Wreck of the Bimini Barge Depth Range: 80-95ft. The Bimini Barge is a fantastic dive for a number of reasons. One of the most interesting aspects of the wreck is how it got there! Back in the early 1980's the hotel property on the south end of South Bimini, The Bimini Reef Club (formerly the Sunshine Inn), was undergoing major renovations. One of the new aspects of the property was that the owners wanted to dredge a new marina on the bayside of the hotel & restaurant. One of the obstacles to the dredging process was a 270 ft long abandoned barge run aground in the shallow water. To dredge a new marina they needed to get rid of the barge. From here the story gets a little fuzzy. Reason being, only a handful of people were involved in the removal process. All we know for sure is that some time in 1986 some towing company was hired to come to Bimini, hook up to the barge, tow it out to an area that would not be a hazard to navigation, and sink it. As far as we can tell, that's exactly what they did. Then they left without sharing the location with anyone (at least anyone that we knew). All we knew was that the barge was gone and the marina dredging began. It wasn't until about a year later that the subject of the disappearing barge came up again. A friend of ours, and avid diver from Fort Lauderdale, stopped in the shop one day to give us some news about the barge. He said that he had had some conversations with private pilots coming into South Bimini airport who said that they believe they saw the sunken Barge. They described a location just west of the South Bimini shoreline. He was heading out to try to find the wreck and asked if we'd like to come along. Of course we said yes! It took us about 2 hours to pinpoint the exact location, anchor on it, and do a dive. That's when we discovered 2 things. It was an incredible dive, and, between the current and the depth, we were going to need a very thorough and detailed dive plan to safely take guests on her. Two weeks later we took our first divers on the wreck and it has been a highlight of Bimini's diving ever since. The wreck itself sits in between 85 and 95 feet of water. It is laying perpendicular to shore, stern to the east, the bow to the west. Its position on the plateau, just 200 yards from where the drop off meets the Gulf Stream, means that on 9 out of 10 dives on the wreck, we are going to experience a current. However, if you precisely follow the dive plan and profile laid out by the Bimini Undersea staff, you will have an extremely safe, fun, and adventuresome dive. One of the main attractions to the wreck is the combination of marine life to be found. In most natural settings, you do not find both reef fish/creatures and pelagic (blue water fish) in the same environment. Here however you do (the staff explains why during the dive briefing). On the same dive where you're seeing Yellowtail, Groupers, and Angelfish you can also see Amberjack, Horse Eyed Jacks, Pompano, and Bonita. We also have a semi–resident Goliath Grouper who can be seen regularly on the wreck. All–in–all, the Bimini Barge qualifies as not only one of Bimini's best dives, but one of the best dives in all the Bahamas and Caribbean. Although the dive is categorized as an Advanced Level Dive, you DO NOT have to be certified as an Advanced Level Diver to make the plunge. And, regardless of your certification level, you need to listen carefully to the dive plan, and, follow that plan exactly. As with other Advanced Level dives, a Bimini Undersea staff member accompanies the group on this dive. Footnote — The name "Bimini Barge" was given to the wreck by Bill (Keefe) shortly after the first time they dove it. You see, barges do not have engines, sails, nor any other means to propel themselves. They are either pushed or pulled wherever they go. So, they are rarely if ever given names. They normally just operate under serial numbers or registration numbers. We needed to call it something so that people could write the name down in their log book, and, Bill didn't want to just "make up" some name. So, as boring as the name may be, it was decided to simply call it the Bimini Barge. – So now you know the story –
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