Bimini

Bimini is two thin islands about eighty kilometres east of Miami, the nearest Bahamian land to the United States, and its reputation was built on fishing: Ernest Hemingway spent summers here in the 1930s chasing marlin and tuna, and the deep water of the Gulf Stream runs within a few hundred metres of the shore. In winter, great hammerhead sharks gather in the shallows and can be dived with, which draws photographers from around the world. Offshore lies the Bimini Road, a line of large rectangular limestone blocks on the seabed that some have argued is a man-made structure and geologists regard as natural beach rock.

History

The Lucayans were the first people on the islands, and Bimini means two islands, or the twins, in their language; Juan Ponce de León's search for the Fountain of Youth linked the name Beimini to the legend, though the place the Lucayans spoke of was probably in the Gulf of Honduras. During American Prohibition Bimini was a favourite base for rum running, among others by William McCoy, and Chalk's seaplanes flew between Miami harbour and the Bahamas from 1917, for generations a lifeline for islanders shopping in Florida (Wikipedia, Bimini).

What you'll find

• Great hammerheads - gathering in the shallows through the winter.
• Big game fishing - the Gulf Stream drop-off close to shore.
• The Bimini Road - a line of rectangular blocks on the seabed.
• The Healing Hole - a mangrove spring pool of mineral-rich fresh water.

When to go

December to April is when the hammerheads are present and the weather driest. Big game fishing runs through the year with different species by season. The crossing from Florida can be rough and flights are weather-dependent.

What to expect

Hammerhead dives involve baiting and there is an ongoing argument about the practice; choose operators carefully. The Bimini Road is natural beachrock according to the geological consensus, whatever the tour patter says. Development on North Bimini has been contentious and cut into the mangroves. The island is small and can be seen in a day.

Nearby

Miami is 80 kilometres west; Grand Bahama is a short flight northeast.

Key facts