fish photography very productive. I found both
octopus and Atlantic oval squid this night, as well as lobster, eels, and parrotfish.
The most exciting nocturnal visitor this night was a very friendly green sea
turtle that seemed oblivious to my model light and flashes.
The next day we decide to go for a wall dive. The drop-off near Bimini typically
runs deep, often 90 to 100 feet. But at Nodules the wall begins in just
72 feet of water. Here grouper and jacks are common, and marlin and sharks rare,
but significant, interlopers. The visibility was incredible here, probably 200
feet of a mind-numbing turquoise. The current was moderate and we had an easy,
yet exhilarating drift along the Continental Shelf.
Later that day, we visited Little Caverns, an 80-foot coral canyon rich
with grouper, snapper, and a fleeting sighting of a Caribbean reef shark. We
even managed to sneak in a third dive this day, chosen due to its shallow depth
and fine reputation as a fish haven. The Sapona was built in 1911
and served as a troop transport for only one trip during World War I. Her later
life was a bit shady, what with all the rumrunning and gambling. Maybe it was
this bad karma that brought her into the hurricane's path and driven aground
south of the Biminis. Now she sits mostly high and dry, her ferrocement hull
riddled with holes from aircraft target practice bullets and time. Massive schools
of grunt were found inside the stern section, and the wide-angle photo opportunity
of the giant propeller against the afternoon sun was inspiring.
A week with Scuba Bimini can provide all manner of outstanding dive options.
One of my favorites required a bit more of a boat ride than the sites directly
off Bimini, but most will find Victory Reef well worth the time. Here
along a reef slope in 30 to 60 feet of water are rich sponge communities, scenic
swim-throughs, caverns, and very pristine hard corals. Victory Reef and nearby Tuna
Alley are prime areas for pelagic encounter, so even though the coral reef
is compelling and fascinating, the astute diver will keep an eye to the blue
water for the sharks, turtles, eagle rays, and of course the tuna for which the
site was named. All too soon my time in Bimini was spent as I moved onward to
my next adventure in our Bahamas Odyssey. However, I was reminded how very good
Bimini diving can be, and resolved to visit this particular Island in the Stream
more often in the future. Hey, it's only a couple hours from home, yet a world
away.
(Note While
I flew to Bimini via Chalks' out of Miami, a
more economical option is via Bimini Island Air
out of Ft. Lauderdale. This small, regional airline
utilizes conventional fixed-wing aircraft rather
than seaplanes, and lands at the airstrip on
South Bimini. Actually, for most guests, the
Ft. Lauderdale hub is an easy connection and
the Bimini Air flight is probably more convenient,
as well as being less expensive. Ask about air
options when booking your Scuba Bimini holiday.)
