If you've ever visited Bimini -- just 46 miles east of Miami -- you know that almost everyone drives golf carts. The island is so small that driving a full-sized vehicle is kinda pointless. I've visited several times, snorkeled with the area's dolphins, hunted for the Fountain of Youth, and had some drinks in Hemingway's old haunt, The Compleat Angler, which sadly burned to the ground in January. When I was there last, we rented a golf cart and drove around the island. On the northern end of Bimini -- near Bimini Road -- we noticed a huge development being built. Great location, we thought. But can Bimini really handle this kind of human pressure?

The answer, of course, is probably not. And that's why the construction of the $850 million Bimini Bay Resort is such a hotly-contested issue. Much like Guana Cay, Bimini is threatened by deep pockets. In this instance, the deep pockets belong to the Hilton Hotels Corporation and the Capo Group. Featuring a mega-yacht marina, casino, fitness center, spa, shops, restaurants, and a golf course, the development is busy filling in the only mangrove ecosystem in the Northwestern Bahama Bank. These mangroves are responsible for replenishing the fish population. Additionally, the Resort will destroy an important lemon shark habitat, and there are concerns that dredging and re-contouring the land will put residents of the "old" Bimini in danger, when heavy rains come.

Lots of people have been speaking out against this development, including Shark Trust's Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch, Jamie Hyneman, and Dr. Sam Gruber. Now you can, too. Read about Bimini Bay Resort, and then -- if you feel like it -- sign the petition against it, or take some other action. I'm all for having a beautiful second home, luxurious golf courses, and strolling along private, fenced-off beaches. However, when it comes at the expense of the long-time residents -- especially those that live in the ocean! -- I wonder if it's really worth it.

In 2001, the Scuba Scouts of Tampa Bay consisted only of Boy and Girl Scouts between the ages of 14-18 interested in pursuing careers involving marine sciences. Since then, however, the SCUBA Scouts have conducted over four years of coral reef monitoring on selected reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Florida Keys. Volunteers, including certified dive instructors, Univerity of South Florida scientific divers, and Fish and Wildlife biologists, advise them. The group meets regularly to discuss its work, and each monthly dive is planned by the scouts themselves. Ultimately, these students are not just learning to dive; they're learning how to explore the oceans. Wow, when I was a scout, our big thing ws building miniature race cars out of balsa wood. This is way cooler!

Collectively, the Scouts have logged hundreds of hours underwater taking pictures, running video, collecting scientific data, salvaging and transplanting coral -- even training with the Navy SEALS! Last year, they went on a 7-day liveaboard trip in the Florida Keys to monitor the reefs there. This summer, they're heading to Bimini to undertake similar work.

[Via Diving-News]

In a sense, any dive site that boasts a shipwreck is an underwater museum. Frozen in time, a wreck is a snapshot of maritime technology. However, more than just a glimpse at a ship's engineering, underwater archaeologists are able to learn about the culture that used it; reconstruct ancient shipping routes; or unravel some of history's mysteries. Even in the best case scenario, though, most sites only have one or two wrecks, which most people wouldn't call a "museum."

However, there are a number of places where harbors have flooded, or entire cities have dissolved into the sea, allowing history buffs, scuba divers, or average tourists to travel into the past and see what life was like "back then." The real beauty of underwater museums, though, is that while "regular" museums remove ancient artifacts from their resting sites, submerged museums preserve them, intact, and in context.

From now until May 30, Harbor Branch scientists will work with Univiersity of Miami researchers to explore the deepwater straits between Miami and Bimini using Harbor Branch's Johnson-Sea-Link II submersible. Their primary goal will be to search for and collect marine organisms that have never before been seen and test them for the presence of chemical compounds with the potential to treat diseases like AIDS, Alzheimer's, and cancer. Using sonar map contours -- or  "ground truthing" -- the team will try to unlock the secrets of the sea floor's biodiversity in wide swaths, as opposed to just small chunks. If all goes according to plan, the researchers will discover some never-before-seen marine animals, and identify several new compounds with the potential to cure disease.

I wonder what Dr. David Leary -- the man who thinks unregulated bioprospecting is destroying the ocean -- thinks about this plan?

Joe Cocozza works for CNN and runs a great web service called Pod Diver, which is both Pod Diver Radio and Pod Diver TV. Pod Diver is “for hardcore scuba divers from hardcore scuba divers,” and you can subscribe and listen to Pod Diver through a variety of sources. In his newest radio podcast, for example, Joe talks to John Chatterton about his new project, Dive Portal.

I subscribe to Pod Diver TV, and last night I watched episodes 7 and 8. They are great. Episode 7 describes scuba diving on Midway Island, which is 1100 miles west of Hawaii – literally, in the middle of nowhere. In episode 7, Joe interviews local divemasters; provides some stunning underwater footage of some of the local wrecks and karst formations; and demonstrates how easy it is to see one – or five! – Galapagos sharks on any particular dive. Midway’s inaccessibility is its blessing: it’s a bitch to get to, but once you’re there, you’re among a select group of divers to have visited this glorious spot.

Episode 8 is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Waterdance,” which is a DVD showing how marine animals move. From that description, I was not…let’s say…chomping at the bit to watch the short film, but it was really worth it. Episode 8 shows Donald Tipton and his crew diving with Atlantic spotted dolphins in Bimini. It begins a bit slowly – Tipton talking; the crew horsing around on the liveaboard – but when Cocozza shows how close and how curious the dolphins are, it’s a truly remarkable thing. In the end, it was absolutely worth a watch.

For those of you who’ve had the good fortune of diving in Bimini, this news might be sad for you. So sit. Please, sit down.

Early Friday morning, a fire consumed the Ernest Hemingway museum and The Compleat Angler bar. Owner Julian Brown is presumed dead. Police said the blaze leveled the wood structure in Alice Town and destroyed hundreds of the photographs and various Hemingway memorabilia the Angler showcased. Ugh. I’m sick at the thought: the Compleat Angler made the best rum runners in the world. Moreover, you could easily spend hours in there looking at the old photos on the walls.

FYI – Hemingway hung out in Bimini in the 1930s, chugging at The Angler between fishing trips. His novel The Old Man and The Sea was said to be inspired by his fishing exploits in the Bahamas and Cuba, and he worked on To Have and Have Not in Bimini.

[Via Dive-Spots]

Bimini is a small island – OK, actually 2 small islands – 46 miles east of Miami, where almost everyone drives golf carts. There are several dive operators on Bimini, including Scuba Bimini, K&B EZ Dive, and Undersea Adventures, which has really worked to make Bimini a “destination.”  In addition to wall and wreck diving, Undersea Adventures offers fantastic dolphin excursions, as well as trips to Bimini Road, which some believe is Atlantis.  (Of course, there are those who don’t believe it’s Atlantis.) 

There is a lot of history/fiction associated with Bimini, from the Fountains of Youth; to the Devil’s Triangle; to a mysterious vortex; to mega-myths swirling around Hemingway’s famous boxing, fishing, boozing, and writing (both Islands in the Stream and To Have and Have Not were written on Bimini).  The island is also the namesake of the Bimini Top.

Notwithstanding the kooky stuff, Bimini is a great, quick get-away (if you’re on the east coast) with a rich history and great diving.  Pool’s open.