Bahamas Bucket List for Divers: Bimini Edition

by Nathan Riley

Overview

Consisting of over 700 islands, this Caribbean paradise is one of the most famous dive destinations in the world. Divers flock to this getaway to intimately experience the wide range of aquatic wildlife, pristine coral walls, and amazing shipwrecks. From pirates to modern-day drug runners, expert scuba diver and long-time sailor Capt. Nathan Riley will take you on a journey dating back 300 years. During surface intervals, you will take a closer look at how the Bahamas and Bimini famously came to be. Expect to be immersed in the island's history, culture, and soul. Flip to the second half of the book to build your personal Bahamas Bucket List. Relive your dive memories time and time again while checking off sites from your dive log. Each dive site listed is accompanied by first-hand facts and experience from a Captain who has dived the area almost daily for 15 years. Quench your thirst about the Bahamas' past and get ready to dive into Bimini's enchanting ocean splendor!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620234228
Publisher:	Atlantic Publishing Group Inc
Publication date:	07/26/2017
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

Getting to Bimini 14

Flights 16

Cape Air 16

Flamingo Air 16

Silver Airways 16

Sky Bahamas 16

Tropic Ocean Airways 17

Western Air 17

Where to Stay 17

Weech's Dock and Bay View Rooms 17

SeaCrest Hotel and Marina 18

Bluewater Marina 18

The Big Game Club 19

Tours, Activities, & Operators 19

Al Sweeting, Jr. 19

Neal Watson, Jr. 19

SharkLab 20

Bimini Museum 20

Bonefish Tommy 20

Bonefish Ebbie 21

Ansil Saunders 21

Chapter 1 Tiny Island, Big History 23

Bimini and the Black Flag 25

Pirate Fact and Fiction 30

Did pirates have nicknames? 30

Did pirates make prisoners walk the plank? 30

Did pirates bury their treasure? 30

Did women ever become pirates? 31

Did pirates have a code? 31

What is the difference between pirate and privateer? 31

What is a Buccaneer? 31

Did pirates have peg legs and hooks and did they wear eye patches? 32

Were pirates blood thirsty thieves? 32

Did pirates use treasure maps? 32

Chapter 2 America and the Bahamas 33

Chapter 3 The Lighthouses 37

Chapter 4 The Rumrunners 43

Hemingway and Big Game Fishing 45

The Hooligan Navy 47

Chapter 5 Miami Vice 49

The Liveaboard Industry 52

Chapter 6 Present Day Bimini 55

Chapter 7 Marine Life 57

Spear Fishing 58

Lionfish 58

Eat the Adversaries 61

Common Fish of Bimini 63

Nassau Grouper 64

Black Grouper 64

Tiger Grouper 65

Queen Parrot 65

Midnight Parrot 66

Stoplight Parrot 66

Four Eye Butterfly fish 67

Scorpion Fish 67

Hogfish 68

French Angelfish 68

Queen Angelfish 69

Southern Stingray 69

Yellow Stingray 70

Spotted Moray Eel 70

Yellow Head Jawfish 71

Blue Chromis 71

Scrawled File Fish 72

Flamingo Tongue 72

Creatures of the Night 73

Octopus 74

Spanish Lobster 74

Parrot Fish 75

Caribbean Reef Squid 75

Brittle Star 76

Giant Basket Star 76

Banded Coral Shrimp 77

Sea Turtles 77

Hawksbill 79

Green 79

Loggerhead 80

Dolphins 80

The Dolphin Code of Conduct 83

Spotted Dolphin 86

Bottlenose Dolphin 86

Sharks! 87

Organized shark feeds 88

Nurse Shark 90

Reef Shark 90

Bull Shark 91

Tiger Shark 91

Great Hammerhead 92

Lemon Shark 92

Dive Log Book 93

North Bimini to Gun Cay 93

Skill Level Key 93

Dive Outfitter Key 95

1) Half Pipe or Nekton Wall 96

2) The Wreck of the Hesperus 97

3) Hawksbill Reef 98

4) Moray Alley 99

5) Lost Road to Atlantis 100

6) The Strip 101

7) Lewda 102

8) The Barge 103

9) North Turtle Rocks 104

10) Big Greenie (Middle Turtle) 105

11) South Turtle Rocks 106

12) The Sapona 107

13) Piquet Rocks 108

North Cat Cay to Riding Rocks 109

14) Moxin Rocks (Crotch Rocks) 110

15) Tuna Alley (Akar Sponge Garden) 111

16) Stevie's Wonder 112

17) The Panther 113

18) The Grotto 114

19) The Nods 115

20) Blue Chromis 116

21) Rainbow Valley 117

22) Lunkhead 118

23) Bull Run 119

24) 777 (Triple Sevens) 120

25) Miami-Rita 121

26) Donut 122

27) Riding Rocks 123

Orange Cay to the Santuren Channel 124

28) Lurking Heads 125

29) Mystic 126

30) Orange Peel 127

31) The Trench 128

32) Antler 129

33) Valley of the Giants 130

34) Fantastic 131

35) Space Mountain 132

36) Lost Medallion 133

37) Do It Again 134

38) Freedom Reef 135

39) Long Bow Reef 136

40) O.M.G. 137

The Cay Sal Bank 138

41) Big Hole 139

42) Black Hole 140

43) The M/V Mystic 141

44) The Paddle Wheel Steamer 142

Underwater Photography and Video 143

Guidelines for Great Photos 146

Underwater Video Guidelines 147

Editing Your Videos 147

Wide Angle or Macro? 148

Things You Can Do If Your Camera Housing Floods 149

Complete Dive Operation Directory: Bahamas 151

Island: Abacos 151

Island: Andros Island 152

Island: Bimini Islands 152

Liveaboard Operators - Nassau and Exumas 152

Island: Exuma Islands 153

Island: Grand Bahama / Freeport 153

Island: Harbour Island, Eleuthera 153

Island: Long Island 153

Island: New Providence / Nassau 154

Island: San Salvador 154

Bibliography 155

About the Author 157