A. Water Fantaseas, Inc. is pleased to provide the following sample itineraries and excursions as a base to begin planning your own charter from. Please note that these are not “group trips” or cruises that you can purchase individual tickets for, rather they are ideas, suggestions and samples of what you can do and where you can go when you charter a private yacht from A. Water Fantaseas, Inc.

BIMINI, BAHAMAS  (3 Days, 2 Nights) ::

   
The island nation of The Bahamas presents us with a delightful opportunity to “go foreign” without having to go that far. North and South Bimini are less than 50 miles from Miami Beach, and crossing the Gulf Stream to Bimini provides an ocean passage that is just long enough to be a real open ocean voyage, well out of the sight of land, and yet at the same time, not so long as to be tiring. Because The Bahamas is a sovereign nation, with its own laws and regulations, there are some technicalities involved and we should perhaps discuss them first since they are an inevitable part of every trip:

Proof of Citizenship: No one will be permitted to land in The Bahamas or back in the U.S. without it. A passport is required of all but U.S. citizens, though this is still the best proof you can have. For U.S. Citizens without a passport, a proper birth certificate will do if you also have a photo ID such as a driver license. Proof of citizenship must be presented to your Captain and approved prior to departure.

U.S.Immigration: The U.S. government currently requires that ALL occupants of returning vessels appear in person at the nearest Immigration Office as soon as possible after again setting foot in the U.S. Depending on the day and time of return, this may require waiting until the next morning, which will add to the total length of time involved, since the entire party must remain together on the boat until this trip to Immigration has been completed.

We bring up these technicalities right at the start simply to avoid any disappointment or surprises later on. But the truth is that in the whole scope of things, none of them is but a minor detail, which will be totally insignificant when compared to the overall enjoyment of the experience. So let’s explore the possibilities.


The water surrounding Bimini offers many delights. Unless you’ve been to the Caribbean previously, you’ll be amazed by its incredible clarity. You can be sitting in over 50 feet of total depth and still be able to see the bottom so well you’ll think it is much, much shallower. This means that you’ll discover snorkeling as you’ve never experienced it before...on the reefs, by the “Concrete Boat,” the wreck of the Sapona -- which has been used for everything from a rumrunners’ warehouse in the 1920s to a dive-bombing target during World War II and now lies in 15 feet of water where the slowly disintegrating hulk attracts colorful fish of all kinds -- and in many other easily accessible, but entirely different, locations.

Bimini simply abounds in outstanding snorkeling spots. If you are certified for SCUBA diving, knowledgeable Dive Masters are available to take you into some absolutely fabulous dive sites, each of which would, in itself, be exciting enough to make the whole trip worthwhile. Taken together, they form a highly memorable diving experience. Rental dive gear is available, also; so you don’t need to bring your own. There are other spots where you can ride the WaveRunner in so much open space you’ll feel like you have your own private ocean. And if your desires are more laid back, we can anchor off, but very close to, clean white-sand beaches that are also so delightfully uncrowded you can feel they are completely “yours” too.

North Bimini ashore also offers a “different” experience. Alice Town, the island’s only community, has but one main street (and for such a small island, traffic is unbelievably heavy!). Along it, you’ll find many souvenir shops: some offering the edible type, such as conch salad and “Bimini bread,” while many others are of the more typical T-shirt and trinket variety. In recent years, Bimini has added a colorful Native Straw and Craft Market featuring “only in the Bahamas” keepsakes. The shoreside complex at the Bimini Big Game Club (the marina we’ll use) includes a swimming pool (though the beach is but a short walk across the island), as well as some excellent entertainment and dining possibilities. But you won’t be confined to this one locale. Just outside the gate, Bimini’s main street also has a number of famous eating and drinking places such as the Red Lion, noted for its Bahamian specialties, the End of the World Bar with its beach sand floor and business card-peppered ceiling, and the Compleat Angler, where Ernest Hemmingway liked to hang out and is memorialized in many photographs on the walls. On weekends, the Compleat Angler usually has live music and is definitely the local “hot spot” for dancing and socializing in general both among locals and visitors.

The third day we have to return, and should depart by early afternoon. Though the three days will have gone by quickly, they will also live long in your memory, as this Bimini Adventure can be one of the best “foreign” excursions you could possibly imagine. While this voyage can start and end at any South Florida port, we strongly recommend the Miami area because of the strength and direction of the current involved in crossing the Gulf Stream.

Original Content: Boat Write