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Spring 2010 Newsletter

Square Grouper Tiki Bar Grand Opening!

We are excited to announce that the Grand Opening of our new outdoor bar at the Bimini Beach Club will be held this Memorial Day Weekend. The bar has been officially named the Square Grouper Tiki Bar and to celebrate the event we will be hosting a special Happy Hour out at the bar, along with live music, free give-a-ways and more!

Don’t miss Bimini’s official season opener this Memorial Day weekend and make sure you check out the brand-new Square Grouper Tiki Bar while you are here!

Blue Lamp Awards
 

As part of the celebrations marking the 170th Anniversary of the Police Force in The Bahamas, a number of persons were selected to receive recognition from the Royal Bahamas Police Force in Bimini for their good-will, cooperation and support of the police in Bimini. The local awards are named after the traditional "blue lamp" which is found outside Bahamian police stations.

We are proud to announce that two of Bimini Sands’ very own have been selected to receive Bimini’s Blue Lamp Awards. Mr. Frank Cooney Sr. and Mr. Emil Poitier were both selected to receive recognition from the Royal Bahamas Police Force for their longstanding commitment and support to the policing and police programs here on Bimini. We would like to congratulate both of them on their prestigious award, and as a company we strive to continue helping the Bimini police force in any way we can here at Bimini Sands.

Bimini  Boating

As we get ready for another great summer boating season around Bimini, there’s a few things that everyone should remember when cruising the crystal clear waters around these islands.

1) All of Bimini’s marinas are strictly “No Wake” zones. This includes the Bimini Sands Marina, as well as the entire Alicetown Channel, from the old Chalk’s ramp past the Big Game Club.

2) All boats should make their best effort to avoid damaging corals and seagrasses when anchoring.

3) Several permanent-moorings are around the island, though it is prohibited to fish from these moorings. Any questions about the moorings around Bimini’s reefs can be directed to Keefe’s Bimini Undersea.

4) All boats should stay at least 300 ft away from any boat displaying a red-and-white “Diver Down” flag.

5) While we drive on the left side of the road in the Bahamas, on-coming boat traffic should still pass port side – to – port side.

6) Most resorts & businesses around Bimini use VHF channel 68 as their “Hailing Channel”. Please DO NOT use this channel for extended conversations.

7) All boaters should be aware of the most current Fisheries Rules & Regulations.
Additional information can be found at www.bahamas.gov.bs/

Exciting Boa Research on the Bimini Nature Trail

Since opening in 2008, the Bimini Nature Trail has served as the perfect place to view one of Bimini’s most unique tourist attractions, the endemic Bimini Boa. Visitors and residents alike have been able to view this beautiful snake in its enclosure, and even get a closer look and possibly handle the snake themselves with one of our guided tours. But now, the Bimini Nature Trail serves another valuable purpose. In addition to showcasing the boa to the trail’s visitors, the Bimini Nature Trail has become an official study site as well. Ricardo Escobar from Loma Linda University is now utilizing our nature trail as one of his study sites for Bimini’s unique snake. His project will track the movements of these snakes and try to get a population estimate as to how many Bimini Boas are on the islands of Bimini.

The Bimini Boa is a completely harmless snake that is found nowhere else in the world, and is even listed by some conservation groups as an endangered species. And while this beautiful reptile is becoming a more familiar part of Bimini's eco-attractions, there is still little known about its life-history.

For more information on the Bimini Nature Trail, the Bimini Boa, or this exciting new research project, visit the Bimini Sands Recreation & Activities Center on your next visit to Bimini, or email questions to katie@biminisands.com

Bimini In the Media

Even though countless numbers of film and print crews have done work about Bimini, we still continue to attract international media attention to the island. Just recently Bimini was highlighted in National Geographic Traveler’s January/February issue. The article is titled “Great Winter Escapes” and they chose 12 lesser known, but not-to-miss winter vacation destinations. Bimini is the article’s ecotourism destination because of our beautiful blue water, long stretches of white coral beaches, wild dolphin encounters, mangrove forests perfect for kayaking and of course our newly established Marine Protected Area. The article even mentions our very own Bimini Nature Trail and the Bimini Boa.

Bimini Sands also recently hosted a film crew visiting from France. The team was producing a film on a few of the Bahamian Out-Islands and Bimini was one of those selected. During their few days on Bimini, the crew from our Recreation & Activities Center we able to take the team out to see the Sapona, snorkel the Road to Atlantis, swim with Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, and even dive with multiple Great Hammerheads. The film team could not have been happier with the animals they were able to encounter and footage they got in their short time here. For a small island, Bimini offers BIG adventure!

Over and over Bimini continues to impress film and print media crews. It is no wonder why so many people love to vacation here.

Bimini’s Lemon Sharks

Although young lemon sharks can easily be seen in the waters around Bimini year-round, the spring is the best time to see mature adult lemon sharks. Every spring large female lemon sharks travel back to the nursery area they were born in to do one of two things; if she is pregnant, she comes to give birth in the same nursery area she was born in, if she is not pregnant she comes to mate, and with a year gestation period, the following year she will return again to give birth.

Bimini’s extensive mangrove system is the main reason the island is ideal for young lemon sharks to grow up. The mangroves provide plenty of food for them to eat and the tangled mangrove roots provide protection from predators.

The Bimini Biological Fiend Station (aka Sharklab) has been conducting extensive studies on Bimini’s lemons sharks and their nursery areas since they opened in 1990. And the best part, they are eager to share what they have learned with anyone interested. The Sharklab offers tours where they will detail their daily runnings at the lab, the current research, and even show you the juvenile sharks they have in a holding pen. Tour times change daily, so please contact the lab to schedule a tour. VHF 88A or 347-4538

Closed Season for Lobster April 1st – July 31st

April 1st marks the beginning of the closed-season for the Bahamian lobster fishery. From the beginning of April until the end of July, it is strictly forbidden to harvest, purchase or possess any spiny lobster of any size within the Bahamas. Your cooperation is crucial to maintaining a healthy lobster population around Bimini, and far beyond.

During the summer months, the closed-season allows the spiny lobster time and opportunity to reproduce, ensuring a lasting population. Since larval lobster are carried for miles with the ocean currents, crawfish that reproduce around Bimini are not only sustaining the lobster population around these islands, but also far beyond our shores.