CATS on Bimini
(Six Shades of Blue)

Six divers from the FIU Scuba Club (Christian, Gio, Sandra, Jennifer,
Rachel & I) took off for Bimini on Friday morning for a “pre-Spring
Break” trip.  Bimini is just 50 miles off shore from South Florida, but
several decades away from the metropolitan madness. We took a 6
passenger island hopper (6 counting the co-pilot’s seat), and made the
flight out of Ft Lauderdale Executive Airport in under 50 minutes. We
were met by a great fellow in a once-operable van who transported us to
the Bimini Island Yacht Club, with a stop by Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of
Youth for a little splash of the elixir on the bald spot. Percy, the
co-owner & operator, was behind the bar when we arrived, and welcomed us
in a grand manner. He had 3 rooms ready overlooking the dock & canals.
After just a couple of hours to turn down the MyYami speed meters, we
were introduced to Hiram, our captain, DM, & guide for the next 4 days.
Eight dives, several pounds of conch, and 3 nights later we returned
back to the traffic, gunfire, and attitude that makes MyYami such a
wonderful place to live. In the meantime...

The Islands
Bimini is two main western out islands of the Bahamas. The north island
is where the “action” is - a few hotels, fishing clubs, market place,
marinas, etc. There is a wonderful old cemetery, with some headstones
showing hand carved inscriptions. The north island is also where Ernest
Hemingway played for two years in the 1930s. Action is really a misnomer
for those expecting Cozumel-type playtimes, but the north island has a
lot more tourist destinations than the south island. There is a water
taxi that runs between the islands, and a steady stream of private boats
also make the 3-4 minute trip.

If heading to Bimini you will have to prepare - its different there.
Lots of the roads are not paved, there aren’t many cars, golf carts
rule, and cars drive on the left. The islands there are low & dry. Fresh
water is precious; toilets and showers operate on brackish water.
Drinking water is plentiful, but you have to take some initiative - ask
for a pitcher to take to the room, keep a pitcher on your table for
meals, keep a bottle of water with you while walking around the island,
etc. I guess the other main difference involved the folks there - they
are NICE. Now maybe I’m just jaded after living in Miami for a while,
but I really dig it when folk are kind without looking for something I
return

The Dives
Water temp was 76 on most sites, and viz - at its worst - was 80+.
Surface conditions ranged from bathtub flat to a terribly rough 1-3’
chop on our “worst” day. All dives were 20 - 60 minute runs from the
dock in an Island Hopper 30, a very comfortable ride for these waters.
The boat had a large dry area, fresh drinking water, pay-for sodas, but
no bagels, fruit or other wimp stuff that we generally rate so highly.
All divers used computers, with 5 of 6 using Oceanics which resulted in
nearly identical tissue loading profiles. Nitrox is NOT available, so we
breathed air and shuddered from the risks.  We dove shallow & deep,
including blue water dives, aquarium condition dives, night dives,
continental shelf dives, and - “my god did you see that?!” dives. The
water is blue - about 400 shades of blue, and the marine life is
incredible.

Dives #1&2; 1:30 Friday: Hawksbill Reef, followed by Rainbow Reef.
Hawksbill is obviously named for its turtle life, but we saw none on
this day. There was a large chub school tho, so I badgered Capt Hiram
into temporarily naming this Chub Reef. We did see a very large ulua, a
mature jack, in the 60+ lb range who thought it necessary to approach to
see who in the hell we were. This also established the usual pattern for
us, a dive followed by a short (maybe a little too short) surface
interval of about 30 min (we stretched these as the weekend went on).
The 2d dive was on Rainbow Reef, so named for the wide range of colors
and fish. There used to be a statue of Christ at this spot, but
Hurricanes Andrew (in ‘92) and Mitch (in ‘98) finally did Jesu in. The
base remains and was home to a nurse shark, perhaps 7’ long, snoozing
out in the open sand. A first for me (open snoozing that is). But no
turtles. Hawksbills gave us 48’ for 41 min, and Rainbow gave us 24’ for
47 min. Then home for cracked conch, Kalik beer, etc. And don’t ask
about the “etc.”

