The waters all around Bimini are hypnotic beyond belief. The brilliant turquoise waters surrounding the islands gradually give way to deep rich blues as you approach the continental shelf only a few of miles off the west side of Bimini.  The clarity of the waters, washed by the Gulfstream, makes for incredible visibility and fantastic dives.  On our first day in Bimini, we visited Honeymoon Harbor, Tuna Alley and the Sapona. 

Honeymoon Harbor is a small anchorage on the north end of Gun Cay, a tiny island (one of the many islands of Bimini) afloat in some of the bluest water on earth.  Local population: zero.  Honeymoon Harbor is a favorite stop for boaters looking for an afternoon of sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling.  We anchored there to grill lunch and recover from our trek from Miami earlier that day.  The weather was perfect and the waters in the harbor were crystal clear.  I jumped in with my mask and snorkel to cool of and immediately came within 20 feet of two 5-foot nurse sharks. The waters in the harbor are teeming with life. Damn, no camera! I climbed back into the boat and grabbed my camera, but by the time I was back in the water, the sharks were gone.  After a bit more snorkeling in the harbor, we made our way over to the sandy beach, then walked across a small berm on the east side to find another beautiful shallow-water (3-4 feet) cove.  With my camera in-hand, we encountered several rays, conch, and starfish.  The rays were extremely curious and apparently accustomed to being fed.  They were "playing" with us, darting over our feet and outstretched hands.  Very Cool!

After lunch, we made our way a little further south to dive Tuna Alley, a pristine, healthy reef system off of North Cat Cay.  We moored up on the north buoy and donned our dive gear.  I was immediately struck by the fact that, even though we were in 50 feet of water, you could clearly see the reef and fish below from the deck of the boat.  As we descended down the mooring line I could see schools of yellowtail and alluring chasms in the reef.  We made our way along the top of the reef, and then slowly descended along the wall, which slopes gently down to about 90 feet.  Grouper, lobster, yellowtail, eels, and more greeted us along the way.  This is absolutely a fantastic dive!

The day was growing late as we left Tuna Alley to find the Sapona.  The Sapona is a 270-foot concrete ship partially submerged in about 15 feet of water.  This is a popular snorkeling location between South Bimini and Cat Cay.  Again, the waters here were crystal clear so visibility was excellent.  We spent about 30 minutes snorkeling through the hull and along the port side of the ship.  We encountered large schools of needlefish inside - a beautiful site made even more beautiful by reflections created by the rays of the sun which stream in through the splintered deck of the ship.  This is a nice place to unwind after a dive of diving.

Comments:

	Post a Comment