Preparing for Bimini, Bahamas or anywhere in the Bahamas

Here are some details that I have put together for going to Bimini, Bahamas and most of this applies to go to anywhere in the Bahamas. The information is a few years old so some of the web addresses might have changed, hopefully I have caught most of them.

I have put the info in multiple posts since each post has a 10,000 character limit.

Recommended Marine for Launching and Parking

Harbour Towne Marina – N 26 03.280 W 080 07.500
801 Northeast Third Street, Dania Beach, Florida 33004
http://www.harbourtownemarina.net/
It is $10 per day to leave your vehicle/trailer.

Departure Location (marina is separate from the hotel)

Bahia Mar Hotel and Marina - N26 6.8 W080 6.3
801 Seabreeze Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
http://www.bahiamarhotel.com/

Bahia Mar Marina (800) 755-9558
http://www.lxrluxurymarinas.com/Bah...&utm_content=marina&utm_term=bahia+mar+marina

GPS Coordinates for Traveling to and from

Port Everglades Sea Buoy – N 26 05.500 W 080 04.800
Bimini Channel Entrance – N 25 42.600 W 079 18.480

Recommended Places to Stay in Bimini

North Bimini

Bimini Big Game Club - http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/
GPS – N 25 43.34 W 079 17.45

I refuse to stay at Resort World because of massive destruction they have done to the environment while developing the property. Also, it is a 5 mile no wake ride through the channel, something I don't want to do each time going out or coming in.

South Bimini

Bimini Sands Resort & Marina - https://www.thebiminisands.com/

Both locations have marinas associated with their facility.

My preferred place to stay is Bimini Sands on South Bimini. This facility is easy in and out to open water, the units are fully equipped condo's, the docks are floating so no climbing high off the boat to get on the dock, and they have fuel in the marina.

There are more locations to stay at but these are the ones that I have personal experience with.

Food and Drinks

There are very few options to shop for food. It is recommended to bring food for at least breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

Dinning out is also limited, so it is also recommended to bring food for a couple of evening meals. Also, everything moves on island time so getting something to eat at a restaurant take quite a bit of time, time I would rather be on the water exploring and experiencing.

Beer is very expensive about $50-$60 per case. However, alcohol is very cheap especially rum.

Options for eating out on South Bimini include;

• The Big Dipper located at Bimini Sands, this small diner like facility is located above the ship store. They have seating for perhaps 20 to 30 guests.
• LilDippers Bar & Grill is open at the infinity pool at Bimini Sands. The menu is written on a chalk board and seems to change on a daily basis. I expect fresh food an amazing drinks to enjoy in an around the pool.
• Small's Deli which is located about a half mile north of Bimini Sands offers burgers, wings, conch and fish for reasonable prices. A recent review praised the their fried conch.
  
• The Thirsty Turtle's Yacht Clubs bar and grill is supposed to be operating it is approximately a half mile north east of Bimini Sands and is accessible by boat.

Options for eating out on North Bimini include;

• A Taste of Heaven Bakery - This is where the amazing Bimini Bread comes from.
• The Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill offers a variety of food and drinks and often has live entertainment. We have always enjoyed meals there. Their menu is available online.
• Bimini Big Johns, offers a variety of food for reasonable prices with docks available.
• Edith's Pizza, is highly recommended for pizza and conch fritters.
  
• J & Ts Daily Manna, is said to have the best conch chowder in Bimini.
• Joe's Conch Shack, another well rated conch shack option
• The End of the World Bar & Saloon, this sometimes open waterfront shack is a Bimini Tradition.
• Stuart's Conch Stand, this is the best of the conch shacks in Bimini.
• Sherry's Paradise Beach Bar, offers food and drinks on Radio Beach. I have read great reviews of the fried lobster and lobster rolls.
• Three Daughters Deli, well reviewed, offers a variety of reasonably priced food. Many can be found in the link.

Few things to do while in Bimini, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimini

· Hangout with the stingrays at Honeymoon Harbour, north end of Cat Cay.

· Snorkel at Sapona ship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Sapona , a sunken airplane in 4 feet of water just south of the airport, and numerous rock grouping

· check out the Gallant Lady Shipwreck http://rumshopryan.com/2012/10/19/gallant-lady-shipwreck-bimini-bahamas/

· rent a kayak and explore the mangroves and find the Healing Hole

· sightsee on the island of North Bimini, this is where most of the history and culture is located

· take the natural trail on South Bimini, http://www.biminisands.com/bahamas/things-to-do/nature-trail.htm

· visit the Fountain of Youth on South Bimini, http://www.wilddolphins.com/mangroves.htmlhttp://www.wilddolphins.com/fountain.html

· visit the Shark Lab on South Bimini, http://www6.miami.edu/sharklab/


GPS coordinates of places to explore by boat and/or snorkel


Bimini Road to Atlantis –N 25 45.995 W 079 16.712 (so so, almost not worth the time)

Three Sisters Rocks – N 25 45.239 W 079 17.179 (outstanding place to snorkel)

South Bimini Airplane wreck – N 25 41.223 W 79 16.295

East Bimini Airplane wreck - N 25 42.014 W 79 15.168

Sapona Shipwreck – N 25 39.076 W 079 17.614

Honeymoon Harbor –N 25 35.229 W 079 18.195

Gun Cay Lighthouse – N 25 33.213 W 079 16.391

Boat Insurance

Read your boat insurance policy closely not all insurers cover boats going to Bimini. Members have found that the following companies provide coverage to Bimini: State Farm, Allstate, US Boat, and American Family (limited availability).

Additional Items for the Boat

· VHF radio, either handheld or mounted

· Visual distress signals such as flares, here is a good link to the requirements, http://www.uscgboating.org/fedreqs/default.html

A yellow quarantine flag, size 12” x 18”, required by Bahamas Customs to be flown until the boat and crew has cleared customs. This can be anything yellow of similar size.

Not necessary but respectful, a Bahamas courtesy flag, size 12” x 18”

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Part II

Customs both the Bahamas and US

Here is the website with the details about the Bahamas entry fee, http://www.bahamas.com/boating-enter-exit , below is part of what is posted on the website.

To Enter The Islands Of The Bahamas Private Vessels need the following

1. One (1) copy of The Bahamas Customs Clearance Form per boat, download from either;

a. http://www.bahamas.com/sites/default/files/Bahamas_Custom_Clearance.pdf or

b. http://forms.bahamas.gov.bs/dp_agency.asp?aid=cust​

2. One (1) Bahamas Immigration Card per person

a. 3 piece carbonless form, can only get on Bimini or contact Bimini Tourism in Fort Lauderdale and they will send some to you.
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3. Recommend using the customs office at the Big Game club on North Bimini, they are better prepared than the customs at the airport on South Bimini plus you don’t have to pay for a taxi.

c) Proof of Citizenship—Passport

d) Boat Registration (sometimes they ask for and sometimes they don’t)​

Arriving By Boat

Visiting boaters must clear Customs and Immigration at the nearest designated Port of Entry. As you enter each port, fly the yellow quarantine flag and indicate to Customs that you have not cleared Customs. Only the captain is permitted to leave the boat until your vessel has been cleared. The captain will take each passengers immigration form and passport to the Immigrations office for clearance.

The Customs office was in the front of the Big Game complex and the immigration office was at the Police station which is just north (couple hundred feet) of the Big Game club.

If you have a firearm on board (shotguns and handguns only) you must declare it with Bahamian Customs. You must provide the serial number, name of the manufacturer, plus an exact count of ammunition. While you are allowed to have a firearm on your boat, you cannot remove it. Weapons must be under lock and key at all times. In cases of emergencies, which require your departure by air, you must notify Bahamian Police or Customs. They will accompany you to retrieve the firearm and present you with a receipt. Upon your return to the island, Bahamian Police or Customs will escort you to your vessel and return your firearm. Any infraction of this law will be dealt with severely.

From what we have actually found is that clearing customs in Bimini they will confiscate you guns until you leave unless you have a cabin cruiser or similar and have a locked compartment for you guns. Clearing customs in the West End, Grand Bahamas no matter what your boat is as long as the guns are locked up on board you can keep them.

Entry Fees

All boaters entering The Bahamas are required to pay an entry fee.

Bahamas customs does not like to make change, so make sure you have the exact amount of cash for your entry fee.

a) For boats up to 35', the fee is $150.00

b) For boats over 35', the fee is $300.00

The fees will cover

1) Cruising Permit

2) Fishing Permit

3) Departure Tax for up to three (3) persons. Each additional person above three will be charged a $20 departure tax. This fee is good for a second re-entry within a 90-day period.

Exiting Policies/Return to US

When a private vessel arrives at a port of call in the United States, the Master or Captain of the vessel must report their arrival immediately upon first landfall to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by calling the following toll free number or visiting the following website:

1.800.432.1216 www.cbp.gov (MAKE SURE YOU CALL BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE MARINA)

The Captain will be directed to the nearest Port of Entry and must physically present him/herself and their passengers for admission to the US. In the past the location we had to go is the Port Everglades Customs office 1800 Eller Drive Suite 104, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Please visit www.dhs.gov for admission requirements.

When you call for clearance, have the following information available:

1) Vessel name and registration/document number

2) Vessel owner name and citizenship

3) Vessel commander/master name, date of birth and citizenship

4) Passengers' names and dates of birth

5) Foreign ports or places visited and duration of stay

6) Total value of all acquisitions and purchases made

To ease your return to the US, check out the Small Vessel Reporting System https://svrs.cbp.dhs.gov/default.aspx

Crossing the Gulf Stream

I you have a bow rider, what I have found is to only carry the amount of people that will very comfortable be able to sit behind windshield. In my Cobalt R5 (25' 8") the maximum number of people I will carry is 6.

Here are a few articles with good info on crossing the Gulf stream.
http://www.yachtingmagazine.com/crossing-gulf-stream-safely
https://1source.basspro.com/index.p...ing/1036-boaters-guide-to-the-bimini-crossing

Cost of the trip

Yes, I intentionally left this topic for last.

Most families budget approximately $4,500 for a group of four, $5,500 for a group of 6 or $6,500 for a group of 8. These are costs directly related to travel, food, lodging, fuel, etc for the trip. These costs vary greatly based on your distance from Fort Lauderdale. If you do not have passports you will need to pay for those as well. Many will spend thousands more on boat upgrades for their first trip.