Has any one dove the southern biminis?

[saildiver]

My wife and I are planning a Bahamian sail-dive trip that will hopefully take in the southern Bimini islands.We dive off our 23 ft sail boat(centerboard with 19" draft and over-sized anchors) frequently-but the maps don't show much for anchorage down there. We've not been there yet ,but heard the diving is very good. If any one has been there- any clues what the anchoring is like,what is the diving like(are the currents stiff,corals,fishlife,etc)-any help will be greatly appreciated. Peace....Saildiver.

 

[Reel Crazy14]

The diving south of bimini is really good. Cat Cay has a wall dive called the nodules, very nice dive. Ocean cay has some good reefs and wrecks. And if you can, Cay sal banks is a little further, the diving there is secluded and superb. Good luck

 

[saildiver]

The diving south of bimini is really good. Cat Cay has a wall dive called the nodules, very nice dive. Ocean cay has some good reefs and wrecks. And if you can, Cay sal banks is a little further, the diving there is secluded and superb. Good luck

Thanks Reel-How did you dive the southern Biminis and Cay Sal Banks. And can you say anything about the anchoring there? In regards to the diving-were the currents very strong-this can make it problematic getting back to the boat if the boat anchorage-dive site is in a high current area (we have no extra person on board while we're down under to come and get us if we start to drift away)....peace...Saildiver.

 

[robertmackey]

Hi there and in reference to your questions: I work for Blackbeard's cruises on the morning star (name is Sparky) and we have about 90% of the sites are mooring lines. You can tie your bow line to these to do the dives. We have about 40 good dive sites in the area of Bimini and the Berry Islands. Alot of wreck dives, 7-mile reefs, and of course Bull Run (famous shark dive-consist of about 18 sharks). Cay is also a good area. The water temp. averages around 72* and clear to about 90 ft. Check out honeymoon harbor for night anchoring (about 20 feet and very calm). we have alot of info at our web site blackbeardscruises.com. Hope this gets you on your way and you will be enjoying some beautiful weather, along with sunsets! Stay Afloat, Sparky

 

[robertmackey]

Saildiver, sorry just noticed another question you had: the current is kinds strong at the "Turtle Rock" dive and it is about 1 1/4 strip. You will need a drift line (current line) if you plan on diving here. I had two females that ended up about 1/2 mile from the boat on a night dive-lucky they had a light on them! Sparky

 

[saildiver]

Thanks Sparky-finally-someone who has some expert local knowledge of the area. Where are the bouys you are mentioning-are any of them south of Cat Cay? Have you anchored south of Cat Cay over night-if so ,where? In the small southern biminis, the anchorage spots look nil on the chats,but often when your'e there, its a different picture altogether-and our boat is small. Have you dove south of Cat Cay,if so,what was it like?....Peace...Saildiver.

 

[mike_s]

Saildiver...

The moorings that Sparky is talking about are more "dive mooring" and not for overnighting on. They are scattered all over but there are several between Cat Cay and Bimini and all around that area.

For anchoring overnight, you'll want to be in more protected waters. There is a great "storm anchor site" just south of cat cay with a sandbar to protect you from the south. We entered from the south-west corner w/o problem. Also on that secluded beach is a nice hammock you can relax in. (I think this is one of the sites you are asking about)... This is actually a smaller island that is just south of Cat Cay and disconnected by a narrow channel maybe 100 feet wide and shallow enough to wade across. There is also another great anchorage on the small island north of Cat Cay that used to be a Bahamian Defense Force station. On the north side of this island and a nice bay. I was told that this bay was called "Honeymoon Harbor". It was a great place to anchor. If you want to "tour" that small island and the old Defense fort buildings, theres the leftovers of an old dock on the southeast side of the building.

BTW... Sparky thanks to your company for putting moorings/bouys at many of these sites! It made diving much easier and also reduces risk of damage to the coral by anchors.

This website has the GPS coordinates for many of the Bouy's of Bimini
http://www.force-e.com/dive_sites/boat_diving_sites/bimini.shtml


A 23 foot boat is a pretty small boat to make the crossing from Florida in. Best of luck. You can clear Customs in Bimini or in Cat Cay, which is a private island, but the Marina is open for all. FYI that they increased customs fees a year or so ago to an up to outrageous $300 bucks per boat.

Get good charts. There are plenty of shallow spots

Check out the Complete Angler and End of the World Bar while there. (on north Bimini island). Air fills can be found at the Big Game Marina on North Bimini and at Scuba Bimini on South Bimini.

Hope that helps some. Bimini is a GREAT place.

-Mike

 

[robertmackey]

Thanks Mike, the anchoring I referred was mooring lines and also the Honeymoon Harbor is the place we use to overnight anchor. Your response is excellent and thanks for the positive feedback for us at Blackbeards!

Stay Afloat,
Sparky