On our trips to the Bahamas you will discover a placid, turquoise paradise stretching as far as the eye can see with unimaginable graduations of color. Dive into diverse marine life around reef systems that are kept healthy by the continuous enrichment provided by the Gulf Stream. Topside you’ll find many uninhabited low islands with beautiful beaches on which to play, explore, and relax. On Saturday afternoon, sail from Miami to the Bimini Chain of islands where we clear Customs into the Bahamas. On your first morning aboard Juliet let the diving begin!

Not like other trips to the Bahamas

Lots of people think the diving in the Bahamas is not as good as other parts of the Caribbean. It has a reputation for being over-dove, unhealthy, and covered in algae. Those who think that haven’t been on our our trips to the Bahamas – we sail and dive where no one else does, you won’t see another dive boat for miles. We start out diving the Bimini Chain and will routinely travel to its southernmost island of Orange Cay, along the way stopping at dive sites such as Bull Run, the Nodules Wall, and Rainbow Valley at Victory Reef, to name a few of the abundant choices. From Orange Cay we continue south along the edge of the Grand Bahama Bank deep into Santaren Channel. You can visit dive sites such as Freedom Reef, Lost Pidgeon Reef, Longbow, Lost Medallion, Mad Cow Reef and Do It Again, where you’ll find pristine coral reefs and thousands of fish! These remote sites are dove exclusively by Juliet passengers, and host an abundance of life comparable to premier dive destinations around the world.

Sail from Miami, Florida to the Bahamas

There aren’t many live-aboards left that can take you from the mainland US to the Bahamas easily. Juliet leaves from downtown Miami so you don’t have to worry about international flights, lost luggage on connections, or airport customs hassles. Board Juliet in Miami and you’ll be whisked away to the islands of the Bahamas, and won’t have to see a customs line the entire trip.

Diving in the Bahamas

Types of Dives

The Bahamas has a great variety of dives to offer. Best known for the endless visibility – thanks to the white sand and bright sun – the are of the Bahamas we dive is located close to the nutrient-rich currents of the Gulf Stream, which not only provide us with some convenient drift dives, but helps to feed the coral and keep the reefs healthy. These reefs are some of the most resilient around – they grow quickly, recover quickly, and can survive a larger range of conditions than most other corals. They provide beautiful, safe shelters for a huge diversity of fish –  the abundance of life on the reefs is astounding! We have the Gulf Stream and the extensive mangrove ecosystems nearby to thank for that. Bimini is the only area of the Bahamas that can claim that combination: the mangroves provides a safe, shallow ecosystem for juveniles of every species to thrive in, and the Gulf Stream-fed reefs give them a healthy environment to live in as adults.

On the edge of the Gulf Stream are beautiful awe-inspiring walls, some starting at only 35′ (11m), some at 80′ (24m), offering dramatic drift dives when the current is running. Closer to shore are shallower patch reefs, some with heads 15′ (5m) tall and loaded with swim-throughs. There is also no shortage of wrecks (though the Bahamas can’t quite compete with the Florida Keys in this category!), our favorites being the Sapona, half in, half out of the water and surrounded with fish; the Hesperus Wreck where you can barely see the wreck through all the schools of fish, and huge Loggerhead Turtles bed down at night; and the Bimini Barge, where you never know what might swim in from the Gulf Stream! We’ve seen schools of Mahi-mahi, dolphins, once even a humpback whale was seen here! There’s almost always a giant school of permit, a hawksbill turtle, and a resident Goliath Grouper has been known to call this wreck home.

Don’t forget about the sharks! The Bahamas –  Bimini in particular – is famous for its sharks. Look in the Paul Humann fish ID book, almost all the pictures of sharks were taken right here in Bimini. Typically you’ll see Caribbean Reef Sharks and Nurse Sharks, but its not uncommon to see Great Hammerheads, Blacktips, and the occasional Tiger!

The Bahamas is well-known for its resident populations of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. On your surface interval, you may find yourself snorkeling with pods of these curious dolphin that often approach Juliet looking for someone to play with.  They may swim right up to the boat and ride in our bow wake if we are traveling through their areas between dive sites. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a chance to swim with these beautiful creatures as they dance around you, so close you could almost touch them! (But please don’t, these are wild animals and we don’t want to disturb them). Its an experience you won’t soon forget!

Water temperatures

Water temperatures in the Bahamas fluctuate quite a bit during the year, so be sure to pack the appropriate wetsuits!

Travel Information

Bahamas itineraries depart from downtown Miami, at Bayfront Park. Fly into Miami International Airport and we can help you arrange ground transportation to Bayfront Park. If you are driving down to join us, travel to Bayside Marketplace at Bayfront Park and follow the directions below (map and directions to dock to be inserted). Contact the Juliet Sailing & Diving office ahead of time to arrange for a parking pass if needed.

If you need accommodations in Miami, we recommend the Holiday Inn, in Downtown Miami.

Directions to Juliet in Miami

Juliet is located on the North dock at Bayfront Park near the Hard Rock Cafe. Please note that this location has changed. To get to Juliet, go to Bayside Marketplace at 401 Biscayne Blvd in Downtown Miami. When you enter the main driveway for Bayside Marketplace, follow the driveway to the right and bear right when you reach the water. If the parking attendant asks you to pay for parking tell them you are simply unloading on Juliet, which you will see just ahead to your left.

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