On the docks of North Bimini, boats with Florida registration numbers tie up beside the fishing skiffs, and the water between the two coasts is a deep Gulf Stream blue. Bimini sits so close to Florida that many travelers arrive by sea or by a short hop in the air. For anyone starting in Miami, the crossing is a matter of choosing between a boat of your own, a connection through Fort Lauderdale, or a flight.
How do you get from Miami to Bimini?
There is no direct ferry from Miami to Bimini today, so most travelers either go by private boat from the Florida coast or head north to Fort Lauderdale for a ferry or a seaplane. The old Miami link is a piece of history: in late June 2013, Resorts World introduced the MS Bimini Superfast, a German-built ship that brought passengers from Miami to Bimini. That service was ultimately discontinued, although several major cruise lines now dock at the pier.
Bimini lies 50 miles from Florida’s eastern coast, and it is really two islands in one, North Bimini and South Bimini. Alice Town on North Bimini is the hub of tourism, with most of the hotels, restaurants and points of interest strung along a road known as The King’s Highway. Keep that in mind when you plan the last leg, because where you land decides how you finish the trip.
By ferry from Fort Lauderdale
Baleària operates an international passenger ferry connection between Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and Bimini, using the high-speed passenger catamaran HSC Jaume II. From Miami, that means first making your way north to Fort Lauderdale, then boarding in the port.
The ferry suits travelers who like to arrive by water and see the islands rise low and flat out of the sea. It lands you on the Bimini side of the crossing without the need to connect through another island. Pair it with a few nights in Alice Town, where bars, small restaurants and the dive shops sit within reach of one another.
By seaplane from Fort Lauderdale
Tropic Ocean Airways operates a same-day seaplane trip from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini, taking 25 minutes each way. It is the choice for a day visit, since you can go over in the morning and return the same day.
From the air, the shallows around the islands show in bands of turquoise and pale green, and the long thin shape of North Bimini is easy to pick out. A day trip leaves room for a swim with a pod of wild dolphins, a stroll along the white sand of the three continuous beaches that include Radio Beach, and a plate of Bahamian food with a slice of freshly baked Bimini bread.
By your own boat
The Bahamas is a mere 50 nautical miles from Florida’s coast, and boaters make the crossing in their own craft. Boaters can now apply and pay for their Bahamas cruising and boating permit online. Boating Flings depart from Fort Lauderdale, with a caravan of participating boaters following a lead boat and a sweep at the rear.
On arrival, the Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina has a 75-slip marina out front for guests arriving by boat, and Resorts World Bimini features the largest marina in the Bahamas. Cruisers heading on to the Out Islands can take advantage of a $300 Boating Fuel Credit available at participating resorts and marinas. If you would rather not bring a boat, you might rent one on the spot before you rent a car, spending a day on the water on your own or with a local captain.
By air to South Bimini
Commercial and charter airlines fly into South Bimini Airport, and visitors then ferry across to North Bimini. The airport has an asphalt runway and sits just 10 feet above sea level, on South Bimini, which has a population of 182. Flamingo Air operates flights from South Bimini Airport to Freeport.
South Bimini is quieter than the island across the water. Near the airport road you find a small freshwater well with a plaque commemorating the Fountain of Youth, and a protected dry forest, the Bimini Nature Trail, with signs about local plants and animals and a connection to Shell Beach. For many years, South Bimini tourists were mostly boaters, since there was little lodging other than private homes.
How long does the trip take?
The fastest crossing is by seaplane, which takes 25 minutes each way from Fort Lauderdale, and the rest depends on how you travel and how long it takes you to reach the departure point. Bimini is 50 miles from Florida’s eastern coast, so the distance is short whichever way you go.
| Route | Departs from | Time in the air or on the water |
|---|---|---|
| Seaplane (Tropic Ocean Airways) | Fort Lauderdale | 25 minutes each way |
The total day is the sum of your approach and the crossing. From Miami, the first part is the trip north to Fort Lauderdale for the ferry or the seaplane. After that, the water crossing itself is the shorter piece, and the island greets you with a low skyline of palms and docks rather than a big terminal.