Dives #3-4; 9am Sat:  We ran south for a deep dive on the Nodules, a
wall on the edge of the earth. The top of the reef ranged from 70-100’
but we scootched down to 120’ on the face of the wall before diving the
flat surface at 65’. This and many other sites had permanent buoys, so
the boat was tied, and Captain Hiram escorted this dive, leaving a mate
onboard. This dive also served as the deep dive for one Rachel who
finished her AOW on this trip! (Lucky dawg!!) There was no current today
so we circled the area - actually we spiraled it since our first pass
was deep, and we ascended on the circle. Since this was on a wall, and
since the abyss was on the other side, we anticipated pelagics, and we
got them. On the descent, I spotted a blacktip shark, about 7-8’ or so,
hanging on the ledge. She drifted off into the blue (this shade ranged
from deep blue to unconscious) as we descended, but reappeared twice as
we circled. But no turtles. Viz at the edge was 200’ plus - it was
endless. At the end of the dive, as we hung out at 15’, two wahoo
drifted by within 20’ of us. Too cool! After our SIT, we dove Victory
Reef in the same area, but a little more inside so that the dropoff
ranged from 45-65’. The reef reminded me of Cozumel a bit, where coral
overgrows coral - sort of like the weeds in my backyard these days. We
worked the edge of the shallow wall, explored some swim thrus, and a
couple of Cats practiced their compass & natural navigation. On the deep
dive I also ran a math drill to show the effects of narcosis. In a later
post I’ll give details but the bottom line was (a) add 40% to the time
to problem solve, and (b) obtain under 50% accuracy. (But we never FEEL
narced...) The profiles: Nodules = 121’ for 31 min; Victory = 59’ for 42
min. (times include safety stops; hold the bubbles).

So run back to the dock, counting shades of blue in the water, for lunch
(more conch of course) and a short nap, then return for...

Dive #5-6; dusk & night Saturday. There is a strip of reef surrounded by
sand just north of the Bimini split - called “The Strip.” It attracts
stuff. At 5pm we found 3 nurse sharks, 2 large green eels, a nice patch
of small queen triggers, spotted eels, VW-sized lobster, banded shrimp
as big as my hand, and a ridicules number of different fish species. But
no turtles. We stayed on the same spot for the night dive, only to find
out that The Strip turns into Motel 6 after dark. Now mind you there’s a
crescent moon, more stars than should be allowed, no wind or current,
and a Spanish Reggae band on the radio topside, but on the reef the
parrots are snoring, my buddy Gio spots 2 large flounder in the sand (I
can barely SEE the sand), 6-7 crabs that would feed FIU for a weekend,
lazy nurse sharks, and finally, as we descend, a turtle. Its a green I
believe, but it swims off The Strip and onto the sand flats as we
descend. I mosey behind, light off to the side to give only peripheral
light, but finally I decide she knows the ‘hood better than I, so I
return to The Strip. We continue the dive, and at the turnaround, I spot
a second turtle. This one is big, and a Hawksbill, I believe. Jennifer
joined us, and we are all in awe! Gio can’t help it, and has to remove a
glove and touch the shell. Being the shy type, I watch, and work to
remember to breath. She stays near, a slow lazy drift along, til we turn
back to the reef.  A few min later, I spotted her again; she’s following
US this time to watch from 12-15’ away. this is a beautiful turtle,
regal, lazy, and not too aloof - the way an admired turtle should be...
We spotted 3 rays (2 southern and a large yellow) on this dive, but
least this report go on forever, our profiles here were 40 & 42’ for 50
& 53 min.

Dives 7&8; Sunday at 9am: Capt Hiram asked whether we preferred a wreck
or another wall for our last dives. We joked both, so he decided to fix
our butts by delivering. The first was a blue water drift dive. After
finding the Continental Shelf, we descend to 120’ all on a line, with
Hiram at the base. Here, we were still 30-50’ above the reef, sometimes
over it, sometimes over the abyss. Again, these shades of blue do not
have verbal referents. Its a short dive, but its breathtaking. We watch
a school of large jacks, 40’ below, and even at this distance they
appear to be 30 lbs +.  They are big eyed. A single sentry, maybe a king
mackerel, follows for a while, but this is a 360 degree lookout dive,
and lord knows what else watched us as we peered below. This dive is
followed by a wreck, the Sapona. This is a fero-cement ship, one of two
like her, grounded after WW2. She has a wonderful history running troops
during the Great War, then as a storage platform for booze during
Prohibition before she ran aground. 2/3 of the Sapona is above water,
but the 1/3 below is alive and a wonderful exploration. Triggers,
grunts, squirrels, Yugo sized lobster, places to get stuck, odd currents
caused by shallow breakers, and all the stuff that divers need to learn
about when diving wrecks, except this is a 15’ dive, and allows us to
outgas from the blue water dive of an hour ago. Sandra and Gio buddy up,
while Christian snorkeled this one. That left Jen Rachel & I to explore
the ship. And that Spanish reggae... Profiles = 120’ for 17 min
(extended safety stop included) and 17’ for 50 min.

