Florida to the Bahamas

[bw5then]

About 8 of us are planning on pulling a boat from Mississippi to Florida(31' Chapperal cabin cruiser).
Where is the best part of Florida ffor us to put the boat in and relatively close to the Bahamas.
When we do get to the islands, where can we get air and nitrox as we dive around the islands. Any info we can get would be appreciated, no matter how much or little.
Will we need our passports?
We are not wanting to hit all of the tourist spots... We want to find great diving spots and reefs off of the beaten path but will need to be able to get fuel, food, lodging, nitrox, etc... Along the way.

 

[diversteve]

Where is the best part of Florida for us to put the boat in and relatively close to the Bahamas.

Somewhere south of West Palm Beach to Miami.

Will we need our passports?

Yes...technically you don't but you will to get back into the U.S.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_989.html

Here's a list of many of the dive operators by island.
http://www.bahamasdiving.com/memberdirectory.aspx

It sounds like you may want to dive the Out Islands.
http://www.bahamasdiving.com/bdatour.aspx?code=GUIDE&id=30

 

[danpass]

The area from Miami to Ft Lauderdale is the closest to Bimini (the first islands in the Bahamas group) at around 45NM.
For Bahamas: There is a $300 entry fee, which covers the boat and 4 people then $15 for each additional person.
Yes to passport. The little passport card is NOT universally accepted so stick with the standard passport.

Bahia Mar Marina (Ft Laud)
Haulover Beach Marina (Aventura area)
Miami Beach Marina(by the cruise ships)

gratuitous helicopter shot I took of MBM

 

[SubMariner]

About 8 of us are planning on pulling a boat from Mississippi to Florida(31' Chapperal cabin cruiser).
Where is the best part of Florida ffor us to put the boat in and relatively close to the Bahamas.
When we do get to the islands, where can we get air and nitrox as we dive around the islands. Any info we can get would be appreciated, no matter how much or little.
Will we need our passports?
We are not wanting to hit all of the tourist spots... We want to find great diving spots and reefs off of the beaten path but will need to be able to get fuel, food, lodging, nitrox, etc... Along the way.

You've already received some good answers, but I have some QUESTIONS:

1) How experienced are you & your friends in offshore navigation & offshore/ocean boating? Do you know about weather windows, the Gulf Stream, how to plot a course factoring in set & drift?

2) Do ANY of you have a USCG 6 pack license or above?

We ran our own sail & dive charter in the Bahamas for 2 years from our 43' sailboat. I cannot tell you how many people try to make the jump from FL to the Bahamas with little/no training or preparation and it always ends badly. How do we know? We've heard the distress calls on the radio!

BTW, there are 720 islands in the Bahamas chain; only 29 are inhabited. Where exactly did you want to dive?

Not trying to rain on your parade, but it's not just about getting in the boat & "driving".

Pax,

 

[bw5then]

Thanks submariner, one of our group is former coast guard and 2 more are licensed boat captains. As for where we are gonna go, I'm researching that now. Would like to go somewhere just " off the beaten path" though. Any suggestions ?We are going to wait till the spring to go so we don't end up leaving and a tropical storm or hurricane ruins our trip. I do appreciate your input and concern. Thanks

 

[diversteve]

Part of the decision will be where you can get air/tank rentals.

I'm pretty sure Dive Abaco has a daily/weekly tank rental - maybe one of the other Abaco shops does also.

Neil Watson's - Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club - rents tanks. They have another location on a different island also.

 

[bw5then]

We will have a compressor on the boat, a max air 35

 

[herbdb]

We spent a winter in the Abacos. We crossed from west Palm Beach direct to deep water point on the Little Bahamas bank. Cleared customs at Spanish Cay. Great diving off Great Guayana Cay and in the Fowl Cay marine preserve. Both have permanent buoys for divers, but they are very close to the reef. Take care navigating too and from them.

 

[SubMariner]

Thanks submariner, one of our group is former coast guard and 2 more are licensed boat captains. As for where we are gonna go, I'm researching that now. Would like to go somewhere just " off the beaten path" though. Any suggestions ?We are going to wait till the spring to go so we don't end up leaving and a tropical storm or hurricane ruins our trip. I do appreciate your input and concern. Thanks

How much time do you have?

The "Family" or "Out" Islands offer the most interesting dives. But they will take you a bit of time to get there.

Andros Island - extensive reef system on one side; wall dives (Tongue of the Ocean) on the other. Hard to get into unless you have a shoal draft craft.
The Abacos - sharks, big fish. Nice reefs.
The Exumas - Exuma Sound (wall dives) on one side, shallower dives on the other. Also some good current dives.

FWIW,

 

[herbdb]

Some of the posters have hit on this obliquely, but crossing the Gulf Stream requires planning and a good weather window. If the wind is blowing against the flow of the stream, it kicks up high seas. We waited a week for a good weather window. You will be in a power boat so your crossing will be faster than ours was in a 36' sail boat. We left Lake Worth inlet at 0100 and crossed the Bahamas Bank at about noon. You will want to plan your departure to cross onto the bank with the sun high in the sky. Makes it easier to see coral heads.

Visit some of the Cruiser Forums and you will see many threads on planning and executing a crossing. The best source of weather in my opinion is Chris Parkers scheduled HF broadcasts. Marine Weather Center - Marine Weather Center Services

You don't have to subscribe to listen in on the forecast, but do need a good HF receiver. Just do your research and take care. Crossing the Gulf Stream can be tough. The diving is great.