Anyone been to Bimini ???

I am headed to Bimini in March. I have never been there and have a ton of questions. First Question.
Does anyone recommend a dive company in South or North Bimini?
Can anyone recommend a place to rent a boat?
Does anyone have good GPS numbers for reef diving / spear fishing???

It looks like there is a limited number of dive companies. We are bringing our own gear but will need to rent tanks and weights. I have enough divers headed over with me so I figure we are going to just rent a boat(s).

Any thought on any of these topics or anything else in Bimini I would be grateful for the info.

I was there when I was about 15-16 for a week but that was 18 years ago or so...

I was part of a boy scout group on a 60 foot sailboat out of Miami. The trip was my first time ever to go SCUBA diving (resort course style).

Great memories.

I dove there last spring but we were on a charter from miami so I can't recommend any charters from Bimini, however you are correct in that there are not many of them on Bimini. Very small islands but excellent diving. Wish I could be of help.

enjoy.

I was there for Thanksgiving '02 with my son. We took a charter from Miami. It's not exactly what you are looking for, but the charters are very convenient from the standpoint of knowing the GPS locations, providing all meals, emergency services, etc. Perhaps--if you have enough people in your group--a charter would make sense. When you factor in the cost of transportation to Bimini, hotels, meals, boats, tank rentals and refills, etc. (plus the hassle of immigration/customs), the charters are not that expensive. I was part of a group on the "Sea Fever". You can find it online.

Good luck.

Ed

Ed, Jdb, Dc4bs,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately one of my good friends has fallen prey to the disease of marriage. Ceremony to take place on South Bimini. God bless him for giving us something to do that week. ( Diving, Fishing, Rum ) I found a marina that says they rent 18 foot Boston Whalers for $120 a day. I am all good with that, 3 divers a boat makes my cost acceptable. Here is the catch, I know more about boats than most marina owners. The boats pictured in the website are NOT Boston Whalers. They look more like fiberglass Sears johnboat specials. Very Sinkable.
I actually don’t mind spending a little more for a boat rental of my own, But I have found situations like this tend to leave me with an unseaworthy vessel.
But thanks again for the info. I will absolutely make the best of the trip and report back to the message board with great stories.

Thanks again you guys.

I had a group down there a few years ago and we had a blast. Diving was very good, with a ton of variety. You might try getting in touch with the Bimini Big Game Fishing Club (i think that's the name), very nice marina and I'd think they'd have charter boats available...Also, Bill & Nowdla Keef own Bimini Undersea Adventures, one of few dive shops on Bimini...