What the day looks like by seaplane
Because the seaplane makes a same-day trip, you can build a long Bimini day around it. Landing on the water puts you close to Alice Town, where the shops, restaurants and bars line The King’s Highway. North Bimini is about 7 miles long and 700 feet wide, so a short stretch of road holds nearly everything.
Spend the morning on the beach, with a white sand stretch of three continuous beaches to choose from. Midday suits a plate of conch or a slice of Bimini bread. Afternoons can go to the water, with glass-bottom boat rides and parasailing offered through the Hilton at Resorts World Bimini, or to the snorkeling around the wreck of the SS Sapona.
What the day looks like by ferry or boat
A ferry or a boat gives you a slower, more gradual arrival, and it suits a stay of several days more than a single day. You step off in a settlement of about 1600 residents spread along a flat island, and the pace of the place sets in quickly.
Anglers will find plenty to do, since wherever you find yourself in the Bahamas you are never far from deep sea fishing, and you can hire a local captain or set out on your own. Bimini is known for tuna-filled waters, and Ernest Hemingway lived here from 1935 to 1937, staying at the Compleat Angler Hotel and fishing from his boat Pilar in the offshore waters.
When the weather matters
Bimini has a rainy season with occasional rainfall and rare hurricanes from July to October, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Since today falls in October, a trip planned now sits inside the official hurricane season, which matters for any crossing by water or air.
In the winter months, great hammerheads and bull sharks swim the nearby Gulf Stream off Bimini, which draws divers. That is a different time of year from the rainy season, and it changes what you come for: shark diving in winter, beaches and boats in the warmer months.
What do you need to enter the Bahamas at Bimini?
U.S. citizens arriving by air need a valid passport, and the Bahamas Department of Immigration says it must be valid at least six months, with passport cards not accepted. That is the rule for the flight into South Bimini Airport, and it is worth settling before you head to the airport or the dock.
A passport is the document to carry for a crossing from Florida as well. The rules given here are the ones for arriving by air, and the details for other ways in are covered by the officials who set them, so a traveler arriving by boat should look to the Department of Immigration for the full list.
If you arrive by boat
Boaters can now apply and pay for their Bahamas cruising and boating permit online, which means the paperwork can be done before leaving the Florida dock. Resorts World Bimini and the Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina both have marinas where boats tie up on arrival.
The Big Game Club sits in the heart of North Bimini, with a freshwater swimming pool, shaded hammocks and complimentary watersports for guests, and an on-site Bimini Scuba Center offering lessons, snorkeling excursions and rental equipment. Swimming at Big Game Marina itself is strictly banned, because it is home to a large group of hungry bull sharks that have bitten people.
Once you have landed
If you land at South Bimini Airport, a short ferry hop carries you to North Bimini and Alice Town. From there, the beaches, the dive shops and the restaurants are all on one long, narrow island, and the Healing Hole sits within the brackish mangrove swamp that covers 3.7 miles (3 1/2 mi) of the North Bimini shoreline.
Resorts World Bimini opened in 2013 as a 750-acre beachfront resort on North Bimini Island, and its casino, opened in June 2013, is the only casino on the island. Visitors to Bimini can also swim with a pod of wild dolphins in the warm waters they call home.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
The Bahamas is a foreign country, so plan your trip as you would any international crossing. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and Bimini has a rainy season from July to October. Most of what you want sits close together in Alice Town, and the islands are small enough that the crossing is the biggest decision you make.
Bimini is known for scuba diving and snorkeling, with the SS Sapona wreck, which ran aground in 1926 during a hurricane, showing its top above the water while the bottom half is submerged. Pack for the sea first and for the town second.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Resorts World Bimini (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resorts_World_Bimini), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Bimini (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimini), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, South Bimini Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bimini_Airport), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Bimini (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/bimini), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Getting here by boat (https://www.bahamas.com/getting-here/boating), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Bimini travel guide (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Bimini), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), travel blog, Bimini North and South, where to stay (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/the-best-of-bimini-where-to-stay-on-this-dual-island-destination), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit the Bahamas: Weather, Hurricane Season, Sea Temperatures and Junkanoo
- Things to Do in the Bahamas: Beaches, Blue Holes, Swimming Pigs and Fish Fry
- Where to Stay in the Bahamas: Best Islands, Resorts, Boutique Stays and How to Choose
- Know Before You Go to the Bahamas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs