Bimini: A Bahamas Original and Still Outstanding In more years of diving than I care to admit, snorkeling with wild spotted dolphins in the blue water off Bimini is one of my most memorable experiences. Swimming with these graceful, playful creatures was like meeting intelligent life from another world, except that we share the same planet. Bill and Nowdla Keefe, the owner/operators of Bimini Undersea, introduced my wife and me, along with and a niece and nephew of ours, to their friends one day, and we were all amazed. The thrill of interacting with these dolphins is incredible. Very few encounters will leave you feeling as inspired, and somehow as humbled, as this one. The dolphins actually control the encounter, appearing when they wish and breaking contact when they have had enough. There is no guarantee that they will show up at all, although Bimini Undersea's success rate with the program is better than 75%. I've had the pleasure of doing two dolphin excursions with Bill and Nowdla, and both times we had good luck. The first time we circled the area for about an hour before a pair of dolphins crossed our bow and led us to the pod. The second time, a boisterous crowd of 15 dolphins showed up almost immediately and played for half an hour. They won't tolerate scuba equipment, perhaps because blowing bubbles underwater is an aggressive act for dolphins, but they love to play with human snorkelers. The more active you are in the water, the better they like it. Dive down, roll over, do flips underwater-they love it. Sometimes they'll watch curiously, sometimes they'll mimic what you do. On the run out to the dolphin grounds, one of the Bimini Undersea divemasters gives a briefing on spotted dolphins, covering some interesting highlights of dolphin natural history and some tips on how to behave during the encounter. We were cautioned, for instance, to keep our arms at our sides. Reaching hands are foreign to dolphins and they will move away regardless of your intentions. We also learned how to tell the approximate age of individuals and to recognize social groupings like mothers with youngsters and adolescents playing together. As we neared the area where the dolphins reveal themselves to the boat, I couldn't help wondering if they hadn't conducted a similar briefing of their own in preparation for the encounter. Maybe it went something like this: "Now these humans can be fascinating, but they are slow and clumsy. So keep your speed down and try not to laugh out loud. Remember they have to breathe almost continuously, so don't expect them to stay down with you for long. Also, they tire quickly, so we'll only be able to play with them for 20 or 30 minutes. Spend most of your time with the kids-they're the cutest." Bimini has always been one of the most popular dive destinations in The Bahamas and if anything it's only improved, because the service is better and the dive boats are newer. There are some good wrecks, like the Sapona and the Bimini Barge, and some excellent shallow coral reefs suitable for both diving and snorkeling. A broad ledge between the islands and the Gulf Stream also provides many dive sites where the reefs grow on level bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water. Bimini is a delightful place to visit, just don't expect anything flashy. It has somehow resisted substantial change, remaining simple, quiet and largely unaffected by the continuous parade of expensive yachts and sport fishing boats that come and go through its marinas. The hotels are clean and unassuming, and the restaurants are small, informal establishments that turn out some of the finest meals you'll ever eat. It's a small town where people tend to be casual, unstressed and respectful to each other. About the Author William (Bill) Harrigan At home in the water since childhood, Bill Harrigan began diving in 1964 and built his first camera housing in 1969. He studied marine biology and photography as an undergraduate, and earned a master's degree in marine park management. During a two-decade career as an officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Bill served as dive master aboard the NOAA Ship Surveyor in the Pacific and Alaska and was chief of NOAA's research helicopter group. He also managed the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary in Key Largo, Florida, and directed the National Marine Sanctuaries and Reserves Program in Washington, D.C. Prior to retiring from the NOAA Corps in 1993, an exchange program gave Bill the unique opportunity of directing the Planning and Management Section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Since moving on to his second career, Bill has continued his work in marine parks, consulting on projects in the U.S., Kenya and Egypt. Most of his time, however, has been devoted to writing and photography, particularly for Skin Diver magazine, which has published over 100 of his photo-articles on diving in the Atlantic, Pacific and throughout the Caribbean. Co-author of dive guides for the Florida Keys and the Cayman Islands, Bill also teaches underwater photography. |
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These moderate-depth reefs are like aquariums, home to schools of French grunts, black bar soldierfish, stoplight parrotfish and many other species. The real showstoppers, though, are the steep coral slopes and walls where the bottom drops off precipitously into the deep blue gorge of the Stream. Generally handled as drift dives, these start as shallow as 60 feet, winding quickly down to 130 feet and beyond. The visibility is often stunning and the sensation of flying is exhilarating as the current pulls you swiftly along, the top of the underwater canyon on one side and a limitless void on the other. Divers have had some remarkable encounters out on that edge, including sightings of huge tuna, billfish and sharks. 