Bimini is made up of two beautiful islands in the Bahamas, only 50 miles east of South Florida, which makes it very easy to get to. Bimini has a North and South island; the North end is more populated and generally more suited for tourists (casino, large resort, many restaurants), and the South island is quieter, with less traffic which is a great place to relax and enjoy the solitude.

Bimini is a nursery for an abundance of different animals; bottlenose dolphins, atlantic spotted dolphins, southern stingrays, many different species of fish, reef, nurse, and lemon sharks (and other types of sharks are more prevalent during the winter season).

Why the cost has increased post-COVID:

I am chartering a plane to fly us to Bimini and back. It has increased the total cost of the trip per person.

The reasons for chartering the plane:

-Social distancing is much more difficult when on a ferry around hundreds of people.

-The time it takes to board/ de-board/ get through customs on the ferry can take several hours. By chartering the plane, it is much more time efficient and we don't have to wait in long lines which can be frustrating and chaotic at times.

-It's typically a 20 minute flight, less time to get there means more adventure time on the island!

As mentioned above, we will be taking a chartered plane.

The flight takes less than 20 minutes each way!

Taking the plane will limit the amount of contact that we previously had with hundreds of other people on the ferry. Especially with COVID, it will be much better to avoid being exposed to a large group of people.

Weight restriction:

Since we are chartering a plane, there are weight restrictions. The weight restriction is out of all of our control and we need to strictly adhere to it for safety. Upon booking, I will need your actual current weight (NO rounding down ;) ) to make sure we are all able to get on the plane and how much gear we are allowed to bring. So far each guest will be able to bring between 35-50 pounds of gear.

This air conditioned house is located on the North Island and is right on the water, with beautiful views and lounging space to relax. It is a great location for our daily boat pickups and to grab food at a local restaurant.

There are 3 bedrooms; 2 have individual queen beds, and the third has a bunk bed set and a queen bed.

There are 2 full bathrooms, and a washer & dryer we use each evening.

The dates we are staying here are:

Trip 1: June 3-6

Trip 3: June 17-20

Trip 4: June 24-27

Trip 6: July 15-18

Trip 7: July 22-25

Trip 9: August 5-8

Trip 10: August 12-15

This air conditioned condo is located on the South Island in Bimini Cove, or what used to be known as Bimini Sands; it is the perfect location to relax and enjoy the island life. It's in a great location for our excursions and is right at the marina we will be picked up from.

There are 2 bedrooms with queen beds and en suite bathrooms, and a loft with 2 queen size beds. There will be an additional 1-2 twin mattress to provide more options for sleeping arrangements. There is a third full bathroom on the main floor, and a washer & dryer that we use each evening.

There are also pools on the property for guests to use, and relaxing beaches in almost every direction of the condo!

The dates we are staying here are:

Trip 2: June 10-13.

Trip 5: July 8-11.

Trip 8: July 29-Aug 1.

We will see all sorts of marine life. We will be mainly scouting for spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, stingrays, reef sharks, and whatever else the ocean wants to surprise us with!

**We are going to be in the open ocean, with the possibility of seeing and swimming with WILD animals!! It is important to remember these are wild animals, and they are the ones who decide if we will be able to swim with them or not. We will do our best to swim with them, but it is never guaranteed. That's one thing that makes interacting with these beings so special - they decide if we get to be in their presence or not. It is also possible that we will see animals from the boat, but not get in with them depending on their behavior... but if they want to play, play we will!

*We are on a chartered plane that is weight restricted - if we are over the weight allowance, we cannot fly and will need to leave things behind - please bring as few items as possible - we are going on a 3 day adventure, not a trip where you need to bring 5 outfits for every day. I re-wear the same outfits most of the entire trip. The less you bring, the better for everyone! Camera equipment is heavy, we need to prioritize when packing!

-Please bring your own MASK, set of FINS, and SNORKEL!! These are not included in the trip, and we will not have extras so make sure to bring your own. I strongly recommend purchasing a Riffe Stable snorkel

-People used to bring bring weight/weight belts when weight wasn't an issue; due to the chartered flight, it is recommended to bring as little amount of weight as possible. If you don't think you will use your weight belt much, please leave it at home (the dolphins are usually on the surface anyway, and honestly it is not necessary!)

-Cash for food you might consume separately from the group,, extra taxi rides, cash for crew, etc.

-A wetsuit is not required, it is summer and the water and air is very warm. A swimsuit or rash guard is perfect. I wear rash guard leggings and a rash guard shirt, or a full body rash guard suit.

-A more detailed sample packing list will be sent closer to the expedition.

-Sat. ~8:15am - Check in for flight

-9 am - Depart for Bimini

~9:30am - Arrival, customs, settle in at the house, grocery run, quick bite to eat for lunch

~2-6pm - Head out on the boat to scout for dolphins! (4 hours)

-6pm - Drop off, organize, showers, dinner out or cook at home

-Sun:

-Breakfast at home

-9am - boat pickup, either to stingrays, Sapona, or reef sharks

-Midday - lunch at home

-2-6pm - Scout for dolphins on the boat! (4 hours)

-6pm - Back to our house for gear rinse, showers, dinner either out or cook

Mon:

-Breakfast at home

~9am- Bimini Shark Lab shark presentation, tour, and shark experience. Before or after the Shark Lab, we will do a beach clean up!

-Midday - Lunch at home

-2-6pm - Scout for dolphins on the boat! (4 hours)

-6pm - Back to our house for gear rinse, showers, dinner either out or cook

Tues: Breakfast at the house

-9am - Check in for flight

~9am - Flight back to US

~9:30am - Land in US

~10am - Clear customs

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