The Dive Operation & Hotel.
We stayed at one of two hotels on the south island, the South Bimini
Yacht Club (SBYC). This “club” is about a year and a half old in its
current location. It was purchased from another owner, and moved to a
site on a major protected waterway, about 2-3 minutes from the bay. Its
really in its infancy as a yacht club. The dock is in, and one of two
dive operations in Bimini is located on site. The actual hotel is a bit
spartan. Rooms are on the 2d floor, and the bar and one of only two
restaurants on the island are located on the ground floor. The owners
have built some neat rooms on the 3d floor, but they are still a few
weeks away from opening this floor up. The rooms have AC, maids are
there to change sheets & towels, beds are comfortable but not fancy -
you know the motel stuff is intact, but this is a no frills operation.
Then again, the rates are good for the Bahamas. If you want fancy, it is
available on the north island.

We got to know most of the folks who work & visit the yacht club. Its
sometimes hard to tell who is working and who is a cousin at operations
like this, but for visitors that’s really a benefit. Lots of folks are
willing to help make sure your stay is cool and your needs are met. The
folk at the SBYC are awesome!  Rachel had a birthday while in Bimini,
and the cook made a cake for her, and we all benefited from a happy hour
(at no charge) held in her honor. Now that’s cool! Captain Hiram also
spent some time at the hotel, making sure our trip was progressing
smoothly. Since this is a small island, folks know each other. Do we
want to go to the north island? No problem mon - I’ll get you a ride.
You’re going on a night dive? No problem mon - I’ll have an early (or
late if you prefer) dinner ready for you!

Finally, the price was right. Christian put a package together so our
dives, hotel & airfare were all included. Our trip (Friday to Monday)
included 8 dives, 3 nights, hotel transfers, departure fees, etc. came
in at around $500. In much of the Caribbean, that wouldn’t get you thru
one day and night. For the money, we ended up with guided dives, service
at the dock, and a host of people looking out for us. We booked thru
“Scuba Bimini Dive Center” (800-848-4073), and flew over on Bimini
Island Air.

The Color Blue
During the rides to the sites, I was stricken by the different shades of
blue in the water. It got to be a game to see how many shades I could
discriminate in one vista. Bimini’s geography is a mix of blinding white
sand, mangrove muds, & reef shades - with shallow to very deep waters -
all colored by sun angles and cloud density. This makes for spectacular
colors of all sorts, but the blues are so moving they are humbling.
Depending on where you look, you can see multiple shades of blue in the
water. My game was to count the different shades I could see at any one
time. I got pretty good - I regularly could see 5 shades of blue between
the boat and horizon. On 2 occasions, I saw 6 shades, but it was only a
fleeting period - no more than 4-5 seconds before the boat changed
position, the sun shifted, or cloud cover changed. Finally, on our last
day we visited the North Island, and walked to the end of the road. We
passed an old cemetery, with hand carved stone engravings. And, as so
often happens, gazing out from shore, I saw 6 shades of blue - steady &
discriminable. My God this is a beautiful place.

Final Thoughts
A final word about the diving Bimini involves the divers on this trip.
This was a completely student-planned trip, and it went off without a
hitch. It was well planned, sober, and a very well dived trip. It was a
pleasure to dive with these Cats who executed their dive plans, remained
well hydrated, and watched their profiles like bandits! I’m honored to
dive with these scuba cats!

So folks, go to Bimini. All things considered, the folk at SBYC and
Scuba Bimini add to the natural beauty and diversity of the islands and
make this a must-see. I can’t wait to go back. In the meantime - man its
cool!  And ooooh, that coconut rum...