Rainbow Reef Depth Range: 20-25ft. Rainbow Reef has long been a signature SCUBA Diving and Snorkeling site around Bimini. The reason is, the variety and quantity of marine life to be found there. Back in 1985, world renowned Canadian naturalist and filmmaker John Stoneman was filming his long running television series The Last Frontier on Bimini. The government of the Bahamas had given Stoneman permission to select one location in the western Bahamas to designate as a "Marine Sanctuary" based on his research. The place that John selected was Rainbow Reef. When asked why he selected "Rainbow", Stoneman pointed out that both the variety and the sheer numbers of each fish species found on the reef was remarkable. He said that if any reef in the area was deserving of the "Sanctuary" protections it was "Rainbow". A commemorative statue was put in place at Rainbow Reef and filmed for the TV series in October of 1985.
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In 1987, world renowned underwater photojournalist Rick Frehsee (1941–2005) coined the phrase "Clouds of Fish" while photographing Rainbow Reef and writing an article for SkinDiver Magazine. Rick returned to Bimini many times over his career and always made a point of shooting a few roles on Rainbow Reef. Rick was not the only underwater photo–pro who enjoyed shooting on Rainbow Reef. The site was also a favorite of Stephen Frink, Greg Johnston, Jordan Klien, Michael Lawrence, Bill Harrigan, and Tim Calver.
